‘Sometimes people forget how much a church can be an asset to a community. I’d love to see this church grow beyond what I could imagine, with ministries, public outreach and community involvement.’ – Kevin Lawson

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God’s new pastor Kevin Lawson checks out a delivery of bread in the church’s food pantry.

MEDINA – When the Rev. Vince Iorio announced his intention to retire from his duties at Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God, the church didn’t have to look far to find a replacement.

Kevin Lawson graduated in 1989 from Royalton-Hartland High School in Middleport, then attended Erie Community College for a year. He joined the Marines, where he was hurt, and after an honorable discharge he went to work for a contracting company out of Buffalo, working there for 25 years and Rochester for seven years.

He started going to church when he was 12 or 13, and said he knew then God had put a calling on his life, but really didn’t understand what that meant.

“Then life got in the way,” he said. “I had married a lady from Middleport, and after 18 years, we divorced and I had to start over. It was very humbling.”

They had a son Troy, now 25.

Kevin had been going back to church sporadically, and then started going regularly again, where he met Krista Scholes from Shelby.

“I believe now God was using the experiences in my life to help me connect with people,” Lawson said. “Calvary had been my childhood church, and Vince was here then and he was here when I came back to the church.”

He and Krista, who then had five girls, were married in 2015. They had both taken on leadership roles in the church as youth leaders. In 2016, Kevin went through the New York School of Ministry.

“I had already known in my heart God was moving me in that direction, and I knew I wasn’t going to be completely happy until I did that.”

He continued on his journey and went through the process of being credentialed as a minister through the Assemblies of God. At the same time, he was serving on the board of Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God when they moved forward with the Rev. Iorio’s vision for a new church, breaking ground in the summer of 2016.

Kevin was a construction manager in his full-time job, while going to ministry school, and became supervising constructor for building the church. They opened their doors in October 2021.

Kevin had already taken a role at Calvary Tabernacle as associate pastor when the Rev. Iorio announced his intention to retire in mid-January.

Pastor Kevin Lawson, left, his wife Krista and mother Brenda Lawson chat with the Rev. Vince Iorio, former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, who recently retired and has been succeeded by Kevin.

The Rev. Iorio, 68, was pastor of Calvary Tabernacle for 15 years, and said it was time to pass the torch.

“I always had great team leaders, many of whom are still there,” he said.

He is proud of his accomplishment in building the new church.

“What seemed like an impossibility, God made possible,” he said.

Retirement means the Rev. Iorio can spend more time volunteering in the community. He has been volunteering at the Medina’s Tourism Booth in Rotary Park during the summer and he is a volunteer driver for the Orleans Joint Veterans’ Council van service.

Kevin was voted in full time on July 23 by the board and congregation.

“I have a large vision for growth in this church, to help people in the community,” he said. “Sometimes people forget how much a church can be an asset to a community. I’d love to see this church grow beyond what I could imagine, with ministries, public outreach and community involvement.”

His goal for the church moving forward is to stay focused on God’s will.

“I am grateful for the people in this church who have supported me and the transition,” Kevin said.

Calvary Tabernacle begins Sunday activities with coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., to which everyone is welcome, followed by worship at 10:30 a.m.

Prayer meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesdays with the Spanish-speaking church meeting there at 2 p.m. Sundays, led by Jovannie Canales. Family night is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

The pastor said the Spanish-speaking church is a big help to Calvary Tabernacle, supporting them in everything.

Calvary Tabernacle is the location of a food pantry from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday. The pantry provides food for more than 100 families a month in Orleans County. Donna Poore manages the food pantry, and Daniel Tabor picks up donated food, while Michael Jaeger does stocking.

They receive free bread, groceries and meats weekly from Aldi’s, and other foodstuffs from Foodlink. Any non-food donations received are given to MAAC’s Thrift Deport.

At 10:30 on Nov. 13, the church will have a building dedication service and retirement celebration for the Rev. Iorio, and everyone is invited to attend.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Two fishermen try to catch salmon this afternoon in Johnson Creek by the Lyndonville Dam.

