Pickett Applying For Grant To Replace Ambulance Equipment

Pickett County wants to purchase new CPR equipment and heart monitors for its ambulance service.

County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said the county is applying for some $400,000 in grant funding for the upgrades.

“The heart monitors that we have are probably about nine or 10-years-old,” Bilbrey said. “They still work, but we definitely need to upgrade those and some CPR devices. I think it would be very positive for our community.”

Bilbrey said the county wants to purchase five of each device. Bilbrey said the devices are used to conduct constant, hands free CPR to allow the paramedic to work on other medical issues.

As a small tax base, Bilbrey said grants like this help offset costs at the local level. The Community Development Block Grant requires a small local match of about 12 percent.

“It can add up to be quite a bit of money, especially for Pickett County,” Bilbrey said. “So outside funding with grants, we can purchase those and the tax payers will only be responsible for 12 percent.”