AMR shows off cardiac equipment to police jury
Published Tuesday, July 26, 2005
VIDALIA, La. - The Concordia Parish Police Jury found out just how some of its money is going into helping residents of the parish at its meeting Monday.
American Medical Response's Tim Houghton showed the jury the Livepak 12, a new defibrillator and cardiac monitoring device AMR is using in its ambulances.
"I wanted to introduce you to a new piece of equipment we're using," Houghton said.
AMR has provided ambulance service in the parish for the past four months. AMR had previously provided ambulance service but stopped in 2003 after a dispute about the ordinance requiring the company to have two fully staffed ambulances on call at all times.
The Livepak combines several cardiac monitoring functions -measuring electric activity, cardiac muscle tension, the heart's oxygen saturation, blood pressure and carbon dioxide output - into one unit, something that had required multiple machines and more work from ambulance personnel. It also provides a concise summary of that information in a small printout that can be given to medical personnel at the hospital to which a victim is transported.
"This eliminates any doubt the physician has when you get to the hospital," Houghton said.
Houghton said each Livepak costs between $15,000 and 20,000, a discounted price AMR receives on a national contract with the medical supplier. AMR has three of the units in its ambulances right now with three more on the way in the next six months, Houghton said.
"From what we're seeing in the parish, this is making a difference," Houghton said.
The jury also heard from T.C. Shirley, a businessman from St. Francisville who is opening an auction business in the parish.
Shirley, a co-owner of Gulf South Auction Center, is opening a branch of his business at 5400 U.S. 84 West.
Shirley said his company does auctions at no charge for local governmental agencies looking to unload old equipment, vehicles and computers.
In other business:
4The jury voted to consider a change in the parish alcohol ordinance that would change the minimum age for buying alcohol from 18 to 21. The parish follows state law but never updated the local ordinance. "This would put us in line with the state law," Ferrington said. "We never changed our ordinance when they changed."
4Juror Randy Temple proposed sending a letter to local state government officials proposing the state take over Fisherman Drive, a heavily trafficked road that runs along Lake Concordia just east of Ferriday, possibly as part of a road swap.
The jury made a similar proposal once already, but Temple said it was worth trying again. "I'm all for being persistent," Temple said.
4The jury will also consider amending the boundaries of Sales Tax District No. 1, to cut out a part of that district Vidalia has annexed.