There are many anglers in the area for the annual trout and salmon run up local tributaries.

The spot the dam has drawn crowds in October, but there weren’t too many fishing there this afternoon.

The weekly Orleans County Fishing Report by Ron Bierstine says salmon and trout are on the move. Bierstine writes in the report on Tuesday that the supplemental water from the Erie Canal has kept a steady flow in many of the tributaries.

He said this year’s brown trout are on pace to pass last year’s. Anglers also are catching Atlantics, steelhead and cohos, Bierstine said.

File photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The dome of the Orleans County Courthouse was illumined in green on Nov. 11, 2021, the 11^th day it has been lighted up in support of military personnel transitioning to civilian life. The flags in the photo are by a veterans’ memorial that was spearheaded by the Knights of Columbus.

The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday approved being a part of “Operation Green Light” from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12 to recognize the service of military personnel and their shift to being a civilian.

County legislators, in a resolution passed on Wednesday, said studies show 44 to 72 percent of service members experience high levels of stress during the transition to civilian life, with many contemplating suicide.

By illumining the dome in green for those days in November, legislators said they want to show support for military personnel making the transition from active service.

Legislators also encouraged residents to display a green light in the window of their homes or where they work as part of “Operation Green Light.”

Vinny Navarra says land available for housing development behind Tops

ALBION – Vinny Navarra sees vacant land behind the Tops store on Route 31 as an opportunity for a housing development in the village. Navarra owns some of the acreage and the village also owns 7 landlocked acres.

Navarra said if King Street was extended south, from Route 31 to Allen Road, the vacant land could be developed for about 20 houses. He presented the idea during Wednesday’s Village Board meeting.

The village would need to pay for putting in a road. Navarra said the tax revenue from the new houses should allow the village to recoup its costs in perhaps five years.

He acknowledged the village tried to get him to back the proposal more than a decade ago, but he declined because he had another project in the works. That venture didn’t go forward, Navarra said.

“The village asked before but I wasn’t ready,” he said. “What I wanted to do then didn’t go through.”

He has been approached by companies to put solar panels on his land, but he thinks a housing development would be the best choice for the community. He would like to see smaller ranch-style houses.

Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the board would consider the idea, and try to get estimates on extending the street and see whether zoning would need to be changed.

Navarra also raised the issue of low water pressure on Allen Road, where he lives. It has been discussed for several years by village officials.

The pressure is above the minimum of 20 psi, but is only 35 psi, said Adam Rush, chief operator for the village’s water system.

Boosting the pressure on the entire line would be expensive, with a higher water tank or large booster pump needed. Or Rush said individual houses could have pumps that cost about $250 to improve the pressure.

7 towns close to reaching agreement with Monroe Ambulance

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mercy Flight and COVA officials tell the Albion Village Board the two organizations have reached an agreement for Mercy Flight to take over COVA, which could be as early as next week. Pictured form left include Aaron MacKenzie of COVA; Scott Wooton, vice president of Mercy Flight EMS; Laurie Schwab, chief operations officer for COVA; and Margaret Ferrentino, president of Mercy Flight EMS.

ALBION – COVA has reached an agreement with Mercy Flight EMS to take over as the main ambulance provider in central Orleans County, a deal where Mercy Flight will retain COVA’s 44 employees, work out of the COVA base on South Main Street in Albion and keep two ambulances in service.

However, the four towns in central Orleans – Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines – are close to signing a deal with Monroe Ambulance. Monroe currently is the main ambulance provider on the eastern end of the county in the towns of Clarendon, Murray and Kendall. The four central towns are negotiating with Monroe as part of a seven-town agreement.

That deal hasn’t been signed yet, but is expected in the next two weeks.

Mercy Flight officials met with COVA employees on Wednesday evening and stated their commitment to keep the workers. That was a big selling point for Aaron MacKenzie, a COVA paramedic.

