The Bartholomew County Commissioners on Monday approved the purchase of a refrigerator the county health department uses for storing vaccines.
The commissioners agreed to use $5,066.99 of immunization grant funds the county applied for and received from the Indiana Department of Health to replace one of their under-counter vaccine/pharmacy refrigerators.
Bartholomew County Health Department Director of Nursing Amanda Organist said the new refrigerator will replace one her department had been “nursing” for awhile.
“We’ve had some repairs on this one unit, and we have specific money that we’re supposed to use for storage and handling (of vaccines) out of the immunization grant,” Organist told commissioners. “And so the state says: just go ahead and get it replaced, so then it’ll last us another 10 or so years.”
The refrigerators receive annual preventative maintenance as well to make sure the units specifically designed for storing vaccines by maintaining precise temperatures are running well, Organist said. The refrigerators are crucial for maintaining vaccine potency and preventing their waste, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said Organist obtained three quotes for the vaccine refrigerator— one of which was the low bidder but did not meet the specifications because the vendor did not offer preventative maintenance, delivery, set-up or a certificate of calibration.
