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Nav Menu American Heart Association Courses Interested in a Course? Contact Us! Register Now! Hands-only CPR Training Learn the core concepts of life-sustaining, high-quality Chest compressions for providing CPR to patients experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. This course is not an official American Heart Association or American Red Cross course and does not provide an official credential. Time : 30 minutes Certificate : Course completion card Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED Training The AHA’s Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course trains participants to provide first aid CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely, timely, and effectively. Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). Who should take this course? The AHA’s Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Course is designed for anyone with little or no medical training who needs a course completion card for their job, regulatory (e.g., OSHA), or other requirements, or anyone who wants to be prepared for an emergency in any setting. What does this course teach? • First aid basics • Medical emergencies • Injury emergencies • Environmental emergencies • Preventing illness and injury • Adult CPR and AED use • Opioid-associated life-threatening emergencies • Optional modules in Child CPR AED and Infant CPR Time : 6 hours Certificate : AHA Heartsaver® course completion card Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider The AHA’s BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED. Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). Who should take this course? The AHA’s BLS Course is designed for healthcare professionals and other personnel who need to know how to perform CPR and other basic cardiovascular life support skills in a wide variety of in-facility and prehospital settings. What does this course teach? • High-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants • The AHA Chain of Survival, specifically the BLS components • Important early use of an AED • Effective ventilations using a barrier device • Importance of teams in multi rescuer resuscitation and performance as an effective team member during multi rescuer CPR • Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants Time : 4 hours original and 2 hours refresher Certificate : BLS provider course completion card Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider The AHA’s ACLS Provider is for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response What does this course teach? After completing this course, students should be able to: • Define systems of care • Apply the BLS, Primary, and Secondary Assessments sequence for a systematic evaluation of adult patients • Discuss how the use of a rapid response team (RRT) or medical emergency team (MET) may improve patient outcomes • Discuss early recognition and management of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), including appropriate disposition • Discuss early recognition and management of stroke, including appropriate disposition • Recognize bradycardias and tachycardias that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome • Perform early management of bradycardias and tachycardias that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome • Model effective communication as a member or leader of a high-performance team • Recognize the impact of team dynamics on overall team performance • Recognize respiratory arrest • Perform early management of respiratory arrest • Recognize cardiac arrest • Perform prompt, high-quality BLS, including prioritizing early chest compressions and integrating early automated external defibrillator (AED) use • Perform early management of cardiac arrest until termination of resuscitation or transfer of care, including immediate post-cardiac arrest care • Evaluate resuscitative efforts during a cardiac arrest through continuous assessment of CPR quality, monitoring the patient’s physiologic response, and delivering real-time feedback to the team Time : 16 hours original and 8 hours refresher Certificate : AHA ACLS Provider course completion card Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider HeartCode® - Online BLS and ACLS Provider HeartCode is the AHA’s blended learning delivery method for the BLS Course or ACLS Course. HeartCode blended learning delivers quality resuscitation education regardless of where providers are located and gives them more control to complete the course at their own pace. Providers first complete the online portion of HeartCode. HeartCode online portion can be purchased at: • BLS: https://shopcpr.heart.org/heartcode-bls • ACLS: https://shopcpr.heart.org/heartcode-acls Then you must complete a hands-on skills session (fees below). To schedule a HeartCode Skills Station, please contact stems@sthcs.org . HeartCode® - Online BLS and ACLS Provider

The STEMS Monthly Minute is a short, focused video series developed by Southern Tier Emergency Medical System to support EMS providers across Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. Each month, we highlight a practical topic designed to strengthen patient care, improve communication, and promote consistency across our regional EMS system. Episodes focus on clinical updates, protocol reminders, documentation best practices, quality improvement initiatives, and collaboration between EMS and hospital partners. These brief updates are designed to respect your time while delivering relevant, actionable information that can be applied immediately in the field. We encourage agencies to share each episode during trainings, staff meetings, or roll call as part of ongoing education and quality improvement efforts. If you have suggestions for future topics, please contact STEMS. We value your feedback and remain committed to supporting EMS providers throughout our region. February 2026 April 2026 March 2026 May 2026 June 2026

