Clay County Awarded $279,000 In EMS Grant Funding

The Clay County Ambulance Service will soon have a new ambulance.

Director Natalie Boone said the county will use $279,000 in grant funding to make the purchase.

“These grant are just so very important to small communities like ours,” Boone said. “There’s no way that we could come up with $170,000 to buy a new ambulance. Thank you to the Development District for helping us out with this grant. We’re thankful for everybody involved for seeking these grants out.”

The county received $50,000 from a Hospital Assistance Grant and $229,000 from the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

Boone said EMS will also use the money to buy new video laryngoscopes, IV fluid warmers, and cardiac monitors.

“If not for these grants, there’s no way we would could have the funds to purchase the video laryngoscopes or fluid warmers,” Boone said. “Especially a new ambulance or those cardiac monitors. Those cardiac monitors are about $40,000 each, so that’s hard to come up with that extra out of your operating funds.”

Boone said the new ambulance and equipment will be vital for EMS as Cumberland River Hospital remains closed.