File photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Fire Department heads down East Center Street on an ambulance call Friday that was outside the village.

An advisory council looking for answers to improving EMS service in Orleans County will meet for the first time on Feb. 16 at the Orleans County Office Building.

The council will have 35 members with a representative from each of the 12 local fire departments, 10 towns, four villages, four ambulance providers and county officials.

The group will likely break into subgroups to brainstorm ways to improve staffing or volunteers, response times, and help the ambulance providers be stronger financially.

Local officials say the local EMS is in crisis locally with too few responders and not enough ambulances, often resulting in delayed responses.

Recent data shows increased dropped calls and slower responses, especially in eastern and central Orleans.

The western end of the county, which is primarily served by the Medina Fire Department with career firefighters, isn’t plagued by the issues.

Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of Emergency Management Office in Orleans County, met with local municipal officials in October and they outlined some of the challenges in providing EMS services.

Some of the challenges include:

• Many of the paramedic and EMT positions require extensive training, but don’t pay very well with little fringe benefits. The pay isn’t much better than working in fast food or minimum wage jobs, without the training and responsibilities.
• The ambulance providers are fiscally challenged with low reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid, and many patients who keep the insurance checks rather than turning them to the ambulance companies, Niederhofer said. There are also many patients without insurance resulting in little revenue for COVA, Monroe Ambulance and other providers.
• Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director, wants to see the state change a law to allow the ambulance providers to directly be paid by insurance companies, rather than the checks going to patients who often keep them. The companies also need higher reimbursement rates to better cover their costs and pay their staff more.
• Allen Turner, communications director at the dispatch center for the county, said many people call for an ambulance when they don’t need one, which stresses the EMS system.
• In Orleans County, only the Kendall Fire Department continues to run an all-volunteer ambulance. Albion, Clarendon, Holley and Carlton all have taken their ambulances out of service. Kendall isn’t able to bill for its services because it’s all-volunteer. With only Kendall running a volunteer ambulance that puts more pressure on COVA in central Orleans and Monroe Ambulance for eastern Orleans to respond to calls.
• The fewer ambulances in the county also are tend to be more unavailable with the closing of Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport. Those ambulances have to drive farther towards Rochester to hospitals. Although the Brockport site is now Strong West, the ambulances still are often sent to Rochester hospitals and that ties up crews for longer times. Niederhofer said the short-staffed hospitals also are slower in being able to accept patients. What used to be one or two hour call is often four hours or more. That longer time commitment also is leading to increased burnout, especially for the volunteers, Niederhofer said.

County Legislator Skip Draper, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the advisory council will be looking for solutions for all the issues, and will study options for funding.

By Mike Pettinella, GCASA Publicist

Rob Kent

According to the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention, about 100,000 Americans have died from drug overdoses in a year’s time through May 2021 and that number only will increase unless treatment providers emphasize the human aspect of substance use disorder.

That was the message conveyed from Haymarket, Va., by Rob Kent, general counsel for the White House Office of National Drug Policy, during last week’s GOW Opioid Task Force quarterly meeting via Zoom videoconferencing.

“We need to understand in that 100,000 number … that’s 100,000 people who have brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents and kids themselves. It’s human,” said Kent, who previously served in a similar position for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and frequently worked with personnel at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Kent said that when people view addiction beyond the human element, “we just we lose the opportunity to do what we need to do – which is to help people stay alive.”

During his time with OASAS, Kent was instrumental in creating the Certified Recovery Peer Advocate program that enlists people, primarily, who are in recovery and can relate to those in need.

“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” he said. “We mandate that insurance – both Medicaid and private insurance – pay for them because they help engage people and they’re even more critical right now.

“People respond positively to others who can come to them and say, ‘I know what you’re going through, I walked that walk before — I know what it’s like.’ I’m not saying they’re the end-all, but they’re certainly a key component of what needs to be done.”

GCASA has woven CRPAs into its recovery policy, utilizing peers at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road and in other programs in both counties.

Kent pointed out that illegal fentanyl has become a major problem.

“I know there’s an uptick with meth (methamphetamine), but illegal fentanyl is being mixed into everything,” he said. “And I think it’s important for us to understand that it is lethal; it kills people easily. And it it’s changed the ballgame.”

