Margaretville Hospital EMS Training Program - Margaretville Hospital will partner with Delaware County, NY Department of Emergency Services and SUNY Cobleskill. Our goal is to provide all levels of EMS training as appropriate to maintain licenses and certifications relevant to serve in an EMS agency; conduct courses that qualify graduates to serve in an EMS agency; and fund specific training to meet New York State licensing/certification requirements. There will be a significant emphasis on behavioral health and substance use disorder training. Margaretville Hospital is a rural Critical Access Hospital, located in Delaware County, whose mission is to provide immediate access to high quality medical care and services to medically underserved areas in the Catskill Mountains. The Margaretville Hospital EMS Training Program will serve the geographic catchment area of Delaware County, NY, which is a HRSA-designated rural county, and parts of Greene and Ulster counties that are also HRSA-designated rural areas that border Delaware County and are serviced by Margaretville Hospital. The fourth largest county in the state with a population of 44,740, Delaware County’s unemployment rate exceeds New York State averages, and according to the 2023 NYS Community Action report, 25.6% of youth under 18 are living in poverty in Delaware County. Delaware County is home to 20 transporting agencies dispatched by Delaware 911 and six basic life support first response agencies. Of the 20 transporting agencies, only six have paid staff, while the remaining 14 are operated by volunteers. To provide 24/7 coverage, each volunteer would need to commit 28 hours a week, the equivalent of an unpaid part-time job. Our objectives are to offer Certified First Responder (CFR), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Community Paramedicine trainings. Over a two-year period, the CFR class will train 20 people, the AEMT and EMT classes will train 48 students each for a total of 116 people. In addition, six paramedics will be sponsored and trained by SUNY Cobleskill for a grand total of 122 unique individuals. If we are able to increase the number of EMS workers in our catchment area, this will reduce the number of volunteer hours necessary for each EMS worker to perform to provide 24/7 service. With the high rates of unemployment and low levels of income in this rural area, the program will provide educational opportunities that individuals might not otherwise be able to afford and will provide some paid career prospects.
