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Mental Health Awareness Month As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Family Voice Advocacy Committee hosted its first-ever youth creative arts contest in Cattaraugus County, inviting students to share their interpretation of the theme “It’s OK not to be OK.” With 48 submissions from across the county, the entries were showcased at an art show held Monday at our training center. We were grateful to provide the space for this meaningful event, which aimed to reduce stigma around mental health and elevate the voices of young people. Thank you to the local providers and community members who donated prizes and helped make this a success. OGH Wait Times Update This week, EMS and hospital leadership came together to address patient offloading delays at OGH. A 30-minute escalation threshold was established, along with improved communication protocols between EMS providers, charge nurses, and hospital leadership. These collaborative efforts reflect a shared commitment to supporting EMS in the field and improving patient flow. Thank you to all who participated.

Five Years of Funding Approved — Thank You for Your Support! I’m excited to share that Southern Tier Health Care System has received our award letter for the next five years of Program Agency funding! This is a major milestone for our organization and the EMS agencies we support. Final approvals are still moving through the process, but this puts us in a strong position to move forward. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Southern Tier Health Care System over the past nine months while we operated without a contract. Your trust, encouragement, and partnership made all the difference. Our hope is that with this new five-year agreement, we can now focus fully on the future and continue building stronger programs and services. We’re excited for what’s ahead! Training Providers for Psychiatric and Behavioral Health Emergencies On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, we hosted our online training session, Psychiatric and Behavioral Health Emergencies, featuring Dr. John McNamara. We were pleased to have over 20 participants register and attend. Behavioral health emergencies continue to be a growing challenge for providers, especially in rural areas where access to psychiatric services can be limited. This training helped equip our providers with practical strategies to better support patients in crisis. A special thank you to Dr. McNamara for delivering an excellent presentation and sharing his expertise. His insights were greatly appreciated and contributed to a meaningful discussion on this important topic.

Audit Confirms Strong Stewardship This week, our annual audit was presented to the Board of Directors, and I’m proud to share that we received a clean, unmodified opinion. This is a big accomplishment and one I’m truly proud of—it reflects the strength of our financial systems and internal controls. I’m incredibly grateful for Colleen, our bookkeeper, whose attention to detail and dedication throughout the year keeps everything running smoothly. I also want to thank Ed Bysiek, our auditor, for once again guiding us through a successful and seamless audit. I appreciate both of them for their hard work and continued support. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month—a time to come together to raise awareness and focus on preventing sexual violence. This year’s theme, Together We Act, United We Change, is a reminder that it takes all of us to create safer communities. At STHCS, we’re proud to stand with our partners in supporting survivors and working toward a future free from violence. To learn more or find helpful resources, visit nsvrc.org/saam.

Breaking Barriers, Building Connections As part of New York State’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, STHCS has joined both Social Care Networks (SCNs) serving our region—Western New York Integrated Care Collaborative (WNYICC) and Forward Leading IPA (FLIPA). Our team has completed several training courses and is now ready to begin screening individuals for social needs. This work supports the waiver’s goal of improving health equity by bringing medical and social services together. It fits perfectly with our mission to break down barriers and improve access to care in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. We’re proud to play a role in this important statewide effort and look forward to working with our partners to build a stronger, more connected system of care. Egg-stra Special Easter Wishes (Even with Today’s Egg Prices!) From all of us at STHCS, we’re sending warm Easter wishes your way. While the price of eggs may be up, our gratitude for your partnership is truly priceless. We hope this season brings you peace, renewed energy, and time to connect with those who matter most. Thank you for being part of our mission to build healthier, stronger communities.

UB Cadaver Lab Visit Leaves Lasting Impact Yesterday, all 43 students from our Paramedic Program had the incredible opportunity to visit the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Cadaver Lab. This hands-on experience allowed students to practice advanced skills—such as intubation—on real human cadavers, generously donated through the UB Anatomical Gift Program. This type of training is truly invaluable. It offered our students a rare chance to deepen their clinical understanding in a controlled, respectful, and highly educational environment. Opportunities like this not only enhance skill development but also reinforce the critical importance of anatomy in prehospital care. A huge thank you to Dr. Brian Clemency for making this experience possible, and to everyone at UB who helped ensure it was meaningful and impactful. Our students walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement for the profession! Federal Grant to Address Health Disparities Rescinded We recently received unexpected notice that the $250,000 CDC-funded grant awarded through Health Research Inc. for the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities has been rescinded, effective immediately. This funding was intended to support community health and wellness in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties, with a significant focus on improving transportation access and partnering with a small grassroots organization, Interfaith Caregivers. Over the past 18 months, we worked diligently to align this funding with local needs, particularly to support high-risk and underserved populations. We were especially excited about dedicating $75,000 to collaborate with Interfaith Caregivers—an effort that would have strengthened connections between transportation, care coordination, and community wellness. While we understand the CDC’s decision to sunset certain COVID-related initiatives now that the emergency has ended, this abrupt termination leaves a critical gap in planned services. We remain committed to pursuing new funding opportunities to continue this important work and deeply appreciate the partnerships that made this effort possible.