COVA ambulance will be closing soon after 43 years, and COVA officials would like to see Mercy Flight EMS take over the central Orleans area, working out of the COVA base on South Main Street in Albion.

“With Mercy Flight we can keep those employees who are passionate in serving this community,” MacKenzie said.

The Mercy Flight deal was announced during Wednesday’s evening Albion Village Board meeting. The COVA board voted Wednesday to reach a memorandum of understanding with Mercy Flight to assume the COVA service area. Mercy Flight said it could start next week.

The MOU would allow Mercy Flight to use COVA’s certificate of need on a temporary basis while working to get the CON from the state Department of Health. That CON is needed to be a primary ambulance provider in the area. Mercy Flight, which has a base in Batavia, has been doing mutual aid calls in central Orleans for several years.

But the town supervisors in the four central towns could sign a contract with Monroe Ambulance to be the main ambulance provider. Sean Pogue, the Barre town supervisor, said this morning he would be open to sitting down with Mercy Flight to hear their plan for serving the area.

He said Monroe has committed to two ambulances in the seven-town block of eastern and central Orleans, and could bring in other resources during a high-volume time by drawing from staff and ambulances in Monroe County.

Monroe officials told Pogue and the town leaders it would need 90 days to ramp up the service and set up a base in Orleans County. However, Monroe could increase its service in Orleans, including the central towns, sooner.

Pogue said the town leaders had been viewing Monroe as the lone option to take over if COVA ended its service. He would be willing to talk with Mercy Flight officials “ASAP” to consider their proposal for providing service.

“The bottom line is we are going to need an ambulance service,” Pogue said today. “I’m going to need it someday and I want it 10 minutes away not 45 minutes.”

Pogue also wants to see the ambulance provider keep as many COVA staff as possible.

Mercy Flight EMS responds to a call in Albion on Oct. 11. The organization has been providing mutual aid for several years.

The Albion Village Board doesn’t have a role in picking the ambulance provider. The board set a hearing for Wednesday about giving COVA $16,000 a month on a short-term basis to help the ambulance provider stay afloat. Albion won’t have to contribute anything with COVA’s impending closing.

COVA President Jennifer Stilwell and Laurie Schwab, the chief operations officer, said COVA has reached its limit and can’t continue. They said they support Mercy Flight, which is a non-profit organization.

“The best fit is to continue with a non-profit,” Schwab told the board.

Stilwell said she favors Mercy Flight for its plan to keep two ambulances in central Orleans, keep the COVA staff, work out of the Albion base and not be hard-nosed with residents on ambulance bills.

“We tried our best,” Stilwell said. “We think this is an answer to prayer. We want to make it seamless. We haven’t closed our doors yet.”

Margaret Ferrentino, president of Mercy Flight EMS, said she has been in the EMS field for 45 years. She commended COVA for its 43 years of service. She said Mercy Flight is ready to start service in central Orleans as the first call for help.

“We want to be considered as a solution for you,” Ferrentino said at the village meeting.

She said there would be no immediate change in the service if Mercy Flight takes over. The organization would review how the COVA assets could be transferred to Mercy Flight. COVA would still be able to collect any of its bills before Mercy Flight takes over, and those older bills as they are paid would help COVA hopefully wipe out its debt.

If Mercy Flight takes over, it would start doing its own billing on the first day.

Scott Wooton, Mercy Flight vice president, believes Mercy Flight can be successful in central Orleans. Mercy Flight would keep two ambulances – an ALS and BLS – in central Orleans. Mercy also has relationships with all the major insurance carriers in Western New York to be paid for its services.

COVA has struggled financially with bill collecting, and also a high percentage of calls with patients on Medicaid or Medicare, where the reimbursement rates are very low, COVA officials said.

Mercy Flight is a $20 million organization with a staff of about 200 employees, including those in the helicopter service and ground-ambulance division. Mercy Flight does about 10,000 ambulance transports a year. COVA does about 2,000 annually.