Of that 100,000 number, more than 5,000 are dying in New York State, Kent said.

Kent said the federal government has sent billions of dollars to the states in supplemental block grant funding. In March 2021, New York received $104 million from the stimulus package and, a few months later, received another $90 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.

He said another $50 million to $100 million is expected to flow to the states over the next few years.

While the money is vital, spending it properly is just as important, Kent said.

“I’m not paying enough attention to New York to know how much has been spent, but they should be spending it because people are dying right now,” he said. “I’m very optimistic with the new (OASAS) commissioner (Chinazo Cunningham) that she gets what’s going on. She has a heart; she cares, and she will try her best to do the right thing.”

Kent said the Biden Administration has made harm reduction a key element of its comprehensive approach to addressing substance use disorders through prevention, treatment, and recovery where individuals who use substances set their own goals. Federal funds are being used to purchase fentanyl test strips and other testing equipment, sponsor syringe service programs, expand access to Naloxone and create guidelines for streamlined and expanded buprenorphine prescribing.

“I know there’s reactions (from people) to harm reduction generally into the services I just talked about,” he said. “Some folks will tell you that you’re enabling the drug use. I say that when we don’t do those things, we’re ignoring that it’s happening.”

Connecting with those dealing with substance use disorder in genuine and meaningful ways ultimately will make the biggest difference, Kent said.

“We need to understand that we can continue to sit here and talk about drug use as a failure of will – a lack of personal strength, whatever you want to call it – and we can continue to do that and watch more and more people in this country die from drug use, or we could embrace people,” he said. “We could understand they’re human beings. They have families, they have loved ones, and when we focus on it from that perspective, everything then becomes possible.”

Provided photo: Pictured from left, fruit farm operator Jim Bittner, vegetable and dairy farm operator Maureen Torrey Marshall, Sen. Ed Rath (R,C,I-Amherst), Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) and Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) discuss the impact of vaccine mandates on farms and agriculture on Thursday.

Press Release, Congress Chris Jacobs

GENESEE COUNTY – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27), State Senator Ed Rath (R-Amherst), and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) met with local farmers and agricultural leaders on Thursday to discuss the impact of President Biden’s vaccine mandate at the Northern border, and the current supply chain issues and labor shortages facing the agricultural industry.

“Representing our farmers on the House Agriculture Committee is a job I take very seriously, and right now their livelihoods are at stake as a direct result of President Biden’s vaccine mandates,” Jacobs said. “Farming is a round the clock industry that has no room for delays or logistical blockades, yet that is exactly what the President has created. His mandate that just recently went into effect is causing trucking delays, which seriously impacts our farmers and hurts our ag-focused economy in New York’s 27th District. I have fought against these mandates, and I will continue to do so to ensure our supply chains remain intact and our farmers are supported.”

Jacobs is a member of the House Agriculture Committee. In December, he sent a letter with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to President Biden warning of the disruption his vaccine mandate at the border would cause in the supply chain. The President ignored this warning.

“Our New York farmers have been taking hit after hit,” Rath said. “Many are already struggling with staffing shortages and supply chain issues, at no fault of their own. Jeopardizing their available workforce is irresponsible and inconsiderate of the overwhelming pressures that farmers are facing. I have advocated for simplifying the countless mandates to help our farms and businesses. I will continue to fight for our agriculture community.”

“Vaccine mandates issued at any level of government only serve to cripple our response to the very pandemic such mandates seek to improve,” Hawley said. “For farmers in particular, disruptions in the supply chain could mean the loss of crop yields, the death of livestock animals and critical equipment remaining in a state of disrepair for long periods of time when out of order. When the operations of our farms slow down, the economies of our rural communities slow as well. And across our nation, the restocking of grocery store shelves will continue to be a spotty process. Mandates that stifle the efficacy of our supply chain will only prolong the suffering brought about by this pandemic, and I remain committed to combating their implementation in any broad capacity.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Albion Rotary Club members fill goodie bags for merchants in downtown Albion on Thursday afternoon. Pictured from left include Bonnie Malakie, Richard Remley, Don Bishop, Robert batt and Doug Farley. They are shown at Hoag Library.

