Working Together to Address Gaps in Adolescent Care Thank you to Olean General Hospital for bringing partners together to discuss the challenges of getting adolescents home after they have been cleared in the emergency department. Families and providers are facing some difficult situations with limited options. This discussion helped identify gaps in services that we need to take a closer look at as we move forward with our planning. Helping Local Businesses Stay Prepared We heard from a local business this week looking to get their employees scheduled for Heartsaver training before their certifications expire. Heartsaver includes CPR, AED use and first aid. It’s good to see businesses planning ahead and making this a priority for their staff. These are skills that can be needed anywhere.

Pathways to Care – Community Partnership One of our Pathways to Care members needed some help making her home safer and more accessible. Rob and Lindsey worked to connect her with BC Love Thy Neighbor, and their crew was able to help. The crew repaired her front steps and added a handrail, made adjustments to her interior stairs, installed a bedroom door, replaced damaged kitchen flooring that was a trip hazard, and completed several other repairs to improve safety and accessibility in her home. This is a great example of our Pathways to Care team identifying a need and working with a community partner to find a solution. Thank you to Rob and Lindsey for helping coordinate this and to BC Love Thy Neighbor for stepping in to help this member and her family. Understanding the Gaps, Planning for the Future This week, we have continued gathering data for the Cattaraugus County Rural Community Health Initiative (RCHI) Planning Grant. We have been reaching out to hospitals, primary care providers, behavioral health organizations, and other community partners to better understand where gaps in services exist and what challenges people are facing when trying to access care. Our next step is the RCHI Steering Committee kickoff meeting on October 29, where we will bring our partners together to discuss the planning process and next steps. I want to thank Jordan for all the work she has been doing to coordinate this effort. There is a lot to get done in a short amount of time, and I appreciate everything she is doing to keep us moving forward.

Connecting the Work As I look at everything we have going on right now, one thing that continues to stand out is how much of our work involves connecting organizations and resources across our region. We are seeing this with the RCHI planning grant, Pathways to Care, EMS, the homeless outreach work, and even some of the newer opportunities we are exploring. I think this is an important role for STHCS. We don't need to create or run every program. Sometimes our role is simply recognizing a need, getting the right people around the table, and figuring out how we can use what is already available before creating something new. This is also why I think the Rural Health Transformation work fits so well with a lot of what we are already doing. Access to care, transitions of care, EMS, behavioral health, social needs, and better coordination between organizations are not new issues for us. We have been working in these areas for a long time. As these opportunities continue to develop, I want to make sure we are looking at where STHCS can make the biggest difference, where we can help connect the pieces, and where it makes sense for us to take a larger role. I think there is a lot of opportunity ahead of us, but I also want to make sure we are thoughtful about what we take on and that it fits with who we are and what our communities need. Lower-Level Renovation Work continues on the lower-level renovation, and the space is really starting to take shape. The project includes the large training/meeting room, breakout rooms, and several additional office spaces. We are continuing to work through the elevator portion of the project and the related work needed to make the lower level fully accessible. Once completed, the lower level will give us much-needed additional office, meeting, and training space. It will also give us more flexibility to hold larger trainings and meetings at STHCS while still having breakout space available when needed.

Dr. Kevin Watkins Elected NYSAC President Congratulations to Dr. Kevin Watkins, Cattaraugus County Public Health Director and member of the Southern Tier Health Care System Board of Directors, who was elected President of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC). Dr. Watkins was sworn in as President this week. NYSAC represents county governments across New York State and provides a statewide voice on issues affecting counties and their communities. Dr. Watkins has been a strong leader in Cattaraugus County for many years, particularly in advancing public health and strengthening partnerships across health care and community organizations. His election to this statewide leadership role is a great recognition of the work and leadership he has provided here in Cattaraugus County. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Watkins’ leadership and expertise represented on the STHCS Board. Building a regional Response to Hepatitis C Last week, I met with Park Bogan from the Albany Damien Center, who shared information about their work to develop regional coalitions across New York State focused on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis C. This is especially important for our area. Western New York continues to see higher rates of hepatitis C, with Chautauqua County having the highest rate in the Western New York region and Cattaraugus and Allegany counties also experiencing rates above the New York State average. The goal of the coalition is to bring together healthcare providers, community organizations, and local leaders to identify needs, improve access to testing and treatment, and support New York State’s efforts to eliminate hepatitis C. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, you can contact Park at pbogan@albanydamiencenter.org or (716) 389-8825.

Gathering Local Insight for Our Cattaraugus County Planning Grant As part of our Cattaraugus County Rural Community Health Integration Planning Grant, Jordan attended a Public Forum on Rural Health and Healthcare in Cattaraugus County, sponsored by the Health Care Access Coalition and the DePerro School of Health Professions at St. Bonaventure University. The discussion brought together local health care leaders to talk about the current state of health care in our county, including needs, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Jordan attended on behalf of STHCS to gather information and community perspectives that will help inform our planning process and the work ahead under the grant. Events like this are a great opportunity to make sure the planning work we are doing reflects what is actually happening across Cattaraugus County and builds on work already underway in our community. Rural Health Matters I joined Thursday’s New York State Rural Health Council meeting virtually. With our REMSCO meeting at the STHCS office Wednesday evening, I wasn’t able to travel to Syracuse, so I appreciated being able to participate remotely. During the meeting, we heard about Upstate Medical University’s Rural Medical Scholars Program, maternal health, and New York State’s Rural Health Transformation Program. We also received an update from the Council’s codes, regulations, and legislation workgroup. These are conversations that matter to STHCS and the communities we serve. Recruiting and keeping healthcare professionals, improving access to maternal care, and making sure rural communities have a voice in statewide planning are challenges we work on alongside our partners. Thank you to Council Chair Claire Parde for leading another great meeting, and to Karen Madden and her staff for bringing it all together. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent our region on the Council and share what I learn with our community partners.

