The Choctaw Plaindealer

The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors discussed various topics including ambulances, the Choctaw County Medical Center and mitigation grants.

Jeff Morse, owner of Choctaw Medical Center, was present at the June 23 board meeting to discuss ambulances and give an update on the hospital.

Morse said the box type ambulance needs to be fixed by putting a new chasse under the box and adding LED lights.

Also, he said that when the van type ambulance was in an accident, not long ago, the hospital was loaned a box type one from a company in Ohio.

Morse said he feels like the box type ambulance is important because it has more room.

"Need to have enough room for EMTs to work on or around the patient. The van is too narrow," said Morse.

He also said he feels that Choctaw County will be better provided for if the CCMC runs two ambulances.

"Response time much better with two. Important for us to run two, I think," said Morse.

Don Threadgill, Chancery clerk, said the county has already advertised for bids on a new ambulance.

Morse gave an update on the CCMC stating it is doing much better than before.

"The hospital runs much better. We have a waiting list at the nursing home. Doing what I thought it would three years ago," said Morse.

The CAT scan and a new hospital generator will be complete in three weeks. Morse recently installed tankless hot water heaters and said the first month's bill went down $1,900.

Morse is proud that the new lab equipment is in and running smoothly.

"Only about five tests and cultures have to be sent out to perform," said Morse.

He then told the supervisors that he thinks the CCMC will out grow the current building soon.

"We think in two to three years we will out grow the building with the services we want to add," said Morse.

He discussed with the board how options of how he believes the building could be expanded. Morse said he will have outside people to analyze the building on how it could be expanded.

Steve Montgomery, Emergency Management director, was present at the meeting to discuss possible mitigation grants.

He told the supervisors about a grant that would send emergency messages to boxes to alert the citizens at anytime of any emergency.

Examples of when a message would be sent are weather, amber alerts, boil water notices and any type of county emergency.

Montgomery said the messages would be sent out through a digital radio station frequency.

To have the ability to do this, the county would need a portal to send the messages. This portal costs $25,000.

Montgomery said the mitigation grant is for 95 percent of costs, with the county paying only five percent.

The supervisors agreed to apply for the grant.

In other business the board approved:

€ Delete two inoperable GPS units from the Sheriff Department inventory and to destroy them.

€ Amendment to the contract with Watkins, Ward and Stafford for an extension of time.

€ Travel expenses for the election commissioners to attend a workshop.

€ Travel expenses for Peggy Miller, Circuit clerk, to attend Circuit Clerk convention July 16-19.

€ Accept a letter or resignation from Joe Griffin effective June 30 due to retirement. The board will hire him as part-time help.

€ To honor July 4 as a holiday.

€ Glenda O'Bryant, Justice Court clerk, presented the biannual reports on the partial pay and unpaid case reports.

€ Received annual fire rebate money of $37,075 to go into the general fund.

€Acknowledged that USDA received the county's grant application for a backhoe and fire truck, the one ordered for Weir VFD.

€ To increase the amount of money to purchase without a purchase order to up to $500.

€ Purchase 10 digital cameras at Wal-Mart for $199.84 each with the Justice Department grant.

The next Board of Supervisors meeting is July 7 at 9 a.m. in the boardroom.