CCCC trustees approve equipment purchase

The purchase of a BD Pyxis MedStation ES, to be used by the nursing and allied health program in the new Technical Education and Innovational Center, that is currently under construction, was approved by the Cloud County Community College board of trustees during its regular meeting on Tuesday night.
It was reported to the board that the college plans to purchase the Pyxis MedStation equipment to help students learn and obtain essential skills, preparing them to enter the workforce as future nurses.
The cost of the Pyxis MedStation is $56,997, with payment coming from the building fund.
Cloud County Community College (CCCC) president Amber Knoettgen informed the board that the state of Kansas allocated the college $303,231 to help support workforce development efforts, such as the Pyxis MedStation, that will be used in the new Technical Education and Innovation Center.
“The money we received from the state is for business and industry and the language in the law is very loose, so as long as it applies to our local business and industry needs, we are able to use that money towards this,” Knoettgen said.
The Pyxis MedStation is an automated medication dispensing system supporting decentralized medication equipment. It helps clinicians safely and efficiently dispense medications while offering enterprise integration. The equipment is supported by the North Central Kansas Medical Center, as it found that early exposure to this type of equipment eliminates on-the-job training and can help reduce errors for new graduates.
Stefanie Perret, the CCCC director of nursing and allied health, informed the board that the Pyxis MedStation allows students to practice pulling medication, documenting medication and administering the medication.
Perret said that the equipment will also be used by the students in the college's pharmacy tech program, who will put medication into the equipment.
“So we are really wanting to utilize the equipment across all of the disciplines within our nursing and allied health department,” Perret said.
Also during the meeting, the board approved the purchase of security cameras and card access points for the new technical education center from American Digital Security, in the amount of $75,890.97, and authorized payment from the building fund.
Purchase of the equipment had been approved by the board during its August meeting, but vice president for administrative services Caesar Wood reported to the board that the camera vendor, Avigilon, recently discontinued the server for the cameras and the new server model has increased in price by $2,179.44.
Wood informed the board members that the Avigilon camera selected will have the ability to zoom in and rotate, to have a clear site of view around the entire technical education facility.
The camera equipment was not bid because American Digital Security is an approved vendor through the state contract.
The cameras and card access points are projected to arrive by December 2023, in time to work with McCownGordon to coordinate the installation.
Included in the consent agenda approved by the board was an early retirement request from Suzi Knoettgen, director of financial aid, effective February 1, 2024.
The 2024-2025 academic calendar was approved by the board.
Classes will begin on August 14. Commencement will be on May 16.
The board scheduled a budget study session for tuition and fees and housing rates for October 26 during its regular meeting.