The Overton County Commissioners approved a purchasing agreement for eight new heart monitors for the ambulance service Monday night.
Overton County EMA Director Chris Masiongale said it is recommended to replace monitors every five years. Masiongale said eight of the county’s current nine monitors are due for replacement since they are over the recommended replacement age.
“So if we were out here and we had one of our monitors malfunction, and it was greater than nine, than five years old, that increases our liability,” Masiongale said. “Because we weren’t taking the recommended standard and replacing the equipment as we should.”
Masiongale said the total cost for the new monitors is some $420,000. With the purchase agreement, the price will be locked in for ten months. Masiongale said doing it this way opens the county to grant opportunities to pay for the monitors. Payments will be spread over four years with zero percent interest.
Masiongale said entering a purchasing agreement will beat Stryker’s upcoming price hike in October. He said the monitors, which currently cost $55,000 each, will see a five percent increase in pricing.
“That’s $3,000 per unit we’re adding to our cost,” Masiongale said. “Not only that, but when we trade our monitors in, they give us $10,000 off of that price. They were reducing that amount from $10,000 to $7,000. So that was $6,000 per monitor we were going to lose, to a total of, and they did the calculations, $52,000 in additional costs if we wait until after October 1.”
Masiongaile said he reached out to a competitor for a quote too. He said that number was $415,000 total, but it does not include a warranty or make up the $52,000 gap. In addition, buying from a competitor would mean the county would have to replace a brand new Stryker monitor purchased last year.
Masiongale said his crew is already well trained on the Stryker model, so they do not want to switch to something different. In addition, Masiongale said the other manufacturer still needed FDA approval for their monitor.
Masiongaile said the heart monitors serve as external pacemakers, defibrillators, and they cam take EKGs. Masionagle said they also take blood pressure, pulse rate, and can detect if a patient is having a heart attack. They are capable of sending a patient’s data to Cookeville.
Masiongale said these devices will benefit anyone having a cardiac event, as they can help save lives. Masiongale said they are especially useful in the back of an ambulance since they serve as small emergency rooms.
“We actually teach the doctors advanced cardiac life support and pediatric events life support,” Masiongale said. “Given they have a doctor’s degree. They know a lot of stuff. But when it comes to emergency medicine, we are well versed in this. We can give medication, and use that monitor to help save people’s lives.”
Masiongale said these are the same monitors he has been using for the last 40 years, and the same ones used in the hospital. He said new features allow cardiologists at a hospital to watch the monitor live remotely.
The purchase was approved by both the budget committee and the public safety committee before the measure came to the Commissioners.
In other business, the Overton County Commissioners also approved the Ambulance Service to apply for a an essential equipment grant worth up to $150,000 with no match.
Commissioners approved a $44,000 Food Grant Forklift to be awarded to Toyota Mid-South.
The Commissioners approved the appointment of Judicial Commissioners and Board Committees.
The Commissioners approved the Sheriff’s office to apply for a $15,000 Tennessee Correctional Institute grant to use for officer training.
