“Now, ambulance crews in LA County have been told not to take patients with little chance of survival to hospitals,”1 and to ration their supply of oxygen – only administering supplemental oxygen to those with oxygen levels below 90%.2 That’s one of the developments this week’s news cycle. As you may know, the lack of availability of oxygen was one of the main catalysts for the creation of the industry of Recreational Oxygen. The pioneer of the industry, Christine Warren, founded Oxygen Plus (O+) in 2003 when she was a marriage and family therapist. She was incensed that government – requiring people’s oxygen levels to be below a certain percent – met some of her client’s oxygen needs, yet left others short of breath. That was more than 18 years ago. One year into the pandemic, and COVID-19 is still running or ruining most of our lives. And now, it’s about oxygen. I’m incensed, too. Oxygen – in all forms – ought to be available to anyone who wants it. Oxygen Plus is prepared to do its part to help healthy, wellness-minded people breathe a little easier during these enduring times. And we’d love to hear from you if we can do more to make O+ portable oxygen available to those you love. We’re taking a break from social media (to reassess our relationship with those platforms and for a renewed focus on mental and physical health), so email me your suggestions! Breathe Easy, Lauren Carlstrom COO Oxygen Plus, Inc. 1 Alexandra Meeks, Christina Maxouris and Holly Yan, CNN. Los Angeles County ambulance crews are told not to transport patients with little chance of survival. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/05/us/los-angeles-county-california-human-disaster-covid/index.html. Retrieved January 5, 2021. 2 Short of equipment, ambulance and oxygen, L.A. County hospitals face darkest month, LATimes.com, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-05/short-on-equipment-ambulances-los-angeles-medical-systems-hit-dire-crisis-point. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
