Starke County Council Approves Cardiac Monitor Funding

The Starke County Council members approved funding for two Lifepak 15 cardiac monitors during their meeting Monday night.

The commissioners deemed the purchase as an emergency during their March 5 meeting after EMS Director Travis Clary reported that two decades-old devices recently quit working. That left the county with no backup devices. To ensure that each ambulance had a working device with spares, the emergency purchase was made. Clary told the county council members Monday night that the devices arrived earlier in the day.

Clary previously mentioned that the cardiac monitors are just a newer version of the old devices so no additional training is needed.

The monitors were priced at just over $42,500 that includes a trade-in cost of the broken cardiac monitors worth $10,000.

The council members voted unanimously to fund the cardiac monitors by opting for the five-year, zero-percent interest payment option. The first $8,500 payment will be made out of the Rainy Day Fund. The EMS Department will include the rest of the payments in their budget for the remaining years.