CGR Briefs

Addressing EMS Challenges in Essex County NY

Seven years ago, CGR helped Essex County develop a strategic plan for their EMS system. Since then, Essex County EMS has made significant strides, including creating a fly-car and staff leasing model, a new dispatch program, paramedic and EMT education programs, a county-wide ambulance authority, and increased funding. Most ambulance services in the county now have paid staff, addressing prompt response concerns. EMS funding totals $6.8 million annually, drawn from towns, villages, fire districts, and the county.

Evaluating the Rochester Peace Collective

CGR was selected to evaluate the progress and impact of about two dozen programs funded under the City of Rochester’s Peace Collective. We and our partner, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives, will use both quantitative data from Key Performance Indicators and qualitative information from program leaders, staff, and participants to explore what has worked well, what can be improved, and how efforts can be sustained to prevent violence, reduce crime and support youth and adults.

New Report Highlights Opportunities and Barriers in Finger Lakes Clean Energy Workforce

A newly released report from the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) and MRB group, commissioned by the Climate Solutions Accelerator, reveals that the Clean Energy ecosystem in the Finger Lakes region already supports 96,000 jobs—16% of the regional workforce. Over the next decade, employment in the sector is projected to grow by 10%, presenting significant economic opportunities for the region.

Town of Ticonderoga EMS

Ensuring appropriate ambulance response has become increasingly challenging across the country, particularly in rural areas. CGR assisted the Town of Ticonderoga (NY) in creating a more sustainable model to ensure a timely and effective emergency medical response when we helped the Town create an ambulance district.

How Private Sector Can Help Address NY State Food Insecurity

CGR provided project support to the New York University Stern Center for Sustainable Business’ FoodMap NY Initiative, funded by the Mother Cabrini Foundation and designed to explore how the private sector might help address food insecurity. With over 2.2 million New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity, FoodMap NY worked with a broad set of stakeholders across New York’s food system to research and identify opportunities for public-private partnerships in the areas of food production, food processing, food retail, public food assistance, food as medicine, and food finance to improve food security throughout the state.

Mt Vernon Analysis of Building and Law Department Operations

The City of Mount Vernon engaged CGR to evaluate existing conditions and make recommendations to improve the operations of the Building Department and the Law Department. Over a six-week period, CGR visited the city, conducted about 30 interviews, developed benchmarks and analyzed a broad array of data to develop the recommendations.

Local Government Efficiency Opportunities

CGR’s Local Government Practice Lead Paul Bishop recently spoke with local elected officials in Little Valley, Cattaraugus County, on the state of local governments in rural areas and the opportunities for reorganization, especially for Towns and Villages. Bishop discussed the steps needed for municipal dissolutions and consolidations as well the grant opportunities to fund this type of study.

Food Insecurity in Arkansas

Our map is helping shine a light on the growing food insecurity crisis in Arkansas.

Help increase CGR's impact in the community

Whether it’s preparing our region to optimally benefit from the clean energy transition, analyzing the potential impact of voting reform or supporting key local nonprofit organizations, CGR (Center for Governmental Research) has been working hard to enable positive community change in 2024.

Developing a Regional Workforce Hub

CGR is launching a new project with Monroe Community College and the Monroe Community College Foundation to explore a potential approach for operating a more regionally coordinated workforce development ecosystem.

CGR Gathers Input on Needs of People who Use Drugs

Trillium Health engaged CGR to understand the needs and perspectives of people who use drugs to inform strategic planning and future programming. Trillium provides medical care and operates a harm reduction program providing walk-in HIV, Hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infection testing, safe supplies such as needles and NARCAN, and connections to basic needs and other support services. CGR held focus groups and surveyed people who use drugs, interviewed community stakeholders and created an interactive map of drug-use indicators to inform decisions about the location and types of possible future services.

Town of Ticonderoga Emergency Medical Services District

The Town of Ticonderoga in Essex County, New York, chose to create an ambulance district to ensure sustainable emergency medical services in the Town. As part of the process, the Town hired CGR to develop the required map, plan and report. On Aug. 8, CGR Principal Paul Bishop presented the materials to the Town Board and discussed challenges facing the non-profit community-based ambulance service Ticonderoga Emergency Medical Services.