Henry Health Center enters a new lease on ambulance

MT. PLEASANT - The Henry County Health Center will be entering a new lease agreement for an ambulance.

Chief Executive Officer Robb Gardner told the center's board of trustees that the hospital gets a new ambulance every two to three years to ensure the vehicles are in good shape to provide the service to residents.

The new lease would be for a transport ambulance, which would cost approximately $140,000. Critical care ambulances can run from $235,000 to $250,000.

'It will help with overall cost and efficiency,” Gardner said.

Chief Financial Officer David Muhs added the center would sell the used ambulance, which he estimated would go for about $20,000.

The health center will be moving forward with construction and infrastructure projects and will begin the bidding process.

At a previous meeting, the board was informed the hospital would be looking into replacing chillers, cooling towers and air handler units that were originally installed in 1968. Gardner informed the board the estimated cost of the project will be approximately $2,555,000.

The board approved for the center to move forward with bids and set a bid opening date for Thursday, Sept. 10.

In an update about the center's various construction projects, Gardner noted the center's southside parking lot will be completed by next week. Muhs added the four-year project would be extended into a fifth and a final lot would be completed in the following year.

During the meeting, Gardner asked the board for its support regarding reinforcing mask wearing, social distancing and proper hand hygiene to mitigate spread of the coronavirus.

'The number [of cases] in all three counties in southeast Iowa have gone up significantly over the past week … As school starts up again, kind of make sure we stay ahead of it instead of getting in a worse situation,” he said.