CEO Update: September 18, 2026

New York State EMS Council Meeting

Rob and I, along with other council members, attended the New York State EMS Council meeting this week. We covered a lot, including county EMS planning, community paramedicine, education and certification changes, provider safety and wellness, and statewide EMS data.

One resource discussed was the new EMS Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit developed by the Mental Health Association in New York State in partnership with the NYS Department of Health Division of State EMS. It includes practical information on peer support, difficult calls, confidentiality, mental health resources, and ways providers can better support one another. Our EMS providers spend so much time taking care of others, and it is important that they

have resources to help take care of themselves

as well.

View the EMS Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit

Planning for the Year Ahead

This week, I worked with Colleen and Kathy to complete the Year 2 budget and work plan for our Rural Health Network Development Program. The plan builds on the work we are already doing while adding new priorities related to the Social Care Network and rural health transformation. We truly appreciate the continued support from our funders, which allows us to keep strengthening rural health care and serving our communities. A big thank-you to Colleen and Kathy for all their work to make sure this was completed and submitted.

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