The Corona virus is a major topic of discussion in the United States and elsewhere. Not surprisingly, that topic drifted down to the local level Monday during the weekly meeting of Ellsworth County commissioners.

Commissioner Dennis Rolfs asked Jeremiah Brown, director of the county EMS, if the county had a plan to deal with the virus if and when it arrives here.

Brown said the ultimate goal is to have patients with the Corona virus remain at home.

Brown said he and officials from the Ellsworth County Medical Center attended a meeting recently at the county health department to start the development of an action plan. A similar meeting was scheduled later Monday morning in the hospital conference room.

Brown said the goal is to keep patients with the virus out of the hospital for as long as possible so they don’t spread it to the hospital staff or others. Those with symptoms would call a hotline and receive further instructions on how to proceed.

“The main thing is to have a plan of some kind.” Rolfs said.

In other business:

+ Brown presented quotes from two companies that make heart monitors. Brown said the three monitors currently used by the EMS, all from Phillips, will no longer be supported and have been deemed obsolete by the Food and Drug Administration as of Feb. 3, 2021.

“Every county in Kansas is dealing with this,” he said.”ECMC has to do this too:’

The first quote was for Zoller’s Z series monitors at a cost of $89,000 for three, with a trade-in allowance of $4,000 per monitor.

Striker’s Life Time 16 series monitors would cost $76,000 for three, with a trade-in allowance of $4,000 for each monitor.

Brown said the total cost includes three monitors, three batteries and the necessary accessories. He prefers the Life Time monitors because they are user friendly.

At the suggestion of commissioners, Brown said he would apply for an 80/20 grant from the Hansen Foundation.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Monday, March 16, at the county courthouse.