Last week, Universal Primary Care in Olean had their Telemedicine and Distance Learning equipment installed at their location, and their staff and patients are now utilizing it. This equipment came from our third round of funding through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Rural Utilities Service's Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program.    

We visited with Robert Fry, our General Field Representative for the Rural Utilities Service – Telecommunications Programs, yesterday at STHCS. He was able to see the equipment we have been able to install thanks to the USDA funding. We also have invited Robert to come back along with Director Murray and Christopher Stewart, Special Projects Coordinator, so that they can share some other opportunities from the USDA.

Following discussions at my Board of Directors meeting this week, we have begun to work on a social media campaign to address the stigma and myths surrounding Opioid and Substance-Use Disorder. Community members share many misconceptions, and we are looking for a way to address these regarding Narcan and the different treatment options for SUD/OUD. I want to thank Dr. Watkins for bringing this to our attention. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any resources to share to assist with this campaign.    

​This past week we hosted another session of the Cattaraugus County Career Academy – Step Into Healthcare. We focused on healthcare workers that address mental health and substance use disorders. I want to thank Michael Prutsman of CASA-Trinity, Mary O’Leary of Cattaraugus County Department of Community Services, and Jordan Yaros of STHCS for sharing information about their careers with the high schoolers. We are already looking forward to next month’s sessions!  

I am happy to report that we partnered with the St. Bonaventure University Physician Assistant program again this year. Over the past week, our instructors taught on campus to the AHA’s BLS provider, ACLS provider, and PALS provider to the second-year PA students who are about to start their clinical experiences. I want to thank Brian Wilcox, Kelsey Mattison, and Jay Prosser for conducting these trainings and Meagan Alberts of SBU for coordinating with us.