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Board approves use of opioid settlement and gaming funds to buy Lifepak monitors for county EMS
Summary
The Woodbury County Board approved using opioid settlement funds to cover 75% of Lifepak cardiac monitors for county EMS agencies, with up to $200,000 from county gaming funds covering the remaining 25%. The package passed unanimously amid testimony from local EMS and ambulance providers.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to cover 75% of the cost of new Stryker Lifepak cardiac monitors for county emergency medical services using opioid settlement funds, and to use county gaming funds for the remaining 25% up to a $200,000 cap.
Board members discussed the request after updated vendor quotes were entered into the record; the Stryker total was listed as $760,818.52 and a ZOLL quote as $770,083.34. The county attorney and staff reviewed allowable uses of opioid settlement money before the board took public testimony.
Mickey Souser, president of the Woodbury County EMS Association, told the board the higher Stryker price reflected a four-year service agreement and that Stryker equipment is already in use at local hospitals, which favors equipment compatibility. Dean Louders, assistant fire chief in Sergeant Bluff, said his department responded to more than 680 calls in 2025 and described the volume of opioid medications in the community, arguing the monitors would have "possibly life saving impact." Nick Lars of Bronson Ambulance cautioned that a 25% local cost share could be a heavy burden for small-town services, saying that for a small agency such a contribution could represent multiple years of planned capital gains.
The chair also read an email from volunteer first responder Nick Posey urging the board to reconsider funding only 75% because some departments may find the remaining 25% unaffordable; the board voted to receive the email into the record.
Board members noted administrative burdens of issuing many individual, interest-free loans if that option were used and discussed whether to reallocate gaming funds. Ultimately the motion approved the funding split with opioid funds covering 75% of the purchase and county gaming funds covering 25% up to $200,000. The motion passed 4-0.
Next steps: staff will finalize purchase and contracting details with the selected vendor and coordinate loan or payment arrangements with individual departments as needed.
