To: Board of Supervisors
From: DHHS: Public Health
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Establish Fixed Asset Line Item for the Purchase of Two Biological Safety Cabinets
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the appropriation transfer to establish a fixed asset line item for the purchase of two Biological Safety Cabinets; and
2. Direct the Auditor-Controller's Office to post the appropriation transfer in Attachment A.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Public Health Fund
DISCUSSION:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) - Public Health Modular Laboratory provides a variety of testing services to the community. There are several safety protocols to prevent contamination of both laboratory staff and testing specimens to ensure accurate, safe testing. The primary safety containment devices in the Modular Laboratory are two Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC). A BSC is an enclosed, ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with specimens that could be dangerous to the user.
The two BSCs currently in use by the Modular Laboratory were installed new in 2004. Typically, the life expectancy of a BSC is approximately 10 years. In April 2019, the company that annually certifies and calibrates BSCs was able to certify the cabinets for 1 more year. However, the company warned that it would not be able to calibrate the BSCs any further to achieve certification, informing the DHHS - Public Health Laboratory staff that the BSCs are at the end of their life cycle and must be replaced in order to achieve certification in 2020.
DHHS - Public Health was able to shift grant funding to support the replacement of the BSCs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program through California Department of Public Health. The appropriation transfer will move funds that were previously budgeted to be spent on supplies for the Modular Laboratory to a fixed asset line to a...
Click here for full text