MEXICO — Members of the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition toured the new Med-Care Ambulance building Wednesday before their meeting in the conference room.

“We want to be a part of the community before the emergency,” said Laurieann Milligan, community outreach director of Med-Care.

With the completion of the facility, Milligan said sufficient space is available for six ambulances, one hazmat trailer and four chase cars, along with plenty of room for storage, six bedrooms for employees and numerous offices.

She said the building is equipped with lockdown capability and provides plenty of space for the organization’s 16 full-time employees. In addition to the full-time staff, she said Med-Care also employs 60 per diem people who average 300 calls a month in the 11-town coverage area.

Following the tour, representatives from more than a dozen medical- and social service-related organizations provided updates on many events scheduled in the next couple of months. Among them are plans by Safe Voices for activities to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

Director of Safe Voices Diane Gallagher said a Domestic Violence Memorial Vigil will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Nancy Smith Memorial Garden at the rear of the Swift River Health Care Center in Rumford. Other vigils are planned for the same day in Auburn, Norway and Farmington.

Also, she announced that on Oct. 12, the annual Walk to End Domestic Violence will take place during Rumford’s Pumpkinfest. Oct. 16 is Wear Purple Day, when supporters of domestic violence victims are encouraged to wear purple.

Representatives from the organization are continuing to make presentations in area schools.

Other local programs offered by agencies include:

* Tina Hazard, maternity group home coordinator, said Rumford Group Homes is offering a place for young women age 16-21 who are pregnant or parenting, to learn parenting, economic self-sufficiency and child development.

* RVHCC Project Director Sandra Witas said 35-50 families have been served during each of the past 10 weeks by food from the community garden and demonstrations on how to prepare it.

* Barbara Rajaniemi, also of the RVHCC, is coordinating a Healthy Main Street program, working to establish wellness programs for employees of area businesses.

* Barbara Radmore, director of the Western Foothills Kids Association, announced that the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program is returning to the River Valley. She also said four after-school programs have begun in area schools.

* RVHCC director Patricia Duguay said the organization is looking for two part-time workers. One will direct the nutrition education program and the other will serve as an outreach coordinator for the Drug Free Community program.

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