NYS Certified Instructor Update Draws Nearly 50 Educators On April 1, Southern Tier Health Care System hosted a successful NYS Certified Instructor Update, drawing close to 50 EMS educators from across New York State. Held in a hybrid format, the 3-hour session featured updates from the Bureau of EMS, guidance on student engagement and remediation, and a closing Q&A. As the program agency for our region, this is another important service we’re proud to provide—supporting the professional development of certified instructors and strengthening EMS education statewide. A big thank-you to Mickey Forness for leading the course, and to Drew Chesney, Bryan Goyette, and Suzanne Soltysik for sharing their expertise and helping make the event a success! Another Successful Round of Step into Health Care This week, we wrapped up another 14-session run of our Step into Health Care program—and it was a great success! Huge thanks to KC for taking the lead and ensuring everything came together so well. She’s already working on planning the next session, keeping the momentum going strong. To date, we’ve had over 50 high school students participate in this program. Even more exciting, some students from past sessions are now looking to join our EMT-B Summer Academy. It’s clear that when we expose young people to the many career paths in health care, it sparks something real. We’re proud to be growing the next generation of health care providers right here in our region.

New Healthcare Leaders This week, I had the opportunity to join several STHCS Board Members in welcoming two new leaders to our region: Dr. Swagata Banik, Dean of the DePerro School of Health Professions at St. Bonaventure, and Bradley J. Chapman, FACHE, President of Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital. We’re excited to work alongside both leaders as they begin their new roles, and we look forward to the ways they’ll help advance the mission of STHCS to strengthen and support the health of our communities. A Day of Collaboration and Growth Today is a busy day in our training room! We’re starting the morning by hosting several steering committee members for the Community Health Assessment (CHA). The CHA is a regional effort to identify the most important health needs in our communities and develop strategies to improve health outcomes. This work is being done in partnership with Olean General Hospital, Bradford Regional Medical Center, the Cattaraugus County Health Department, and Bertrand Chaffee Hospital. Right after that, we’ll be hosting the Cattaraugus County Community Services Board meeting. This board helps guide local mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services. We’re excited to welcome two new members: Dr. Brian Walters and Dawn Colburn, who will both bring valuable perspectives to the work ahead. It’s great to have the space to hold meetings like these, and we’re looking forward to expanding into the lower level of our building to give us even more capacity in the future.

Community Health Needs Assessment – Your Input Matters I’m honored to serve on the Steering Committee for the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), led by Olean General Hospital and the Cattaraugus County Health Department. This effort is critical in identifying the biggest health challenges in our community and shaping future healthcare services. We need your voice! By taking a quick, anonymous 5–10-minute survey, you can help ensure local healthcare services meet the real needs of our region. As a bonus, participants will be entered into a drawing for a Chamber Gift Card. The survey is open until April 15, 2025—please take a moment to share your thoughts and encourage others to do the same! Click here to participate. Paramedic Program Moves into Hands-On Training The UPMC Chautauqua Regional Paramedic Program, which kicked off on January 6, is now in full swing! The 42 students—representing Jamestown, Belmont, and Olean—are advancing to the next phase of their training, where they will begin developing essential paramedic-level skills. As part of their coursework, students are completing hospital clinical rotations and EMS ride-alongs, gaining the real-world experience they need to prepare for the challenges of emergency medical care. On April 10, they will all participate in a cadaver lab—an exceptional hands-on learning experience made possible through our valued partnership with Dr. Clemency. We are especially proud to host and support the 14 students training in Olean as they work toward becoming certified New York State paramedics. Their dedication to this rigorous program will strengthen emergency medical services in our region for years to come.