The goodie bags included frosted cookies and some other treats, as well as a thank you letter from Rotary Club President Alex Krebs.

“We are so grateful for our local businesses, and are aware of how difficult it is to operate a business in a small community like Albion, especially through the past couple of years,” Krebs wrote in her letter. “We’re glad you are here!!”

The Cobblestone Museum donated 40 bags for the items.

The Albion Rotary Club is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year. The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self.” Krebs said the club this year is putting an emphasis on service to the community.

ALBION — Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke was authorized by the County Legislature to pursue leasing five new patrol vehicles and have them up-fitted, at a cost not to exceed $86,000.

There is currently a state-wide shortage of patrol vehicles as well as multiple microchip shortages due manufacturing shutdowns from Covid-19, county legislators said on Wednesday.

In other action, the Legislature:

• Approved an agreement between the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Works where one full-time DPW employee will be assigned to do maintenance at the county jail at a rate not to exceed $84,679 during 2022.

• Authorized the Sheriff’s Office to spend $39,168 for new handguns, $5,247 for ammunition, and $17,244 for the less-than-lethal Tasers.

• Authorized the treasurer to use $188,268 of American Rescue Plan Act funds for payroll in the Public Safety Communication System, Sheriff’s Office and Jail.

• Approved a $12,500 stipend for full-time attorneys in the District Attorney’s Office to bring the pay on par with attorneys in the Public Defender’s Office. A state grant has increased the pay for full-time attorneys for the Public Defender’s Office. The disparity in pay between the two offices was making it difficult to hire full-time attorneys in the District Attorney’s Office, legislators said.

The county will offer the $12,500 stipend in the DA’s Office for as long as the Public Defender’s Office receives the grant from the NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services.

• Appointed County Legislator Fred miller of Albion to the Orleans County Jury Board for a two-year term.

• Appointed County Legislator Skip Draper of Medina for a two-year term as a trustee representing Orleans County on the 8th Judicial District Law Library Board of Trustees.

• Authorized the Health Department to spend up to $100,000 for an anti-rabies vaccine for post-exposure treatment for Orleans County residents.

• Appointed County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson to a two-year term on the Genesee Transportation Council Board and John Papponetti, the County DPW superintendent, to serve as an alternative. Papponetti also was appointed to serve on the GTC Planning Committee.

• The following were appointed to three-year terms on the Orleans County Planning Board: Bruce Kirby representing Gaines, Chris Watt as alternate for Gaines, Mylynda Kuba representing Holley, and Monica Seeler as Holley alternate.

• Reappointed the following to the Oak Orchard Watershed Board: County Legislator Ed Morgan who is chairman of the Soil and Water Conservation District Board, Guy Smith of Albion, Peter Smith of Albion and Jon Peglow of Barre.

• Reappointed the following to the Orleans County Board of Ethics: Julie Christensen, retired Kendall school district superintendent; Russ Martino, retired Yates town supervisor and Lyndonville principal, and John DeFilipps, retired county legislator.

• Appointed county legislators Bill Eick of Shelby and Fred Miller of Albion to two-year terms on the Local Development Corporation Board.

• Authorized the Health Department to spend $130,880 to make an emergency purchase of KN95 masks and iHealth OTC test kits from Vizocom in El Cajon, Calif. The department will coordinate with local school districts on their reopening plans and will include Covid-19 testing. There is no county cost in the purchase.

• Approved spending $17,182 for 26 Panasonic cameras and mounting junction boxes, 10 Ubiquiti POE switches and two level 4 Ubiquiti Enterprise switches. The equipment is needed “to protect Orleans County assets from external threats to safety and security and provide robust connectivity throughout the county,” legislators stated in a resolution.

LYNDONVILLE – The Orleans County Legislature has agreed to donate a 2013 Chevy Tahoe road patrol vehicle to the Village of Lyndonville’s police department.

The vehicle was determined to have no value to the county and has been declared surplus.

However, Lyndonville wants to replace a patrol car with 350,000 miles “at least,” said Mayor John Belson.

The village operates a part-time police department with Bill Larkin, a retired deputy sheriff, as the officer. He works about 20 to 24 hours a week.

Belson said the village couldn’t justify spending $30,000 or more for a new patrol car.

