When Physicians Step Into the Community: Grand Island Cares Shows the Power of Local Action
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As MSSNY gears up for the 2027 New York State legislative session, we need your help!
To help inform our 2027 legislative policy agenda, please take a few minutes to complete the following survey and tell us which of the issues included you think are most important to physicians right now: Take the 2027 Legislative Survey!
(If the hyperlink above does not display or work, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/66LSXSV)
Thank you in advance for your help and participation. We will share the results in future MSSNY publications.
Grand Island provided an inspiring answer on September 26 with the inaugural Grand Island Cares event, bringing free, hands-on CPR, airway rescue and Stop the Bleed training to residents at Grand Island High School.
The initiative was led by Stacey Watt, MD, MBA, MHPE, FASA, MSSNY’s Eighth District Councilor and a lifelong Grand Island resident. Bringing together medical professionals, students, EMS and community organizations, Dr. Watt created an event that went beyond training. It demonstrated what physicians can accomplish when they bring their expertise directly into the communities they serve.
Preparing Neighbors to Save Lives
In an emergency, family members, friends or bystanders are often the first people on the scene. Grand Island Cares gave residents practical skills and the confidence to act while professional help is on the way.
Participants learned hands-only CPR, airway rescue and how to recognize and control life-threatening bleeding. Everyone who attended was able to receive training. Among the guests was Assemblymember Jon Rivera, who enthusiastically described the event as “the great one!”
For Dr. Watt, the response reflected the spirit of the day.
“Today was about much more than training. It was about neighbors caring for neighbors.”
The Power of Collaboration
Grand Island Cares brought together an impressive range of partners, including UBMD Orthopedics and its CPR training team, students from the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Dr. Iris Danziger, the Medical Society of the County of Erie, MSSNY, the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Twin City Ambulance, Catholic Health and Dr. Gregory Clabeaux.
Together, they demonstrated how collaboration can turn a local idea into a meaningful community resource.
A Model for Physicians Across New York
For MSSNY physicians, Grand Island Cares offers an example of how organized medicine can engage communities beyond traditional legislative advocacy.
Physicians have knowledge and skills that can help communities become healthier, safer and better prepared. Sharing that expertise directly with the public can also strengthen relationships among physicians, medical organizations and the communities they serve.
The model does not have to look the same everywhere. Communities could organize similar efforts around CPR, stroke recognition, opioid overdose response, emergency preparedness or other locally identified needs.
The message is simple: physicians have knowledge that can save lives, and sharing that knowledge can make communities stronger.
For Dr. Watt, the experience reflected her lifelong connection to Grand Island and her commitment to medicine and community service.
“Today was about being prepared to help someone in the moments when it matters most.”
Grand Island Cares began with a local idea, but its message can reach far beyond Grand Island. For physicians across New York, it offers a simple question worth considering: What can we teach our neighbors today that might help save a life tomorrow?