Anna Tower, the COVA treasurer, thanked the local community for its support during a difficult past few months. She said about 1,200 to 1,500 people signed petitions to keep a community-based, non-profit ambulance in central Orleans.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Taco Bell has submitted a plan for a new restaurant in Albion at 118 West Ave., next to McDonalds.

The new building would go on a vacant lot owned by Landsman Development in Rochester.

The Orleans County Planning Board at 7 p.m. on Thursday will review the site plan for the project. The Village of Albion will need to make an amendment to its zoning map and approve a variance for the project to go forward as submitted.

That meeting is at the Orleans County Administration Building in the legislative chambers.

The project is proposed for a vacant lot along Route 31 next to McDonalds and across from Freeze Dry.

Press Release, Bayer Fund

KNOWLESVILLE – The America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, a Bayer Fund program, partners with farmers to provide grants to local nonprofits and schools to help their communities.

Through the program, farmers enroll for the chance to direct a $5,000 donation to a local eligible nonprofit organization or school of their choice.

Alice Mathes of Barre recently directed a $5,000 Bayer Fund America’s Farmers Grow Communities donation to Orleans County 4-H.

In 2022, Bayer Fund revamped America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, making it easier for farmers across the country to find and fund the organizations and institutions that keep their communities thriving. This included doubling the individual donations to $5,000, up from $2,500 in previous years to provide a greater impact to local rural communities.

For more than a decade, Grow Communities has partnered with farmers to direct funds to programs and organizations that contribute to their communities’ health and vibrancy, such as food banks, schools and youth agriculture programs. Since the America’s Farmers programs began in 2010, the initiatives have awarded nearly $65 million to such programs.

“Each year we hear from several nonprofit and school leaders, as well as farmers, about the ways Grow Communities has made a difference,” said Al Mitchell, Bayer Fund president. “Bayer Fund is proud to work side-by-side with farmers to identify local nonprofit organizations and schools that are improving rural communities in the areas of health and wellness, food and nutrition, and STEM and ag education.”

Farmers can enroll for the opportunity to direct a 2023 Grow Communities donation through Nov. 1. To learn more about the enrollment process and how America’s Farmers programs are making an impact, visit www.Americasfarmers.com.

NY making up to $25,000 available for businesses to help with costs for infectious disease mitigation

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office 

Governor Kathy Hochul announced applications are now being accepted from small businesses that have successfully completed the pre-screening process to become certified for the COVID-19 Capital Costs Tax Credit Program, which supports companies that made investments to comply with emergency orders and regulations or to increase public safety in response to COVID-19.

“This tax credit will be a crucial lifeline to New York small businesses – the backbone of our state’s economy – and I encourage all who are interested to apply for this much-needed aid,” Hochul said.

Announced as part of Hochul’s first Executive Budget in order to enhance the state’s support for small businesses, and subsequently included in the FY23 Enacted Budget, this new refundable tax relief program targets COVID-19-related expenses for infectious disease mitigation during 2021 and 2022. Eligible COVID-19-related costs include, but are not limited to:

• Supplies to disinfect or protect against COVID-19 transmission
• Costs associated with expanding, or defining space to accommodate social distancing
• HVAC equipment
• Expenses related to increased outdoor activity and outdoor space expansions
• Machinery and equipment to facilitate contactless sales

Tax credits will cover 50 percent of eligible costs, up to $50,000, for a maximum tax credit award of $25,000, and credits will be awarded on a first come first serve basis until program funds are depleted.

Eligible businesses must operate a location in New York State, have 100 or fewer employees, $2.5 million or less of gross receipts in the 2021 tax year, and at least $2,000 in eligible costs between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2023. To claim a tax credit for their 2022 tax return, businesses must apply soon to receive a tax credit certificate from Empire State Development (ESD) on or before December 31, 2022. Tax credits issued on or after January 1, 2023 can be claimed on a business’s 2023 tax return.

To learn more about eligibility and qualifying expenses, visit www.esd.ny.gov/covid-19-capital-costs-tax-credit. ESD has contracted with the FORWARD Platform to screen business applications, validate expenses and distribute credits for the program.

