Warren County has approved just under $294,000 in additional reimbursements for agencies combating the spread of COVID-19.

This is the latest round of disbursements from $4.1 million the county received as part of the federal government’s CARES Act.

A majority of this round of funding will go to the county’s two ambulance districts and the Emergency Management Agency, to pay for emergency equipment and sanitization upgrades, according to county officials.

About $183,000 will be disbursed to the Warren County Ambulance District, a little less than $20,000 to Marthasville Community Ambulance District, and just under $78,000 to the Emergency Management Agency.

Warren County Ambulance Chief Tim Flake said a large chunk of the money will go toward automated CPR machines, which perform chest compressions, reduce close contact and free medics to provide other lifesaving treatment at the same time.

Flake said his agency and Marthasville Community Ambulance worked together to request a total of eight CPR machines. He estimated that they cost around $17,000 apiece.

Other major ambulance upgrades will include UV light systems to kill airborne contamination.

“We’re really trying to get the airborne stuff under control in the back of the trucks,” Flake commented.

UV lights installed in the roof of the truck will help reduce pathogens in the back where patients are treated, while additional UV lights inside the truck’s air conditioning will kill germs or virus as they cycle through the system, Flake explained.

“Basically, that purifies your air in the back of the truck,” he said. “They’re killing the germs as you’re going down the road.”

In addition, Flake said the ambulance district is purchasing Chromebook laptops to help staff, administrators and board members communicate without meeting in person.

The district is also purchasing privacy screens and crowd control stanchions, in case it needs to assist in large-scale health or vaccination clinics in the future, Flake added.

Warren County Emergency Management Director Mike Daniels said his agency is using its portion of the funding to reimburse the cost of numerous portable sanitizing sprayers, which have been distributed to every emergency agency in the county.

Daniels said half the cost of the sprayers was paid when they were ordered months ago, but the other half was owed when they were delivered in August. The county paid about $1,800 apiece for 30 backpack-mounted sprayers, $800 apiece for 30 handheld sprayers, and $10,000 for about 30 barrels of special disinfectant solution the sprayers use, Daniels said.

Along with all of the costly equipment and upgrades, Warren County Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus said every agency being reimbursed is also restocking on vital personal protective equipment and sanitizing supplies. Those costs can add up to thousands over several months.

“No payroll or anything like that (is included),” Gildehaus said.

Gildehaus said there will likely be two more rounds of disbursements this year. Between $700,000 to $800,000 in CARES funding is being left in reserve to cover emergency needs for the remainder of the year.

Disbursements

Below are the full disbursements approved by the Warren County Commission in September, according to data provided by the county clerk’s office.

• Total — $293,915

• Marthasville Community Ambulance District — $19,785

• City of Foristell — $885

• Wright City — $87

• Warren County Ambulance District — $183, 267

• Warren County Assessor — $5,434

• Warren County Commission — $2,070

• Warren County Emergency Management Agency — $77,957

• Warren County Health Department — $4,427 (out of a total $618,000 that has been earmarked for the department).