“We really appreciate it,” he said about the county donating the Chevy Tahoe.

Candidates seeking to run for the Village Board in Albion and Medina have until Feb. 8 to submit petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters.

These petitions are to run as candidates under an independent party for the March 15 election.

Albion held its Republican and Democratic caucuses on Tuesday evening. Republicans backed Angel Javier Jr. for mayor and Tim McMurray and Dan Conrad for trustee candidates. Democrats picked Vickie Elsenheimer as candidate for mayor, and Sandra Walter and Joyce Riley for trustees.

But there is still time to run as an independent party candidate. The petitions need to be turned into the Village Office by Feb. 8.

Medina doesn’t have major party caucuses. The candidates all run as independents. The positions up for election include mayor (currently Mike Sidari) and two trustee positions (currently held by Tim Elliott and Marguerite Sherman).

There isn’t a village election in Lyndonville this year, and Holley holds its election in June.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday accepted a $1,397,885 bid submitted by Union Concrete and Construction Corp. of West Seneca for a new bridge on Yates-Carlton Townline Road over Johnson Creek, just south of Route 18.

This is the low bid on a project that will be 80 percent funded by the federal government. The county cost will be $279,577.

Union Concrete and Construction did the work last year on the new bridge on Route 104 in Ridgeway, a project which just won an award as “project of the year” from Genesee chapter of the American Public Works Association. That honor is for “Structures less than $5 million.”

Charts courtesy of Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

There are more than 1,200 more confirmed Covid cases in Genesee and Orleans counties in the past seven days. That is the third most during a week of the pandemic, but is still down from the previous two weeks. That is 1,266 cases from Jan. 19-25, down from 1,659 the previous week, and the 2,703 from Jan. 5-11, the most during the pandemic.

Orleans County is reporting 521 new cases in the past week (Jan. 19-25), which is down from 645 the previous week and 855 from Jan. 5-11. Those cases include 122 at-home tests in the past week, which was preceded by 173 (Jan. 12-18) and 233 (Jan. 5-11).

Genesee County has 745 new cases in the past week, which is down from 1,014 from Jan. 12-18, and 1,848 from Jan. 5-11. Those cases include 229 at-home tests in the past week, which was preceded by 199 (Jan. 12-18) and 325 (Jan. 5-11).

Genesee County has also had five more Covid-related deaths in the past week and Orleans two more. Genesee has now had 174 Covid-related deaths and Orleans 107 during the pandemic, which started in March 2020.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBION – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has announced that he will be holding mobile officer hours next month at Genesee Community College and at the Seymour Library in Brockport in Monroe County.

Hawley will be at Seymour Library, 161 East Ave., Brockport from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 2 and Feb. 23. He will be in the Ellwanger Room.

He will be at GCC, 1 College Rd. in Batavia, from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 3 and Feb. 24, with the meeting at Room T124.

ALBION – A New York City man was sentenced today in Orleans County Court to three years in state prison and three years of post-release supervision for selling cocaine in Albion.

Hector Mendez

Hector Mendez, 41, faced multiple drug charges for criminal possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree when he was arrested on Nov. 8, 2020.

He allegedly sold cocaine in Albion on Sept. 24, Oct. 23 and twice on Nov. 8, 2020, working with a woman on West Academy Street in Albion. During a search warrant, police seized over 100 individual bags of crack cocaine packaged for sale with a total weight of approximately two ounces, as well as cash, scales, packaging and other drug paraphernalia.

In other cases in County Court today:

• Jonathan Jimenez, 23, of Thomas Estates in Clarendon was arraigned for two counts of criminal possession of weapon in the second degree for a loaded firearm, and one count of reckless endangerment in the first degree.

Jimenez was charged on Aug. 17 after exchanging gunfire twice in the Village of Albion with Prince Wilson, 22, on Aug. 8 and Aug. 14.

Jimenez was wounded in the leg on Aug. 14. He pleaded not guilty during court today.

Wilson was due to be arraigned as well this morning but it was rescheduled until Friday morning. Wilson faces charges of criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for a loaded firearm and reckless endangerment in the first degree.

Jimenez has posted bail ($2,500 cash or $5,000 bond) and Wilson also is out on bail ($50,000 cash or $100,000 bond).

