Moving Forward

We have a lot to look forward to in 2015 as we continue our mission to improve the health and wellness of the rural communities we serve. The second class of our Regional Paramedic Program begins next week, and we’re ramping up for the launch of our Opioid Overdose Prevention Program. We’ve set the groundwork for the start of our youth with sexual behavior problems pilot program for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and our annual Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center Trauma Education Summit is expanding. I want to thank the Board of Directors for their support and guidance and all the members of the STHCS family as we head into a new year together.

Holiday Spirit

I’m very grateful that we were able to join the regoinal EMS community in helping the Sheep Dog Impact Assistance program provide Christmas gifts to five families and six children throughout Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that serves the needs of the men and women serving in our military, law enforcement, fire & rescue and EMS services, a community of people the organization calls "Sheep Dogs." Area EMS Medical Director Dr. Brian Walters is a member of SDIA and organized the regional effort. Local EMS providers nominated the families, shopped for them and delivered the gifts so they could have a Merry Christmas. To me, this is just one more example of the dedication our EMS providers have for the communities they serve. I want to thank Dr. Walters for giving us an opportunity to help with the program and I want to thank all the EMS "Sheep Dogs" who participated. For more information on SDIA or to join the organization, please visit Sheep Dog Impact Assistance.

STEMS Conference

We’re wrapping up plans for our ninth-annual STEMS Spring Training Conference which will be held March 27 and 28 at Premier Banquet Center in Olean, N.Y. This year’s theme is Advancements in Prehospital Trauma Care. Speakers will cover the latest life-saving tools and techniques available to EMS providers. Topics will include implementing the SMART Triage system. SMART Triage enables EMS providers to save the largest number of survivors during a mass casualty incident. We anticipate around 200 EMS providers from across the Southern Tier, Western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania to attend the training conference. This year’s Spring Training sponsors include Upper Allegheny Health System, Jones Memorial Hospital, Saint Vincent Hospital, Westfield Memorial Hospital, TransAm Ambulance, North Eastern Rescue Vehicles and Cornerstone Adminisystems. Our sponsors make it possible for STEMS to keep registration fees to a minimum while offering a top-notch training conference to EMS providers. For more information or to register, please visit 2015 STEMS Spring Training Conference. Those who register before March 6 will receive a discounted rate.