Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara held a press conference on Tuesday, August 15th, to announce funding he secured in this year’s state budget for Rotterdam EMS. Rotterdam EMS received $1 million in capital assistance to purchase new ambulances and make much needed upgrades to the station. This is the largest investment the organization has ever received to date.

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara also announced that Dean Romano of Rotterdam EMS has been appointed to the New York State Rural Ambulance Task Force. Romano will provide a wealth of experience and perspective to the role, Santabarbara said, who made the recommendation for Romano’s appointment. In 2021, Santabarbara sponsored and passed legislation establishing the Task Force to improve the quality and availability of ambulance services in rural areas (Ch. 778 of 2021). As Chair of the State Assembly‘s Commission on Rural Resources, addressing the overall lack of health care and medical resources in rural communities is a top priority for Santabarbara.

“Ambulance services are on the front lines when it comes to responding to medical emergencies and saving lives, especially in upstate rural communities where reaching a hospital could take hours,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “These services are vital to the health of these communities, which is why it’s more important than ever to ensure they have the resources they need to keep our neighbors and loved ones safe. This funding will go a long way to doing just that.” “And, as an appointed member of the new state Rural Ambulance Task Force, Dean Romano, the executive director of Rotterdam EMS, has valuable experience that will strengthen these health care services across our state,” Santabarbara added.

Dean Romano, Executive Director of Rotterdam EMS said, “I want to thank Assemblyman Santabarbara for providing this significant funding to keep our local EMS service going and getting this much-needed legislation passed to help address the challenges facing our rural EMS system. To keep our communities safe and support the tireless work of our providers, we must collaboratively find ways to ensure the long-term viability of our services. I am thankful for this opportunity to represent the unique role that EMS plays in our rural health system and help us meet the challenges we face.”