District Attorney Joe Cardone said the two men were using “ghost guns” without serial numbers.

“These are extremely serious charges,” Cardone told County Court Judge Sanford Church.

• A Medina resident pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Michael R. Coffey, 74, was stopped by State Police in Carlton on Sept. 10, 2021.

He faces up to 364 days in the county jail when he is sentenced on April 27.

Press Release and photos from NYS Department of Transportation

RIDGEWAY – New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced that the recently completed project to replace the State Route 104 Bridge over Oak Orchard Creek in Orleans County was honored as the American Public Works Association’s Project of the Year in the Genesee Valley Chapter’s “Structures less than $5 million” category.

The project was recognized for its critical community investment and safety enhancements for travelers.

“The safety of the traveling public and the vitality of our communities are always top priorities at the Department of Transportation and this award for the State Route 104 Bridge Replacement Project is a symbol of our commitment to those priorities,” said Commissioner Dominguez. “The project enhanced safety and helped ensure that a vitally important crossing in Orleans County will remain open for many years to come. I want to congratulate the NYSDOT staff, whose tireless work helped achieve this recognition and for their dedication to safety, service and excellence – values they demonstrate each and every day.”

In honoring the project, the APWA cited several factors, including:

• Use of good construction management techniques by employing the Governor’s Drivers First Initiatives and prioritizing convenience for motorists.
• Efforts to engage members of the community who utilize Oak Orchard Creek for recreational kayaking and canoeing.
• Attention to the environment and wildlife immediately impacted by construction and the altered bridge footprint.
• Commitment to sustainability and use of engineering components that help reduce deterioration and decrease the need for future maintenance.

The project installed a 125-foot, single-span bridge with minimal disruption to the traveling public. It was completed in September, on time and under budget. State Route 104 is a key vital connector used by the local agricultural and manufacturing industries to reach the Rochester area to the east and the Niagara community in the west.

Senator Robert G. Ortt said, “The State Route 104 Bridge project over Oak Orchard Creek in Orleans County should be applauded for its outstanding success and serve as a blueprint for future joint construction efforts between local and state governments. By working together, Orleans County and New York State were able to deliver a completed project that will benefit the residents of Orleans County and travelers passing through our Western New York region. I am proud that the American Public Works Association has decided to honor this incredible project and will give it the recognition it deserves.”

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, “Protecting the roadways traveled by families and commercial and emergency vehicles is one of our state government’s most important functions, so I was happy to see the work done to replace the Oak Orchard Creek bridge in Orleans County acknowledged by the American Public Works Association. It was a critical project that delivered an amazing end result for all who travel along Route 104 between Ridgeway and Gaines. My hat goes off to all involved both in planning the project and working on the ground to make it a reality.”

The unemployment rate was at 3.1 percent in Orleans County in December, which is the lowest rate in at least 30 years.

The county has 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 only dropped below 4 percent the past two months – 3.8 percent in November and then 3.1 percent in December.

The state Department of Labor reports about 500 people in the county are on unemployment, the lowest since at least 1990. (Click here to see a database on the labor force in Orleans County since 1990.) There were 1,100 unemployed in December 2020.

The labor force currently totals 16,900 in Orleans County, which is down from 17,200 in December 2020, 17,500 in December 2019, and a drop of 2,000 from the 18,900 in December 2012. Going back to December 2005, the labor force was over 20,000 at 20,100.

During the pandemic, the unemployment rate hit a high of 16.8 percent in April 2020. In 2021, the rate peaked at 7.6 percent in February and has steadily declined from 5.7 percent in July, 5.6 percent in August, 4.2 percent in September, 4.1 percent in October, 3.8 percent in November and 3.1 percent in December.

State-wide the unemployment rate is at 5.0 percent in December, down from 8.5 percent in December 2020. The US unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent in December, down from 6.5 percent in December 2020.

The unemployment rate among the GLOW counties in December includes 2.7 percent in Genesee, 2.6 percent in Livingston, 3.1 percent in Orleans and 3.1 percent in Wyoming.

Among New York counties, the rate is highest in the Bronx at 11.1 percent and lowest at 2.2 percent at Columbia, Saratoga and Tompkins.