The latest data from the state Department of Labor puts the unemployment rate at 3.2 percent in Orleans County in September, among the lowest in the county in the past 30 years.

The DOL says there are 16,800 people working in the county in September, compared to 16,400 in September 2021. There are 600 on unemployment, compared to 700 in September 2021. The unemployment rate of 3.2 percent in September compares to 3.9 percent a year earlier.

The unemployment rate in the county the past 12 months includes:

• September, 3.2 percent
• August, 4.2 percent
• July, 4.1 percent
• June, 3.7 percent
• May, 3.3 percent
• April, 3.4 percent
• March, 4.3 percent
• February, 4.6 percent
• January, 4.3 percent
• December 2021, 3.2 percent
• November 2021, 3.4 percent
• October 2021, 3.7 percent

The unemployment rate at 3.2 percent in September 2022 and also in December 2021 is the lowest rate for Orleans in at least 30 years.

The county before 2022 only dipped below 4 percent a few times in the past three decades:

During 1990s, Orleans was below 4 percent twice – 3.8 percent in September 1999 and 3.9 percent in October 1999.

From 2000 to 2009, the rate dipped below 4 percent twice – 3.8 percent in September 2000 and 3.6 percent in October 2000.

From 2010 to 2019, the unemployment rate was below 4 percent five times – 3.5 percent in September and October 2018, 3.7 percent in November 2018, 3.7 percent in September 2019, and 3.8 percent in October 2019.

Since 2020, the rate dropped below 4 percent the last two months of 2021 – 3.8 percent in November and then 3.1 percent in December. In 2022, it has been below 4 percent for four different months.

The September unemployment rate for nearby counties includes:

• Orleans, 3.2 percent
• Genesee, 2.5 percent
• Wyoming, 2.5 percent
• Livingston, 2.8 percent
• Niagara, 3.4 percent
• Monroe, 3.2 percent
• Erie, 3.3 percent

Nationally the unemployment rate is down from 4.6 percent in September 2021, to 3.8 percent in August to 3.3 percent last month, while in New York State it dropped from 5.7 percent in September 2021, to 4.9 percent in August to 3.9 percent last month.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina is again on the short list for receiving a multi-million-dollar grant to bolster the downtown business district.

Medina has been a finalist two other times for a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative. But the village hasn’t been picked for the money yet.

Last year Medina missed out on the $10 million to the Village of Newark in Wayne County and the City of Rochester. Other previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017, the Village of Penn Yan in 2018 and Seneca Falls in 2019.

Medina village officials gave an overview of potential projects on Friday during a Zoom conference call with the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.

Mayor Mike Sidari said he felt better about the reception to the presentation than in past years based on the comments and questions from Council officials.

Medina presented a plan for $10 million DRI and also for a new $4.5 million NY Forward program, where the grants are targeted for downtowns in hamlets and villages.

Gov. Kathy Hochul in July announced the state is making $200 million available for downtowns – $100 million to invigorate smaller and rural downtowns and $100 million for downtown areas in metropolitan areas.

Medina has a committee that identified residential, commercial and tourism projects that would build on recent successes and investments in the downtown and canal area.

The committee members that presented the plan with Mayor Sidari include Village Trustee Tim Elliott, Trustee Marguerite Sherman, and residents Kathy Blackburn, Chris Busch and David Flynn.

Sidari didn’t want to make the different plans public yet, but he said they build off the 2021 proposal.

Medina’s application in 2021 sought funding for streetscape improvements, a multi-use trail along the Medina Railroad from the museum to Main Street, upgrades to Canal Village Farmer’s Market, improved waterfront access and amenities at the Canal Basin Park, enhanced programming at State Street Park (ice skating rink, enhanced lighting, boat tie-ups, benches and bicycle racks, and a construction of a nature trail), boat tie-ups and docking facilities at the Lions Park, a viewing platform and at Medina waterfalls, wayfinding signage, small grant fund for local businesses, adaptive reuse of the old Medina High School to turn into apartments, and redeveloping the Snappy facility on Commercial Street by the Erie Canal into a mixed-use commercial and residential space.

