STHCS Success with Catchafire![]() Through the generosity of the WNY Nonprofit Support Group along with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, we received a free membership to Catchafire in 2020. Catchafire is an online platform that matches nonprofit organizations and their projects with skilled, mission-minded professionals who want to support and contribute to the work of several nonprofits. We have completed over 40 projects and calls with volunteers from all over the world! Catchafire values the volunteer help we have received at $122,795. We have been able to work with volunteers on various projects, including brochure writing and design, video and infographic creation, and development of an organizational one-pager. Catchafire has been an excellent tool for our organization. It has allowed us to work toward our mission and continually improve the health and wellness of the rural communities we serve with the help of many volunteers that resonated with our mission. We are thankful to the WNY Nonprofit Support Group and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation for being gifted another year to utilize this service. Start With Us. Grow With Us. ![]() I have been working with Mary LaRowe, Gail Baggazoli, and Greg Kloss from Olean General Hospital to develop a new initiative for Olean General Hospital to recruit entry-level positions. The Start With Us, Grow With Us program focuses on individuals with no healthcare experience interested in a future in healthcare. OGH will train individuals for entry-level positions and help individuals gain patient contact hours for healthcare degree programs. Update Link Rural New Yorkers Face Health Care Challenges ![]() Please take a moment to watch Helen Evans, the president of the New York State Association for Rural Health, in a Capital Tonight interview from this Tuesday. As rural areas in New York State struggle to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates are calling for a commitment and focus on rural health from the state of New York. We hope that the past reduction in funding for the Rural Healthcare Access and Network Development program will be restored. Access to health care professionals, facilities, and community-based programming remains a critical issue for many New Yorkers who live in rural parts of the state. Click here to watch. Cattaraugus County's overdose deaths have decrease by 21%![]() A recent article by Jim Malatras took a look at the “A Regional View of Drug Deaths in New York State During the Height of COVID-19". Malatras was able to look at data that shows drug deaths in NYS have increased drastically in 2020, higher than the numbers at the height of the opioid crisis in 2017. He was able to break down the data by region and counties to compare drug deaths from 2019 to 2020. This article was quite interesting and showed that Cattaraugus County's deaths have decrease by 21% where many other counties have seen over 100% increase. The Moving Forward Together Coalition has been making great strides to increase access to allow individuals to get the treatment needed in their own community. Most recently, our program coordinator Jordan Yaros has been working with two Catchafire volunteers to create a video that provides Tips and Best Practices for Providers when they are hosting tele-health sessions. You can watch the video by clicking here! |
ABOUTDonna Kahm has served as President and CEO at STHCS since January 2007. |