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Community Partners Explore Planning Opportunity I would like to thank Dr. Watkins for bringing community partners together this past Tuesday to discuss the Rural Community Health Integration (RCHI) Planning Grant opportunity recently released by New York State. The RCHI initiative provides up to $500,000 per rural county to support planning efforts focused on strengthening healthcare coordination, improving access to services, and addressing health and social needs. The meeting provided an opportunity for partners to learn more about the funding opportunity, discuss potential approaches, and begin identifying priorities and partnerships that could support a successful application. Given the short application timeline, with proposals due July 9, 2026, several questions were submitted through the state's Q&A process before the June 18 deadline. Responses are expected on June 25 and will help guide next steps as partners continue evaluating this opportunity. Organizations interested in participating in a Cattaraugus County planning effort are encouraged to reach out. We would also welcome hearing from organizations or counties that may be considering an RCHI application, as Southern Tier Health Care System may have an interest in participating as a partner and contributing to planning efforts that strengthen rural healthcare across the region. Thank you again to Dr. Watkins for his leadership in convening this discussion and to all those who participated. Rural Health Council Meeting I participated in the New York State Rural Health Council meeting on June 18, where Commissioner of Health Dr. James McDonald discussed efforts to improve healthcare access in rural communities. The Council received updates on oral health initiatives from Bridget Walsh, from Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and the Rural Health Transformation Program from Karen Madden, Director of the program, including discussion of the recently released Rural Community Health Integration (RCHI) planning grants. The discussion reinforced the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing the healthcare needs of rural New Yorkers.

Certified Instructor Update On Wednesday, 45 EMS professionals participated in the Certified Instructor Update (CIU) Course, attending both in person and virtually from across New York State. The program brought together EMS instructor coordinators and lab instructors committed to strengthening the quality and consistency of EMS education throughout the state. The level of engagement and discussion demonstrated the dedication of these professionals to developing the next generation of EMS providers. Thank you to our presenters, Bryan Goyette, Suzanne Soltysik, and Mickey Forness, for sharing their expertise and helping make the program a success. We are also grateful to the EMS instructors who invested their time in this educational opportunity. Their commitment to professional development and high-quality instruction directly impacts EMS education and patient care across New York State. Working Together to Meet Community Needs On Thursday, Jordan, Alicia, and I attended the Cattaraugus County Nonprofit Hub’s Stronger Together event at Holiday Valley. The session focused on nonprofit collaboration and brought together leaders from organizations across the region to discuss how we can better work together to address community needs. The panelists shared their experiences with partnerships, shared services, and organizational collaborations, including both the successes and challenges they encountered along the way. The discussion reinforced the importance of building strong relationships, leveraging resources, and finding opportunities to collaborate in an environment where funding is increasingly competitive and community needs continue to grow. As we continue to grow and respond to the needs of our communities, these conversations help us identify opportunities to collaborate, leverage resources, and strengthen the services available throughout the region.

Time Is Brain: A Simple Tool Making a Difference Over the past several weeks, we have been encouraged to see EMS crews consistently using the Stroke Information Stickers. We want to thank our EMS providers for embracing this simple tool and recognizing the difference it can make in patient care. Last week at Olean General Hospital, staff reported a great example of the sticker's value. During a time-sensitive stroke response, CT services were unavailable and MRI was being used as a backup. The patient was unable to complete the MRI screening process, but because family contact information was documented on the stroke sticker, the care team was able to quickly reach the family, complete the necessary screening, and move the patient directly to MRI without unnecessary delays. When it comes to stroke care, time is brain. This simple process helps streamline communication, reduce delays, and support faster decision-making when every minute counts. For a quick overview of the Stroke Information Sticker initiative, check out the STEMS Monthly Minutes. Thank you to our EMS crews and healthcare partners for your continued commitment to improving patient outcomes across our region. We look forward to sharing more information as we prepare for our upcoming Tele-Stroke go-live. Recognizing Milestones This week marked a couple of personal milestones for me. I celebrated my 35th wedding anniversary with Dave (June 1) and my 25th year with Southern Tier Health Care System (June 4). As I reflected on both milestones, I was reminded that none of us achieve these accomplishments alone. The support, encouragement, and patience of my family over the years have been invaluable and have played a significant role in allowing me to serve as CEO of Southern Tier Health Care System. I am grateful not only for my family's support, but also for the opportunity to work alongside so many dedicated staff, board members, community partners, healthcare providers, EMS professionals, and community leaders over the past 25 years. The relationships built along the way have made this journey both meaningful and rewarding. Together, we have accomplished a great deal, and I am excited about the opportunities that still lie ahead for our organization and the communities we serve. And, as Rob was quick to remind me, turning 55 this year comes with a new milestone of its own: I am now officially eligible for Total Senior Care. Thankfully, I am not planning to take advantage of that eligibility just yet! Thank you all for being part of my journey.