Hospital to seek USDA grant to aid in ambulance purchase

The Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) Board of Trustees unanimously voted Monday to pursue U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant funding to assist with the purchase of a new ambulance and related equipment. The action came during a public hearing at the board’s regular monthly meeting on Monday. HCMH Chief Executive Officer Jim Atty explained that the grant would be a way to extend dollars and help pay for a portion of a new ambulance. “One of our current ambulances is beyond its useful life, and replacing the unit is in our capital projects budget for fiscal 2014,” Atty told the board. “In discussions with Randy Hildreth with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Humboldt County, census data from 2010 could make Humboldt County eligible for funds at the federal level. We would like to apply for a grant that would cover up to 15 percent of the purchase cost for the ambulance and necessary equipment,” Atty said. The estimated cost for the ambulance, medical cot, LifePak defibrillators and related smaller pieces of equipment would be $184,000, Atty said. A 15 percent grant would amount to $27,600 in funding. For more news about HCMH, read this week's issue of The Humboldt Independent. Subscribe by clicking on the link above.