At the Nodaway County Health Center Board meeting, May 17, the purchase of a van either with funds from the ELC ED contract or outright from health center reserves.
To utilize the contract, prior approval is required and retention documents for monitoring including official request, quote/final bill and DHSS approval email; records of purchase must be kept for five years. A van may be used for activities and outreach across program areas because the health center serves underserved populations.
“According to the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Nodaway County’s 2018 SVI score is .222. Possible scores range from 0 (lowest) to 1 (highest). Factors used in scoring include socioeconomic, household makeup, handicap, race, ethnicity, language, housing type and transportation.”
“All staff are out in the field except for Buffy,” Administrator Tom Patterson said. “The van is not going to replace all travel.”
At the June meeting, Patterson is going to bring van bids so the board can decide whether or not to purchase. Then whether or not to use the contract to pay.
The Communicable Disease report for April were 67 cases of COVID, one case of influenza A and three cases of influenza untyped.
The quarterly Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reporting was completed. It is a national program that supports immunizations and some health-related services for underinsured children provided through the Center for Medicaid Services. Part of the health center’s CORE funding is dependent on CHIP.
In Patterson’s report, he discussed the end of the federal government COVID-19 funding. “What this refers to is adjusting and downsizing funding commitments since the pandemic has wound down with the national emergency declaration ending May 11.
“Our contracts are still available but allocations of unspent and uncommitted funding are being dialed back. We will continue to receive stockpiled vaccines until those run out, anticipated this fall.
“Then the COVID-19 vaccines will be available through normal vaccine private supply and existing Medicare and Medicaid programs.”