Strengthening EMS, Strengthening Communities As the EMS program agency for New York State representing the Southwestern region, STHCS plays a critical role in ensuring that emergency medical services remain strong, coordinated, and responsive to the needs of our communities. Our mission goes beyond supporting EMS providers—we serve as a bridge between EMS leadership, hospital administration, and local and state decision-makers to ensure the best possible care for our residents. This week alone, we continued our collaborative efforts by: Engaging with EMS leadership to address operational challenges and workforce needs. Working alongside hospital administrators and EMS Leadership to improve prehospital-to-hospital transitions and patient outcomes. Advocating for system-wide improvements that support our first responders and enhance patient care. Our work is driven by a simple but powerful goal: bringing everyone to the table to build a stronger, more connected healthcare system. Whether it's workforce development, system integration, or ensuring that policies reflect the realities on the ground, STHCS is committed to making sure EMS remains a vital, well-supported component of our healthcare infrastructure. We thank our state and elected officials for their continued support over the years. Your commitment to EMS and public health has helped strengthen our system, and we look forward to continuing this work together. Investment in EMS is an investment in community well-being, and STHCS stands ready to lead the conversation on sustainable solutions. Thank you to all who support this mission. Together, we make a difference. Happy Valentine's Day!

Meeting with Elected Officials ​This week, I had the opportunity to meet with Senator Borrello and Assemblyman Sempolinski alongside Carrie Whitwood from Ardent Solutions and Ann Battaglia from Healthy Community Alliance. We discussed the importance of increasing funding for our programs and ensuring continued support for the vital services we provide. We are grateful that both the Senator and Assemblyman each sent letters to the Governor, urging an increase in funding. Their advocacy is a positive step in recognizing the critical role our organization plays in supporting EMS and healthcare services in our region, including efforts tied to the 1115 waiver to expand access to care, harm reduction initiatives to address substance use challenges, and our Safe Kids programs to promote injury prevention and child wellness. We sincerely appreciate Senator Borrello, Assemblyman Sempolinski, and their staff for their ongoing commitment and support in advocating for the resources needed to strengthen our programs and enhance the services we provide to our communities. Supporting Opioid Services  Jordan and I met with Dawn Colburn, the Opioid Director for the Seneca Nation, and Cheryll Moore, a consultant assisting with their strategic plan to enhance opioid services. Their plan outlines 25 to 30 initiatives designed to close service gaps and provide better support for individuals affected by opioid use in Cattaraugus County. During our discussion, we shared that while we do not currently have funding to support the harm reduction position as we have had in the past, we are committed to assisting their efforts in any way possible. We remain hopeful that Local Government Unit (LGU) funding for the harm reduction position will be approved soon, enabling us to continue our vital work in reducing opioid-related deaths in our community.

Regional Stroke Education Updates The Regional EMS Stroke Committee, led by WREMAC, has developed updated stroke training to improve recognition and response times. This education covers two key assessment tools:  BEFAST Stroke Assessment – Helps identify strokes quickly.  FAST-ED LVO Scale – Detects large vessel occlusions (LVOs) for better treatment decisions.  The first CME event was recently held at Mercy Flight, and the session was recorded for those who couldn’t attend. We strongly encourage all providers to review this training and share it with their teams to ensure they are prepared to deliver the best stroke care possible. Click here to view the training. Looking ahead, our next CME event is scheduled for this Tuesday March 18 at 7:00 p.m., at STHCS, featuring Dr. Belle and Dr. Coolidge as presenters. This is another great opportunity to strengthen stroke education across our region.  Click here to register! New Roof Project at STHCS  We’re excited to share that work on a new roof at STHCS will begin in the coming weeks! This project is funded through DASNY’s Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP), and we are grateful for their support in helping us maintain and improve our facility.  Peterson Roofing has been contracted for the job, and we appreciate your patience as the work moves forward. This investment will help keep our building safe, functional, and ready to serve our staff, partners, and the community members who depend on our programs.  Thank you for your support as we continue to improve our infrastructure and the services we provide!

Celebrating Dental Health Month with Safe Kids February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and we were excited to celebrate by hosting a Safe Kids book reading at the Olean Public Library! Miranda Ellison from Valley View Dental joined us to read an engaging story to children and their families, emphasizing the importance of good oral health from an early age. This event was a great way to encourage healthy habits and highlight dental care as an essential part of overall well-being. We appreciate Miranda and Valley View Dental for their support, as well as the Olean Public Library for welcoming us. By working together, we’re helping families gain the knowledge and resources they need to support lifelong healthy smiles. Join the March Wellbeing+ Stick With It Challenge! We’re excited to launch the March Wellbeing+ Stick With It Challenge, a fun and supportive way to build healthier habits! If you live or work in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, or Allegany County, you’re invited to join. Throughout March, participants will:  Set and stick to personal wellness goals  Take on mini wellness challenges  Stay active and track their steps  Be entered into weekly prize drawings!  This challenge is a great way to stay motivated, improve your well-being, and connect with others who share the same goals. Sign up today and take the first step toward a healthier you!