Earlier this week, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors approved a special allocation of $6,600 to the Youth Emergency Services (YES) center in Cherokee to aid in covering added expenses arising from the pandemic. Director, Cheryl McGrory, says they had investigated the possibility of applying for American Rescue funds, but because they are a subgovernment agency operating under 28E agreements with the 13 other government entities, they had to make an ask of each of these counties. She explains they could not just shutter the center when the pandemic hit.
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McGrory says they quickly learned that as a small facility they were poorly equipped for some of the unique challenges COVID brought. They needed to adapt to those and prepare for the future with controlled spaces.
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These control rooms have their own ventilation and a camera system for monitoring the individual. McGrory explains the transportation issues.
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McGrory was asked if they had looked at other transportation options, such as ambulances or air ambulances. She says those can be extremely cost prohibitive at $1,000 or more per trip. The YES center is making sure they are not losing money on these transports, charging for mileage and an hourly fee to cover employee costs. Carroll County Sheriff, Ken Pingrey, says they frequently rely on this service.
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Each of the 13 counties is being asked to provide $6,600 to cover the estimated cost of roughly $86,000 for the physical plant ventilation upgrades and transportation expenses. The expectation is that it could take a year to a year and half to get ventilation updates done because of a backlog of that type of work in the area.