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.

Great News for Rural Healthcare in Cattaraugus County I am excited to share that our Rural Community Health Integration application has been selected for an award! This planning grant will bring hospitals, healthcare providers, EMS, behavioral health, county agencies, and community organizations together to develop a Regional Health Integration Plan for Cattaraugus County. The work will focus on improving transitions of care, behavioral health integration, access to primary care, transportation, workforce needs, and communication among providers. Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, and input to help put this application together. Now the hard work begins! I will begin reaching out over the next several weeks to bring our partners together and start moving this important work forward. This is an exciting opportunity for our community, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together. Remembering September 11: 25 Years Later Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. We remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the incredible courage shown by first responders, healthcare workers, and everyday people who stepped forward to help. Working closely with EMS and our other emergency response partners, we understand the commitment it takes to answer the call, often without knowing what may be waiting. September 11 reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who serve and the importance of supporting one another during the most difficult times. Today, we honor all those impacted by September 11 and thank those who continue to serve our communities every day. We will never forget.

Reaching Individuals Where They Are This week, community partners completed the first outreach visit to local homeless encampments. The purpose of this effort is to build relationships with individuals who may not be accessing traditional services and create opportunities to connect them with healthcare, behavioral health, substance use supports, housing, and other community resources. The first visit reinforced that trust will take time and that consistent outreach will be important. The group plans to continue meeting individuals where they are, building those relationships, and improving coordination among the agencies involved. Rural Roots Workforce Initiative New York State is launching Rural Roots, a new initiative funded through the Rural Health Transformation Initiative (RHTI) focused on strengthening the rural healthcare workforce. The program will support healthcare career pathways for students, expanded clinical rotations and placements, specialty training opportunities, housing assistance, and efforts to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in rural communities. According to information shared by R-AHEC, the anticipated funding is $5 million annually for five years, with more than 60% of the funding going to the five rural AHECs. R-AHEC will be working with partners across its 11-county region, including Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties, as the program is developed. This is another great opportunity through RHTI to bring resources into our region, build on work already happening, and strengthen our local healthcare workforce pipeline.

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.

USDA/HHS Rural Health Roundtable Planning continues for our August 24 Rural Development Stakeholder Roundtable at STHCS. In addition to Director Richard Mayfield, we will be joined by USDA Rural Development Pennsylvania State Director Chris Hoffman and John G. McGough, New York/New England Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. We have a strong group of regional partners planning to participate. I am structuring the discussion around several of the challenges and opportunities we continue to see across rural health care, including keeping people out of the hospital when appropriate and improving transitions of care, rural hospital and community health system sustainability, and rural EMS workforce and sustainability. PTC – Medication Reconciliation Our Pathways to Care (PTC) team continues to place a strong focus on medication reconciliation during patient visits. Staff review medications, dosage and frequency, identify concerns, and provide education when needed to help patients better understand and safely manage their medications. This also gives us another measurable way to demonstrate the impact of the program by documenting when patients move from needing education or taking medications incorrectly to using them correctly. These interventions can help support patients at home and reduce the risk of avoidable complications, emergency department visits, and readmissions.

EMT Academy Update Congratulations to all of our EMT Academy students who successfully passed their Practical Skills Exam (PSE)! This is an important milestone in their training, and they are now awaiting authorization to sit for the NYS written certification exam. A special thank you and congratulations to Ellie for coordinating the class and for the time and effort she has dedicated to supporting our students throughout the program. Ellie is also continuing to work toward completing the requirements for her Certified Instructor Coordinator (CIC) credential, which will further strengthen our EMS education capabilities here at STHCS. We are proud of our students, our instructors, and the continued work being done to strengthen the rural EMS workforce across our region. NYS Rural Health Transformation Program On Wednesday, I participated in a New York State Rural Health Transformation Program meeting as the State continues to move this important work forward. The discussion included updates on several priority areas, including a new cybersecurity initiative focused initially on rural hospitals, with future phases expected to expand to other rural health care providers. Thank you to the NYS Department of Health team for continuing to keep rural partners informed and engaged as this work moves forward. For situational awareness, additional information and updates can be found on the State’s Rural Health Transformation Program webpage: https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/transforming_rural_healthcare/

Preparing to Hit the Ground Running on RCHI This week, I shared an Organizational Capacity & Role Planning Survey with our regional partners to better understand where organizations have the expertise, capacity, and interest to participate across all five deliverables. The survey asks partners to identify how they may be able to contribute and what resources may be needed. My goal is simple: if we are awarded the NYS Rural Community Health Integration Funding, I do not want to spend the first month trying to figure out who can do what, especially since all work must be completed by June 30, 2027. The responses will help us better understand our regional capacity, begin putting the right teams together, and be ready to move quickly if funding is awarded. Supporting Mothers and Babies Across Our Region August is National Breastfeeding Month, a time to recognize the importance of supporting mothers and families as they make feeding decisions that are best for them and their babies. Families need education, encouragement and access to support throughout pregnancy and after delivery. We are fortunate to have hospitals across our region committed to maternal and infant health. Olean General Hospital and UPMC Chautauqua have both earned Gold-level national Safe Sleep certification, and Jones Memorial Hospital is working toward achieving the same Gold-level designation. Thank you to their maternity teams and all of our regional partners who work each day to give babies and families a healthy and safe start.