DOBSON — Local paramedics may soon be able to provide an additional life-saving treatment in the field.
The Surry County EMS could become one of two EMS departments in the nation that could administer blood transfusions.
Monday evening the Surry County Board of Commissioners will consider a measure which would allow the county’s critical care paramedics to administer and charge for such transfusions.
According to correspondence from EMS Director John Shelton, the only other department in the country approved to perform such a procedure is in Texas.
Shelton is asking for approval to charge $250 to patients who require the procedure. According to Shelton, “The charge is very reasonable compared to the charges in hospital settings.”
• On another note, the county could see litter picked up on roads near the landfill in exchange for a waiver of landfill fees.
Before commissioners will be an agreement with a company contracted through the N.C. Department of Transportation to pick up trash along major roads in Surry County. The company is offering to pick up trash along roads surrounding the landfill on a quarterly basis in exchange for the waiver of landfill fees.
In an email included in the meeting packets of county commissioners, Public Works Director Dennis Bledsoe indicated he believes the agreement to be good for both parties. Roads included will be portions of Hiatt Road, Park Drive, Sheep Farm Road and Old U.S. 52.
• As part of the county’s initiative to move away from utilizing PayPal as a result of the company halting expansion plans in North Carolina in the wake of House Bill 2, Tax Administrator Michael Hartgrove will present an agreement with Forte Payment Systems Inc.
The agreement, if approved by commissioners, would make Forte the county’s third-party vendor which processes online tax payments.
In his correspondence to the board, Hartgrove indicated the agreement is of no cost to the county, as fees for Forte’s services are passed along to the individual initiating the transaction.
Monday evening’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Surry County Government Center, located at 118 Hamby Road in Dobson.