Sutter County’s Health and Welfare Committee considered a request Aug. 4 to increase the Public Health budget by $13,000 to buy a replacement pharmaceutical-grade immunization refrigerator.
The staff report, prepared by Health and Human Services Director Sarah Eberhardt-Rios, said the county’s existing unit developed temperature instability in May 2026 and had a refrigerant leak. Although repairs restored the refrigerator to service, the report said the unit would ultimately fail without major additional work.
The county said the replacement is needed to protect vaccine storage for the Vaccines for Children program and to preserve emergency backup capacity for local providers, including Peach Tree Health and Yuba County Public Health. The report also said the county must maintain pharmaceutical-grade storage to meet vaccine handling requirements.
The agenda packet says the purchase would be funded with Medi-Cal Administrative Activities revenue funds and would not affect the General Fund. It listed three vendor quotes at $8,724.79, $9,918.25 and roughly $10,384, and set the purchase ceiling at $13,000 to allow for contingencies.
If approved, the Auditor-Controller would process the budget adjustment and General Services would handle purchase and installation. The committee item required a 4/5 vote and was slated to go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
