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Calhoun County approves $500,000 DOJ grant to equip school nurses with communication devices
Summary
On Nov. 6 the Calhoun County Board unanimously approved a $500,000 Department of Justice grant to buy Stryker/Vocera communication devices for school nurses in local districts; the grant requires no local match and includes five years of vendor maintenance.
The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners voted 7–0 on Nov. 6 to accept a $500,000 Department of Justice grant that will buy wearable Stryker/Vocera communication devices for school nurses in Battle Creek and Lakeview-area schools.
Lauren, a Calhoun County Public Health Department representative, said the devices—described in the presentation as "smart badges"—are an evidence-based tool used in school settings to speed communication and medical response. "This device would be really crucial and essential," she said, adding that the county secured a reduced rate from the vendor and five years of included maintenance.
The administrator told commissioners the award requires board approval under county grants policy because it exceeds $100,000; the grant carries no local match and "most of it goes for equipment," the administrator said. Lauren said the program would cover equipment implementation across the districts named in the presentation and that the health department would charge a small portion of existing staffing time to implementation rather than adding new positions.
Commissioners asked about long-term sustainability. One commissioner asked whether the $500,000 is a one-time award and how ongoing costs would be handled. Lauren said the county and vendor were modeling a 10-year projection and had been told typical annual software and support costs after the vendor period run about $5,000 per district, and that the health department plans to partner with districts to identify future funding and integrate support into district contracts where feasible.
The board then moved to approve the Calhoun County Public Health Department FY26 "Students, Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence" grant application as presented. The motion carried on a 7–0 recorded vote.
The board’s action allows the health department to apply for and accept the federal funds and begin device procurement and initial implementation work with the named school districts. The county did not list a required local match in the board presentation.
