SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – On Thursday, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli joined Mayor Gary McCarthy and Fire Chief Donald Mareno for a presentation on the Schenectady Fire Department’s emergency telemedicine initiative. Launched in 2020, the program allows SFD paramedics to offer virtual emergency medical care.
When dispatched, SFD paramedics may use tablets to perform a telehealth consult with emergency medical physicians from United Concierge Medicine (UCM). The initiative is designed to improve health care access in underserved communities while reducing overall Medicaid expenses by avoiding costly trips to the hospital emergency room, McCarthy added.
With 115 paramedics, the SFD is the first and the largest department in the region to offer this service. The SFD responds to approximately 18,000 calls per year, approximately 12,000 of which are medical calls.
Afterward, Comptroller DiNapoli, Mayor McCarthy, and Schenectady County Legislator Richard Ruzzo toured the recent economic development at Mohawk Harbor and the new Schenectady headquarters of DSD Renewables. Previously GE Solar, DSD Renewables is a local company creating green jobs that will help achieve the state’s climate goals.
The Schenectady County Solar Consortium, a partnership between Schenectady County and eight additional municipalities, collaborated with DSD on a seven-project community solar portfolio that offsets the electricity usage of all nine municipalities within the county. Through the Consortium, unusable land was transformed into green renewable energy-producing sites that save county taxpayers $800,000 per year and creates a cleaner future for Schenectady County families. Two of the seven sites are located in the City of Schenectady.
“The city of Schenectady is finding smart, cost-effective ways to serve residents and maximize taxpayer resources,” State Comptroller DiNapoli said. “The use of telemedicine by its emergency teams is leading to faster, more appropriate care, while the county’s solar consortium is providing clean, renewable energy that is reducing costs. It’s inspiring to see, and there is much that other local communities can learn from what Schenectady and Mayor McCarthy are doing.”
“Hospitals are often overcrowded and overuse of ERs and ambulances result in delays to emergency care that can reduce the quality and efficiency of our healthcare system,” Mayor McCarthy said. “Through this emergency telemedicine initiative we can improve healthcare access in our community while implementing innovative and sustainable policies that strengthen services for our residents. I want to thank Comptroller DiNapoli for visiting the Schenectady Fire Department and for his support of local governments and taxpayers across the state.”
“Schenectady County’s economic development team has done a great job bringing new businesses to areas throughout our community, including Mohawk Harbor,” said Schenectady County Legislator Richard Ruzzo. “One of those business is DSD Renewables. The County partnered with DSD to complete our seven-site community solar portfolio, which transformed unusable land into green, renewable energy-producing sites enabling all nine municipalities within the County to offset their electricity use. DSD is a great company, and we are proud that they have made Schenectady County their home.”