The Warren County Commissioners have approved a bid to install a wireless nurse call system in the Rouse Home using remaining funds from a 2009 Congressional appropriation.
Grants Administrator Lorri Dunlap said a contract has been awarded to Unified Alerts to install the wireless call system for $90,912.10 and expects the project to be completed by the end of the fall.
The Rouse Home currently uses a nurse call bell system that was installed in 1992 when the home was built and uses lights above each room with audible alarms to alert the staff when a resident needs assistance.
"The system of audible alarms and flashing lights creates confusion and negatively impacts that environment," Dunlap said.
The new wireless system will allow aides to wear pagers that will alert them when a resident, including which specific bed, has requested assistance. The new system can also notify other personnel at the Rouse Home if an aide cannot respond to a call and will also allow for communication between the aides and other employees.
Door alarms will also notify staff when a door has been opened and the system will also create reports that track response time, Dunlap said.
In 2009 U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-5) requested project proposals from Warren County that would support Rural Health Initiatives. Thompson selected a request from the county with the Tidioute Area Health and Dental Clinic for $346,500 in Congressional appropriation funds. The funds were distributed through the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Approximately $218,842 was used on the Tidioute project.
The Rouse Home has also proposed to use the remaining $36,746 to purchase new beds in the facility.