How to purchase a body scanner using U.S. government ARPA funds
On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) released the Final Rule for the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), which was authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act, and allocated $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America. The Final Rule will go into effect on April 1, 2022. The National Association of Counties recommends counties to take advantage of the Final Rule’s new flexibilities and simplifications now, even ahead of the effective date.
The Final Rule is consistent with the Interim Final Rule in that COVID-19 Mitigation and Prevention support efforts in congregate living facilities such as incarceration settings fall under enumerated eligible uses of ARPA funds.
Specifically, Section 35.6; Eligible Uses states:
Enumerated Eligible Uses: A recipient may use funds to respond to the public health impacts of the public health emergency for purposes including – COVID-19 mitigation and prevention in a manner that is consistent with recommendations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including, mitigation and prevention practices in congregate settings.
The Treasury added that eligible uses of funds should help vulnerable or high-risk populations mitigate COVID-19. It is common knowledge in the corrections industry that the incarcerated are a vulnerable and high-risk population with large numbers of individuals with chronic health issues.
In addition to contraband detection, using the Tek84 Intercept Full-Body Scanner helps mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19 as an infection control measure by reducing staff to inmate physical contact and reducing or eliminating the need for lengthy strip searches. The Intercept is the only Full- Body Scanner on the market with an optional integrated thermal temperature sensor that can detect elevated body temperature in subjects who may be exhibiting signs of COVID-19 infection. An FDA study showed that our thermal temperature sensor exceeded the ISO 13154 standard for skin temperature screening.
The Intercept Full-Body Scanner, with an integrated thermal temperature sensor, will enhance the safety and security of the staff and inmates by reducing contraband entering the facility and by mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19.