Pulaski County to Pay for Hepatitis Shots for Maintenance Staff

Concerns about hepatitis have Pulaski County vaccinating its maintenance staff.

The county commissioners agreed Tuesday to cover the cost of hepatitis shots for maintenance workers, at the request of Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston.

“My folks work in the jail all the time,” he explained. “We’re back in the cell blocks. We’re in the kitchen. There’s always maintenance to do over there, things to fix. And there is a presence of hepatitis in the jail.”

Commissioner Mike McClure felt that it’s better for the county to pay the relatively minor cost of the shots now, than to deal with potentially bigger problems later. “Boy, if they came down with it and we were aware of it, since we’re aware of it now, we’d be somewhat liable,” he said.

Johnston noted that the hepatitis shots are available at the Pulaski County Health Department.