Biography

Donna Kahm has served as Chief Executive Officer at Southern Tier Health Care System, Inc. (STHCS) since February of 2007. As CEO, she is responsible for all aspects of administering and directing the three-county rural health care network, including grant writing, board relations, strategic planning, and budget management. The organization's budget exceeds $800,000.
Mrs. Kahm fosters collaboration among the organization's 12 members and community agencies to enhance the health and wellness of residents in southwestern New York's Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. She works with a wide variety of community agencies on projects such as the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) program.
The SAFE program was created to help adult survivors of sexual assault. Mrs. Kahm coordinated the efforts of local hospitals, medical providers, prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and victim advocates and helped secure funding to start this program. Mrs. Kahm developed a SAFE training curriculum to increase the number of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners available to help victims and improve program sustainability. The New York State Department of Health certified STHCS' SAFE training curriculum in 2010, making it one of six certified training programs in the state. The SAFE program has helped more than 180 adult victims of sexual abuse since it began.
In 2007, Mrs. Kahm established the Southern Tier Emergency Medical System (STEMS), which represents 93 EMS agencies in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. STEMS serves as the program agency for the Southern Tier Regional EMS Council. Mrs. Kahm is STEMS program director, overseeing staff members responsible for researching the educational needs of regional EMS agencies, and coordinating educational seminars to meet their needs. The STEMS program supports EMS providers through training, certification renewal, and EMS program advocacy. STEMS created and maintains the website of the Western Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee (WREMAC), the agency responsible for the annual rollout of new protocols to all EMS agencies in the region. In 2017, STEMS successfully launched a completely web-based implementation of the NYS Collaborative Protocols, which included online rollout certification for EMS providers.
Prior to being named CEO by the Southern Tier Health Care System Board of Directors, Mrs. Kahm served as STHCS Chief Operating Officer (COO) for six years. As COO, Mrs. Kahm was responsible for the day-to-day operation of STHCS, including program planning, fiscal management, human resource management, and implementation of the strategic plan.
Mrs. Kahm joined Southern Tier Health Care System in June 2001 as director of planning and development. Previously, she was employed as director of employee relations and marketing at Cuba Memorial Hospital in Cuba, N.Y.
She studied business administration at the State University of New York at Morrisville and received a bachelor's degree in business administration/human resources from Empire State College. In 2009, Mrs. Kahm attended The Academy for Health Care Leadership Advancement at Cornell University. Mrs. Kahm was named a Health Leadership Fellow following graduation from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York's Health Leadership Fellows Program with the 2014-2016 class. She is a member of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.