MedStar has donated an ambulance to Toluca, Mexico, one of Fort Worth's nine sister cities. This week, MedStar and Fort Worth City Councilman Brian Byrd handed the keys to a delegation from Toluca.
"This is great because, without the personal relationship Sister Cities developed over years of visiting Toluca and having folks from Toluca visit here, this would have never happened," Byrd says. "This is a power step for the Toluca EMS service. This ambulance will be the newest and the finest of their entire fleet."
Fort Worth Sister Cities' Mae Ferguson says Toluca reached out to Fort Worth through Sister Cities to ask for help in its healthcare system.
"It's like in any relationship when there's a need, and you're able to help your friends, it just brings you closer together," she says.
MedStar donated a Chevy "Trauma Hawk Type II" ambulance considered surplus in its fleet. Texas Health Resources also donated 7,300 N95 masks.
Ferguson says Fort Worth has an ongoing relationship with its sister cities through cultural events and student exchanges.
"When you get to be in a relationship with someone, you realize they're just like us. They just speak a different language," she says. "It is a valuable lesson for people of all ages."
"It's fun to experience another culture," Byrd adds. "To have friends who grew up in another culture, learn from them, drink wine with them or drink a little tequila with them. Enjoy who they are, and they can enjoy who we are."
Toluca is Mexico's fifth largest city, with a population of about 750,000.
