Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) met with representatives from the Governor’s office regarding several North Country issues. Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush arranged the meeting which also included representatives from Ft. Drum including Fort Drum Garrison Commander Col. Noel T. Nicolle, Deputy Commander for Fort Drum Medical Activity Ltc. Kyle Patterson, Fort Drum Garrison Command Sergeant Major CSM John McNeirney, Fort Drum Department of Planning Community Planner Michael Richardson, Denise Young, Executive Director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and Senator Patricia Ritchie. The meeting is part of the ongoing effort to address several issues important to the North Country and Ft. Drum.
The group provided statistical information regarding the percentage of air medical calls from Jefferson County within the 14 county region that includes the North Country. Jefferson County accounts for 25 percent of all the calls. The four county region north of Syracuse accounts for 55 percent of those calls. Further, patients 18-54 years of age have a 39% greater risk of death if they are transported to trauma centers by ground instead of air according to a recent CDC study. Assemblywoman Russell also pointed to the difficulty in timely transport of North Country patients such as those on islands or other remote locations.
Additionally, Assemblywoman Russell raised the critical need for housing in the communities surrounding Ft. Drum. There are estimates that the community needs 1035 additional rental units with two or three bedrooms. The group made the point that the housing shortage affects military families and civilian families alike. The tight housing market has affected everyone who resides in Ft. Drum area, not only in finding housing but also being able to afford housing. As our military is allowed more time home between deployments, ensuring there is adequate housing for reuniting families was a core concern of the group.
Once the meeting with staff concluded, Assemblymembers Blankenbush and Russell along with Ms. Young and the representatives from Ft. Drum met with Lt. Governor Robert Duffy to emphasis the issues facing the North Country. Lt. Governor Duffy recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony and announced state funding for housing development in Watertown. He offered to work on the issues and have the new Secretary of Housing, formerly a member of the NYS Assembly, Darryl Towns meet with officials to help find solutions.
“The governor’s staff and Lt. Governor Duffy have offered to assist the North Country and the needs of Ft. Drum. They stated the importance of Ft. Drum to the state and the need to review the specific needs of the region relative to the housing shortage and gap in air medical service,“ Russell said. “I could not be more pleased with their response and the sincerity in which they expressed the willingness to look at ways to support the region,” Russell added.
The meetings concluded with a pledge to continue the dialogue and for a follow-up meeting in the near future, given the time sensitive nature of the housing concerns.
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