Village officials during Monday’s Village Board meeting said the funding from the state will build on significant private and public investment in the downtown in the past 20 years.

Sidari said the state funding would set up Medina as a much desired community to live and work for a new generation. He spoke Monday during a meeting attended by many local high school students.

“This board wants to make this village nicer for your generation so you will choose to live and work here,” Sidari told the students.

Trustee Owen Toale said the state funding would make a big difference for a village of about 6,000 residents. “It’s bookoo bucks,” he said. “We could make Medina an even nicer old-fashioned town than it is.”

The state is expected to announce the DRI and NY Forward grant winners in December.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Trees along the embankment near Holley Waterfalls show brilliant fall colors on Tuesday, on a day of bright sunshine with temperatures near 80. It was the fourth straight day with high temps above 70.

Today, the forecast calls for a high of 70 in Orleans County with the low plunging down to 43 tonight. There is an 80 percent chance for rain with precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible, the National Weather Service said.

The highs in the coming days call for 51 on Thursday, 54 on Friday, 60 on Saturday and 61 on Sunday.

The pedestrian bridge over Sandy Creek near the Holley Waterfalls is shown in the background with bright-yellow leaves on a branch near the falls.

Mount Albion Cemetery is a blanket of leaves on the ground while many are still on the trees. This photo shows the Ingersoll fountain with the chapel near the front gate along Route 31.

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

BATAVIA – The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) recently received a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials to learn more about the intersection of trauma, suicide, overdose and health.

There will be a conference to help understand how these issues influence our communities and help us work toward becoming a Trauma-informed Care GOW Region.

To that end, GO Health is coordinating a Trauma & Resiliency Conference on Nov. 9 at Batavia Downs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This conference will be looking at what Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are, ACEs data from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, and what it means to be a trauma-informed care community.

If you are in education, behavioral health, mental health, department of social services, law enforcement, the court system, probation, human services, etc. please take the time to register now. Seating may be limited.

For more information or to register, click here. Registration is required before Nov. 2.

27 people in county died from drug overdoses from 2017-2021

By Mike Pettinella, GCASA Publicist

The local public health director says there is no time to waste in the effort to combat the opioid epidemic in Orleans County.

Paul Pettit

“The opioid epidemic has become a very urgent and serious public health and safety issue, and, without question, the entire human services network needs to come together to prevent more overdoses and deaths,” said Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties. “This has been something that has continued to play in our community over the last six plus years now and has become an issue that we’ve really focused in on.”

Pettit said the health department works in collaboration with substance use agencies, such as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, along with mental health clinics and law enforcement to prevent overdoses. And, that work is becoming more and more challenging.

Opioids, whether it be heroin or prescription drugs such as Oxycodone, are being laced with fentanyl, a lethal synthetic substance being smuggled into the United States through cartels based in Mexico.

Last year, more than 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to fentanyl, which, on average, is about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. A dose as small as 2 milligrams can be deadly.

“Originally used as a prescription painkiller, fentanyl quickly became a popular choice for drug abuse because of its strength compared to other substances,” said GCASA Executive Director John Bennett. “Counterfeit Percocet, Oxycontin, and other drugs often contain fentanyl.”

Pettit agreed, adding that drug dealers are pushing fentanyl, which is cheaper and easier to access.

“Many of the opioid-related fatalities and overdoses are showing fentanyl in the autopsy results,” he said. “Now, that’s the number one killer and, hopefully, we will be able to get ahead of it, build capacity and put systems in place to help folks that are struggling with addiction.”

In Orleans County, 27 people died from opioid overdose from 2017-21. In 2018, the rate of overdose deaths jumped to 27.1 per 100,000 – much higher than state and national averages. That number prompted health department officials and others to allocate more resources to the problem.

“Sadly, today, drug overdose is actually the leading cause of injury mortality in the United States,” Pettit said.

