Vibrant Communities: Health, Medical Care & EMS

​Access to reliable medical and emergency care is a vital component in creating communities that will attract new residents to southwestern New York. This makes health services a top priority for economic development, especially efforts toward talent attraction campaigns.
OBJECTIVE 1
Reduce the incidence of chronic disease​
Action Items
  • Equity lens: increase access to health screenings via remote medical clinics, mobile health units, and workplace incentives
  • Prevent tobacco and other substance use
  • Teach healthy eating habits and provide educational programs for all ages on food preparation
  • Improve the nutritional content of school meals. Resilience lens: increase the amount of locally grown farm products used in schools
  • Improve health within the workplace with dedicated exercise spaces, employee clubs and incentive programs​
OBJECTIVE 2
 Reinforce EMS volunteer and staff organizations with funding and training and a regional effort
Action Items
  • Begin convening regional stakeholders on a regular basis to form a working group
  • Create regional fundraising efforts to support EMS services and training
  • Collaborate on shared grant applications to increase citizen access to trainings and certifications
  • Advocate for improvements to EMS regulations that would benefit rural communities whose services are diminishing
OBJECTIVE 3
Strengthen the region's support systems for behavioral health, including mental health and substance abuse
Action Items
  • Increasing training in mental health first aid for both youth and adults
  • Workforce lens: Educate employers to understand mental health and provide support to their employees
  • Reduce the increased load on hospital ERs by creating alternative care facilities for mental and behavioral health emergencies
OBJECTIVE 4
Action Items
​Equity lens: increase food security and access to healthy foods by expanding local foods at food pantries, promoting SNAP, FreshConnect and Double Up programs at farmers markets, and by creating mobile markets to reach underserved areas
OBJECTIVE 5
Action Items
Improve the long-term viability of the region's hospitals by creating regional coalitions of diverse private and public sector stakeholders, and advocating at the state and federal level for hospitals and health care access as critical to quality of life and economic development.
SOUTHERN TIER WEST
​Center for Regional Excellence
4039 Route 219, Suite 200
Salamanca, NY 14779

716-945-5301  
​Fax 716-945-5550

STW"s mission is to help coordinate and enhance planning and development activities in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties so as to promote social, physical, and economic development in these counties. Southern Tier West seeks to improve the quality of life for the region's people and assure that the "people of the Southern Tier West region have access to adequate occupational, educational, and recreational opportunities; environment; health care services; housing; public safety; and transportation.
SOCIAL
Southern Tier West