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Rural EMS officials ask county to consider $768,000 Lifepak 35 upgrade funded by opioid dollars
Summary
Rural Woodbury County EMS representatives presented an information request for 14 Lifepak 35 monitors (excluding Sioux City and Sloan) with a bid — including trade‑ins — of about $767,985 and discussed clinical benefits; county staff said about $780,000 in opioid funds is currently unallocated.
Representatives of rural Woodbury County emergency agencies urged the board to consider upgrading Lifepak monitors used by county EMS, saying older Lifepak 15 units are nearing end of life and new monitors improve prehospital care.
Darren Tooley, speaking for rural departments, said units purchased in 2015 are approaching a typical 10‑year service life and parts are becoming scarce. He described clinical benefits of newer Lifepak 35 monitors — including reduced pauses during CPR and live transmission of 12‑lead EKGs to receiving hospitals — and said the current bid with trade‑ins for 14 rural units is $767,985. Tooley added that the request would exclude Sioux City and Sloan because those agencies have already upgraded their equipment.
Drew Beyer and Kevin Hanke (UnityPoint) endorsed the upgrade, describing how live feeds of 12‑lead EKGs speed cath lab activation and improve outcomes: "It gives us that early notification, allows us to get the cath lab teams coming in," Hanke said. Board members asked practical questions about warranty, maintenance and training; Tooley said annual maintenance was indicated at about $1,500 per unit and vendors typically provide training and configuration support. First responders advised planning for spare devices and noted delivery could take two to three months for a large order.
County staff reported the opioid fund balance at roughly $1,051,000 with two pledges totaling $272,000, leaving about $780,000 unallocated — an amount roughly comparable to the Lifepak bid. Supervisors asked staff to explore whether opioid funds or other grant sources could be used if the board decides to advance the purchase; no formal procurement or appropriation occurred at the meeting (the item was informational and the board voted to receive the presentation).