Digging deeper into the data for the county, in 2020, 26 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for opioid overdoses, and in 2021, that number increased to 31.

More than 450 Orleans County residents were admitted to New York State Office of Addiction Supports and Services-certified treatment programs over the past three years – 73 in 2019, 228 in 2020 and 174 in 2021. It should be noted that the numbers in 2020 and the first part of 2021 were not typical due to Covid-19.

In a move to increase awareness and community action, the health department helped institute the GOW Opioid Task Force, a three-county initiative to inform the public of the dangers of opioids and to develop strategies to deter use of opioids.

“We have put together an annual Community Health Improvement Plan, working with our healthcare systems, and have identified MEB, which is mental, emotional and behavioral health, as one of the focus areas,” Pettit reported. “And the primary reason for that was really around the drastic spike in opioid related overdoses and overdose deaths.”

Pettit said his department has enlisted services of epidemiologists “to get a handle on real-time data and to try to understand what’s going on in the community.”

“That’s why we’ve really focused in on this area and when we do get grants – when we have the opportunity to invest resources, we’re doing it where we’re going to get the most bang for the buck.”

He said that training more people in how to administer Naloxone to reverse an overdose is crucial to the task force’s success.

“We know that Naloxone training — getting more of that out in the community — saves lives. So, we’re working to get it into people’s homes and into businesses. We’re working to expand Naloxone across the community, replicating a program that already is in place in Genesee County,” he said.

Pettit said the health department supports the Public Service Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative in Genesee County – a partnership between substance use providers and law enforcement – and would hope that a similar program could be established in Orleans County.

“That, plus the placement of Naloxone boxes that we’re trying to replicate here in Orleans County,” he said. “I’ve been talking with the sheriff and other law enforcement to see if there’s something we can potentially roll out here but we’re not quite there yet. Maybe we’ll start a pilot test program and go from there. It’s definitely worth the time and effort.”

174 crashes with animals in Orleans County in 2021

File photo by Tom Rivers: These deer are shown by West Barre Road in Barre on Oct. 12, 2018.

Press Release, AAA Western and Central New York

New York drivers need to buck up this fall and watch for animals on the roads. AAA analyzed New York crash data and found that October, November and December are by far the peak months for animal crashes, notably deer, in the Empire State.

There were 34,064 animal-related crashes statewide in 2021 – up slightly from 2020 – that’s equivalent to one animal-related crash every 16 minutes. Of the 34,064 crashes, there were 1,515 injury animal-related crashes and five fatal crashes.

AAA analyzed New York State data, and here are the top 10 counties for animal crashes in 2021:

• Suffolk (1,367)
• Monroe (1,358)
• Orange (1,356)
• Oneida (1,269)
• St. Lawrence (1,260)
• Jefferson (1,217)
• Ontario (1,196)
• Erie (1,008)
• Onondaga (972)
• Livingston (929)

Editor’s Note: AAA reported that for 2021, the number of crashes where “animal’s action” was listed as a contributing factor was 770 in Genesee County and 174 in Orleans County.

Motorists should be especially vigilant after dark as deer crashes often occur outside daylight hours. Crashes are most common near sunset (6 to 8 p.m. before the clock changes, 5-7 p.m. after the clock changes).

“Drivers should always be on the lookout for hazards on the road, but the danger of deer increases every fall,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations at AAA Western and Central New York. “Car-deer collisions can be both deadly and costly. Drivers should pay close attention, avoid distractions and scan the road for deer when traveling on area roadways.”

AAA offers the following tips for avoiding, or mitigating, deer crashes:

1. Scan the road. Especially the shoulders of the road in front of you. Deer may dash out from the shoulder or wooded areas adjacent to the road. They often travel in herds.

2. Follow the speed limit. Keeping your speed down will give you more time to respond to unexpected wildlife movements.

3.  Can’t avoid a collision? Apply the brakes firmly and remain in your lane. Swerving sharply to avoid an animal can often cause a more serious crash.