Rural Health Day

Next Friday is National Rural Health Day and I wanted to use this opportunity to thank all of you for dedicating your lives to improving the health and wellness of the rural communities we serve. By now, most of you should have received a copy of our new magazine, "We're Better Together." This is our way of showcasing how we feel we better the health and wellness of our rural communities by working together. If you would like extra copies of the magazine, please contact me at (716) 372-0614 or dkahm@sthcs.org. The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) wants everyone to embrace the theme “Celebrate the Power of Rural” and share their accomplishments with staff, partner organizations and the community. On National Rural Health Day, please make time to reach out to your team, your partners and your legislators to let them know how important their hard work and support are to the success of our rural communities. As health-care leaders, you know how wonderful it is to live, work and raise families in our rural communities. We need to share that message.

Tactical EMS

Students in our Regional Paramedic Program got a taste of the dangers they could face in the field during a reality-based Tactical Emergency Casualty Care training presented by Paramedic Program faculty members last night. Scenarios included blast injuries, gunshot wounds and stabbings. All the scenarios were based on real-life situations that our EMTs have faced. The training teaches EMS providers how to ensure their own safety while providing care during dangerous situations such as responding to the scene of a domestic violence incident. Volunteers acted out role-playing scenarios and posed as aggressors and patients as students responded and were evaluated. It was an eye-opening experience for many of the students. During one scenario, instructor and STHCS Board Member Todd Reisner posed as an aggressor with a hidden knife. He killed all but two of the students in the scenario because they failed to pat him down. I want to thank Dr. Brian Walters along with all of the Regional Paramedic Program staff and students for participating in this important training.