Gas thieves sped off with 30 gallons crippling a van and inflicting pain to hundreds of area patients in the process. Reporter Mike Lipsitz tells us why the recovery period will likely last well into September…
Hundreds of locals who depend on free, non-emergency medical transportation for access to the hospital, Airway Medical, the Family Health Clinics and other area medical offices have been forced to delay treatment or go untreated since thieves severely damaged one of the two patient transport vans operated by the Morongo Basin Healthcare District. Damage to the 12-passenger van was discovered August 14 by Family Health Clinic staff. It was parked behind the facility on the highway in Yucca Valley when gas-hungry thieves made off with the 30-gallon fuel system in its entirety. The van is out of service pending delivery of parts from overseas; repairs are estimated at $3,500. The damaged van offered the District’s only wheelchair transport. The remaining van is providing only about half of the more than 300 weekly patient trip requests. Grants provided by the MBTA and others paid for the van service, but the repair costs will have to be covered by the District.
MEDICAL TRANSPORT VAN DAMAGED IN GAS SYSTEM THEFT
