CEO Update: August 28, 2026

A Generous Gift

Maureen Kohl, or “Moe,” is someone many of you may know from her years working in the emergency departments at WCA Hospital and Olean General Hospital, as well as her work with Starflight as a flight nurse. Moe was also instrumental in helping develop Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner services in our region, first at WCA and later helping me expand those services to other hospitals through STHCS.

Although Moe has since moved to Florida, she has continued to follow what we are doing through my weekly CEO updates. Last week, she reached out to share how impressed she has been with the growth of our programs, especially our work in EMS and training. Moe then made an incredibly generous financial contribution to help support the continued buildout of the lower level of our Training Center.

I am very grateful for Moe’s generosity and for the fact that, even after moving away, she has continued to stay connected to STHCS and support the work we are doing. Her gift will help us continue expanding the education and training opportunities we can provide to EMS and healthcare professionals throughout our region.

Moe, thank you for your generosity, for staying connected to STHCS, and for continuing to support the work we are doing. I am also grateful for the role you played in helping build programs that have made a real difference in our region. Your $10,000 gift will help us continue investing in training and in the people who serve our communities, and we are truly thankful.

Bringing Rural Health Leaders Together

On Monday, we had the opportunity to bring together a strong group of federal, local, and regional leaders for our Rural Health Development Stakeholder Roundtable at Southern Tier Health Care System. We were pleased to welcome Richard Mayfield, New York State Director for USDA Rural Development; Chris Hoffman, Pennsylvania State Director for USDA Rural Development; and John G. McGough, New York/New England Regional Director with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. We were also joined by elected officials and representatives from health care, EMS, and community organizations throughout our region.

The discussion focused on many of the challenges facing our rural communities, including access to care, EMS workforce and sustainability, transitions of care, and the long-term stability of rural health care systems. Just as importantly, we had the opportunity to talk about the work that is already happening across our region and where greater collaboration may help us move that work forward.

I am grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and share their perspective. Having federal, regional, and local leaders at the same table created an important opportunity to have a direct and productive conversation about what rural communities need and how we can continue working together to address those needs. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the discussion so meaningful.

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