Clay County EMS Director Andy Hall said a $1.3 million grant for new equipment gives him a sense of relief.
The county currently has just two ambulances in the fleet. The state grant will double that number. Hall said lower maintenance costs create room for other things in the budget.
“Some of my monitors were ten years old, and now they’re going to have brand new monitors to work with,” Hall said. “And new cots, that, you know, were a few years old. We’re replacing those with new cots. It’s going to help my employees do their job more efficiently, and with less downtime.”
Hall said Clay County’s lack of a hospital means emergency care needs to be the best it can, and the new equipment will raise the standard.
“We are the emergency room,” Hall said. “We are everything until we get them to the emergency room. With aging trucks and stuff like that, it makes it harder. It makes it more of a liability to get to the hospital in an older truck.”
Hall said the grant money arrives in July, but the EMS has a plan for the next few months.
“We’re lining up stuff so as soon as we get the money and order stuff, we can get it in here, and get it in service and functioning,” Hall said.
Senator Ken Yager said the county applied for the grant twice before receiving approval. Hall said he is thankful for the support from Yager, the Health Department and everyone who backed Clay County in getting the grant.
