The Montrose-based Cortlandt Community Volunteer Ambulance Corp Outreach Program was established in 2010, and since then, residents of Cortlandt, Montrose and Buchanan have taken advantage of the resouces the CCVAC has to offer.

“We’re here to provide care and service to our community, and sometimes that involves more than just going on calls,” said Eric Singer, CCVAC’s captain, who has been with the group for 16 years.

Kathy Stewart, CCVAC president, conceived of the Outreach Program with the intention of helping the community prepare for emergency health situations. The program has been successful in reaching community members for emergency training and recently awarded a grant to a Frank G. Lindsey Elementary School. Still, CCVAC wants to do more.  

So far, more than 100 individuals and groups including fire departments, little league teams and scout troops have taken free American Heart Association CPR classes through the Outreach Program. CCVAC continues to offer CPR training to anyone interested.

Their Outreach Program also encourages everyone to take advantage of “File of Life” magnets, magnets that contain a detailed form to be filled out with each home’s family member’s health information.

Once these magnets are filled out, they should be kept on refridgerators so EMTs can spot them easily in the event of a medical emergency. To date, CCVAC has distributed over 3000 of these files and more are available. Volunteers are available to help those who need assistance in filling out their files.

CCVAC also wants to inform area EMTs, firefighters and police officers that the group is happy to offer free transportation to service members and their families.

Another aspect of the new Outreach Program focuses on the financial needs of the community. Recently the Hendrick Hudson School District received a grant from CCVAC which will be used to add a suspended swing to the new sensory gym at Frank G. Lindsey Elementary School.

The group’s grant program also aims to assist those interested in health-related education programs. To help promote the next generation of healthcare professionals, CCVAC will award two annual scholarships to local graduating high school students who are planning on going into the medical field.

In keeping with the group’s mission to aid the community, the organization recently donated two Automated External Defibrillators (AED) machines to local establishments, with one machine going to the Village of Buchanan Senior Center and the other machine to the Town of Cortlandt’s Charles J. Cook Recreation Center Pool. CCVAC plans to donate additional AED machines to two more local venues in the upcoming year.

“We’re not doing it for anything glory based, we just want to give back to the community and help the children and adults we see on a daily basis,” said Patty Singer, who is CCVAC’s secretary and volunteer for the Corp.

Staffed 100 percent by volunteers, the organization has 70 members, 25 of which are active riders, and is one of the last fully volunteer emergency response groups in the area.

CCVAC is always happy to accept new volunteers, and will train individuals and provide them with a uniform for free. Volunteer applicants ages 16-18 are eligible to join the Youth Core and serve as Attendants. Adult riding members must be 18 years or older, participate in at least 20 rides per year, and attend four meetings annually.

To find out more information about any of the services and/or grants you read about in this article, or to volunteer, contact the Cortlandt Community Volunteer Ambulance Corp at 914-739-0881.

Note: Captain Singer urges anyone who is experiencing a medical emergency to always call 911 first. CCVAC will be then be dispatched to the individual’s location via the Westchester Control Center.