Equipment that will speed high-tech communications that can prove critical in a health event was approved by the Barton County Commission Monday.
The Barton County Health Department will purchase a new copier and scanner that will make it more practical for the staff to e-mail health documents, Director Lily Akings explained.
Office Products Inc., of Great Bend, is the only copier vendor in the county and it was awarded the purchase of Canon equipment.
The copier/scanner will cost $8,400, plus $130.95 for a surge protector and $510 for fax equipment for a total of $9,049.95, with a trade-in of the current copy machine.
According to information from the county, “specifications included 50 pages per minute with universal send with encryption, fax and compatible with ecopy or comparable software.”
Akings explained not only was the former copier in poor condition, the county was facing the necessity of spending more on scanning equipment, in addition to the need for a copier.
There was a possibility of a three-year lease, but that would have been a poor deal, Commissioner John Edmonds observed. He noted that in three years of the lease, the equipment would be paid off, not to mention the new machine will cost less for copies, too.
The machine being replaced lasted for almost 10 years and it’s hoped this new one will have the same lifespan, it was added.