Cole County discusses countywide CPR, first aid training and wellness benefits; health department to resend invites and staff to survey interest in gym benefit

Cole County commissioners and staff discussed standardizing automated external defibrillator (AED) boxes, whether to include Narcan and tourniquets, and a proposed countywide approach to CPR and first-aid training. The commission directed health department staff to resend training invitations and supported a staff-led employee survey to assess interest and demand for a possible fitness-membership benefit.

Staff said the county recently replaced AEDs and storage boxes in county buildings and learned some personnel had added Narcan and tourniquets to the boxes. The safety committee recommended standardizing the contents across county boxes and discussed how to ensure people can use the equipment safely. Health and EMS staff emphasized that training reduces risks associated with improper use and proposed offering CPR and first-aid training to all current employees and new hires whose job descriptions do not already require certification. Staff said training would be facilitated by EMS and the health department and that completion would not impose an obligation to intervene in an emergency.

Participants reported prior training activity: 40 employees expressed interest, 32 completed CPR training through the county program, three were already certified and five registered but did not complete the online videos. Staff said the health department had provided full training for its employees and that many departments (including those with medical personnel) already require certification as part of job duties. The county’s worksite-wellness fund (staff said the annual budget was approximately $15,000) currently pays for biometrics and other wellness activities; staff discussed whether to use those funds to subsidize gym memberships or other fitness benefits.

On the question of offering gym access, staff said preliminary vendor quotes provided a low figure of $49.99 per employee per year, but cautioned a countywide gym benefit could cost more if extended to all county employees. Commissioners and staff discussed fairness, differing job physical demands (for example, EMS working 48-hour shifts and needing on-duty fitness access vs. eight-hour office jobs), and potential workers’ compensation implications for on-duty exercise. The EMS director asked permission to pursue an internal solution for EMS personnel and said his agency would find room and funding within its budget if the countywide option is not adopted; commissioners indicated support for the EMS director to proceed internally.

The health department agreed to resend invitations and information about free CPR training; staff also agreed to prepare and distribute an employee survey to gauge interest in a gym-membership benefit and report results back to the commission before initiating an RFP. No binding countywide benefit was approved at the meeting; commissioners discussed options and directed staff to gather participation data and pricing information.