NATCHEZ — The old county sanitation department seems like the last place one might want to go to treat a cold, but that might be exactly where county employees go for such treatment in the future.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors has opted to explore the possibility of hiring a nurse practitioner to work for the county full-time.

The county already pays approximately $115,000 annually for nurse practitioner visits to the county jail and juvenile justice facilities.

Supervisors President Mike Lazarus said that the move could save the county money if the person hired can cover the jail, juvenile center and have a number of set hours where county employees can access their services.

“We need to sit down with the sheriff and the (youth court) judge, but I think they are on board,” Lazarus said.

The county has returned to a self-insured insurance system in the last year, so if the board can hire a nurse practitioner, county employees might be able to use those services instead of having to visit the Emergency Room or after hours clinics, he said.

Supervisors Vice President Calvin Butler said he supports the move if it can ultimately save the county money.

Significant factors that will have to be considered are rates of pay and liability coverage, Butler said.

“Between the sheriff and the juvenile justice building, it is costing about $115,000 a year,” he said. “If we can get somebody at that rate who has their own insurance, and make them a contract employee, that would still save us money because we would have somebody on site, so that would keep the cost of insurance for visits down for the county.”

The former sanitation department office could serve as a base station for the nurse, Butler said.

Lazarus said the county would have to weigh if the hire would be as a contract employee or a direct county employee.

“If they’re a county employee, you can set guidelines for when they have to be there,” he said.

The board has not set a timeline for when it will make a final decision on the proposal.