Lake County 911 Authority seeks grants to lower Pro QA EMD start-up cost; requests $20,000 from regional health coalition

Staff briefed the authority on a plan to reduce the one-time start-up cost for Pro QA emergency medical dispatch (EMD) and pursue external funding to minimize the county’s share.

Sarah said Lake County is currently the only county in the South Central region without EMD capabilities and described EMD as a tool that "truly impacts prehospital and patient outcomes." She reported an initial Pro QA price near $99,132 and said staff are seeking a minimum of $20,000 from the Southern Colorado Healthcare Coalition to reduce the county’s up-front obligation to approximately $79,000. Sarah added that an additional grant opportunity Jackie flagged (due Jan. 16) could lower the net county cost further.

Ongoing fees after the initial year were estimated at roughly $20,000 to $20,400 annually for the next two to five years, Sarah said, noting that the price is locked for the period. The proposal is not yet budgeted for the year, so staff are seeking outside funding first and will return to the board when the net cost to the authority is known.

What’s next: staff will submit a funding request to the healthcare coalition and route the draft grant application for board review before submission.