Mount St. Mary's marks EMS Week

Every year, Mount St. Mary's celebrates Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week with a dinner celebration and awards presentation. Though the hospital was unable to hold this special event in 2021, community partners were still honored with well-deserved awards for their hard work and dedication.

Niagara County Emergency Services and Niagara County Department of Health were awarded with Agency of the Year awards. This award is given to community partners that go above and beyond the call, both on a patient care level and on a collaborative level with MSM; for their commitment to the health and safety of the community through contributions to quality patient care.

Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti wrote the nomination, which focused on the DOH and Emergency Services response to the pandemic, and of the positive relationship between his office and theirs, as well as the community.

Just a few of his thoughts from his nomination read: "Both Public Health and Emergency Services immediately stepped up to the plate to fight the unknown facing us. ... They provided solid recommendations and plans based on expertise and instinct. … To say their vaccination efforts have been amazing would be an understatement. The efficiency and capacity of these operations have been top notch ... they have not wavered in their dedication and commitment to change the course of COVID. I am nominating these two departments because they have collectively saved lives and went above and beyond. This award is about exceptional, life-saving work performed by a dedicated crew, which is exactly what they have done and continue to do."

Pictured, from left: Dan Leven, Deputy Fire Coordinator, Jonathan Schultz, Director of Emergency Services; Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti; Elise Pignatora, Director of Public Health Planning and Emergency Preparedness; Laurie Schoenfeldt, Director of Nursing Services; Vicki Pearson, Deputy Public Health Director and Director of Financial Operations; Daniel J. Stapleton, Public Health Director; CJ Urlaub, President of Mount St. Mary's Hospital; Lori Dufresne, Catholic Health System Director of Emergency Services.