Ambulance service applies for grants to assist with equipment

     Monticello Ambulance Administrator Britt Smith released the service activity for the Monticello Ambulance Service for the month of May.

     Total EMS calls for service: 53 (28 to City of Monticello addresses, 8 to Monticello Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 10 to Jones County addresses within the Monticello service area, 1 Jones Regional Medical Center transfers, and 6 to Anamosa city addresses due to the Anamosa Ambulance Service being unavailable to respond)

     Smith shared that the ambulance service was on standby for the juvenile COVID-19 vaccine clinics that were held in May.

     Smith submitted a grant application for the St. Luke’s Rural Healthcare Grant to assist in the purchase of a new stair chair.

     “A stair chair is used to remove patients who are unable to walk from smaller, confined areas when a traditional cot will not fit,” explained Smith.

     A stair chair typically costs around $4,000. This grant opportunity would help cover 75 percent of the cost. Smith should know some time in July whether he was successful or not.

     A grant application for a DRA (Dubuque Racing Association) grant was also submitted to assist in the purchase of new portable radios for the ambulance service crewmembers.

     “Much like the police department, the ambulance will also be forced to update radio systems to become P25-compliant, which is a new FCC standard,” Smith said. “This grant will allow us to purchase six new radios at a cost of just over $6,000.”

     He said awards would be announced in August.

     In addition, the Monticello Ambulance service was awarded $2,500 in the name of Sue Ballou. The Service was the recipient of the America’s Farmers Grow program.

     Starting in July, the service will contract with an online training company that specializes in EMS training. It will be available/required for all service members on a monthly continuing education basis via the online platform.

     “This will reduce the necessity to hold monthly in-person trainings that incur additional overtime expenses for our crewmembers,” said Smith. “Attendance was also very spotty.

     “This will standardize our training so all employees will receive the same training programs, as well as making the training available 24/7 instead of during a single day of the month,” continued Smith.