The county will spend federal grant money to reimburse the Butler Health System for the cost of increased pay for front-line workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The county commissioners at their Wednesday meeting voted to pay the health system $28,000 per month, retroactive to April.

The health system has provided premium pay to nurses, emergency room workers and others who care for COVID-19 patients for many months to retain or attract health care workers as the pandemic grinds on.

The total amount of Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) grant funds to be spent in the program to reimburse premium pay at the health system is $210,000.

In the program, an employee's pay can be increased by up to $13 per hour and is capped at $25,000 per employee.

The commissioners also approved a measure to pay the health system $28,000 per month in grant funds to reimburse and cover expenses incurred by Butler Health System for guiding the county, its emergency services department and related county response agencies as the pandemic played out in the county.

The professional services agreement between the county, its emergency services department and the health system states that the health system's leaders and managing medical personnel provided “professional guidance, education, leadership and assistance” to county officials and the general population of the county as the deadly pandemic played out.

The amount will be paid retroactive to April and will continue “as long as all parties here deem it to be necessary and beneficial to the general populous of Butler County.”

Any of the three parties in the agreement can terminate it with five days' notice.

The commissioners said they are grateful to the Butler Health System for its hard work during the pandemic to keep residents as safe and healthy as possible.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel cited the health system providing doctors to meet weekly with the county's school superintendents and municipal leaders regarding COVID-19.

“They've been a huge help for our community,” he said.

Commissioner Kim Geyer said Butler Memorial Hospital is truly the community's hospital.

“They provided services during an unprecedented pandemic and have been a wonderful resource to school districts, municipalities, EMS, human services and all facets of the county,” Geyer said.

Leslie Osche, commissioners chairwoman, said Butler County is fortunate to have access to a solely community-based health system in addition to the care available at health systems in Pittsburgh.

“We can adapt and respond (to a pandemic) quickly because we have a community hospital,” she said.

The commissioners also extolled the health system's efficiency in getting county residents vaccinated once a COVID-19 vaccine became available.

“It speaks volumes when we are one of the top counties that has administered the vaccine,” Osche said.

The grant for the health system will come from the county's American Rescue Plan grant.

Boozel said the county now has half of the grant, or $600,000 in its coffers, and is expecting the other half to arrive soon.