Dutchess County executive outlines EMS funding aid plan

Northern Dutchess Paramedics Station 2 is located just south of the village of Millerton on Route 22.

Photo by Nathan Miller

Dutchess County executive outlines EMS funding aid plan

POUGHKEEPSIE — Sue Serino, Dutchess County Executive, announced a $2 million investment in emergency medical services before the release of the 2025 executive budget.

This funding will be used to support the launch of ambulance coverage, a public awareness campaign and to address the workforce shortage the county has been faced with recently.

The county plans on partnering with municipalities to set in motion the supplemental ambulance coverage program, hoping to improve emergency medical service reliability and response time with commercial providers. This program intends to provide relief to the county and improve medical service provider diversity with competitive costs. With more competition in the mix, municipalities could potentially lower their service costs.

Dutchess County is also working on recruiting more staff and attracting job seekers to the field, along with implementing first responder resiliency training and peer-to-peer support network for the mental and emotional well-being of first responders.

The $2 million investment is a temporary aid in the long term search for solutions to the growing EMS cost crisis in Dutchess County.

Sue Serino had previously released an outline of the EMS crisis in March. She met with the Department of Emergency Response, supervisors, mayors, municipality representatives and other professionals to find effective solutions.

Latest News

Webutuck defeats Housatonic softball team on the road in Falls Village

Webutuck's Olivia Lopane-Wickwire, no. 2, eyeing a pitch as she steps off first base.

Photo by Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE, Conn. — Webutuck High School softball defeated Housatonic Valley Regional High School 14-9 on Thursday, May 15.

The non-league game was played in Falls Village, Connecticut, in what is a becoming an interstate rivalry. When these teams met last year, Housatonic won 16-3.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hillsdale flea market returns May 24
to Hamlet Park

The annual Columbia County event draws hundreds of bargain hunters to Hillsdale’s Hamlet Park.

Provided

HILLSDALE —The town of Hillsdale’s flea market returns Saturday, May 24.

Dozens of vendors will be selling things at Hillsdale Hamlet Park, southwest of the intersection of routes 22 and 23 in Columbia County.

Keep ReadingShow less
Webutuck Community Day — indoor and outdoor fun festival

Producing a blizzard of bubbles, the Bubble Bus delighted visitors to the annual Webutuck Community Day at the high school on Saturday, May 17.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — Outdoor and indoor fun activities awaited area families who attended the Webutuck Community Day at the high school on Saturday, May 17. The popular annual event was co-sponsored by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Webutuck PTA.

In addition to outdoor displays including a car show, large trucks, a helicopter, a state police water rescue vehicle and a bubble bus producing blizzards of bubbles, the indoor displays numbered more than 60 local and area organizations, vendors, demonstrations and volunteer opportunities, nearly all giving things away for free.

Keep ReadingShow less
$125K grant funds NorthEast-Millerton Library repairs

Funding for repairs to the NorthEast-Millerton Library were secured Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106).

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The NorthEast-Millerton Library is set to receive a facelift thanks to a $125,000 grant to support overdue repairs and necessary upgrades to the library’s Annex.

NorthEast-Millerton Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson said the repairs are scheduled to begin around mid-June and conclude in early August. The grant will be used to repair structural and cosmetic damage, including rotting wood, chipping paint and damaged siding. Leo-Jameson said if there is any budget remaining, the library will replace an exterior door and window.

Keep ReadingShow less