Our Experience Is Your Advantage

Jeff Abbott

EMS Documentation Defensibility & Operational Standard-of-Care Expert
Flight & Critical Care Transport Specialist
QA and  EMS Systems Consultant 

I am the Founder and CEO with 25+ years in EMS as a paramedic. I have worked in most arenas a medic can operate from the urban areas of Buffalo where I grew up to rural areas of WNY, Afghanistan, and for the last 13 years as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic. 

I have held positions as a QA/QI Manager, base manager, instructor of multiple courses and community outreach classes. Along the way I have served as the Emergency Manager for the City of North Tonawanda, SWAT Medic for the Niagara County Sheriff's Office and provided personal/diplomatic security on a tactical for the US Embassy Security Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. Additionally, 

I have also worked in our Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Program at Oishei Children's Hospital where I performed QA/QI on incoming EMS trauma charts, patient follow-up, emergency management, fatality review, EMS education and community outreach. 

Additionally, I also served as President/VP and organizer for the International Association of EMTs & Paramedics Local 394. 

My collaborative experience has not only provided my with an instinct to make critical life changing decisions in seconds but it has afforded me the understanding and ability to see the 10,000' view from a legal, financial, operational, and most importantly, human vantage point. 

I am committed to tackling the mental health crisis in emergency services through peer review and education with every provider I can help.

In my free time I enjoy hunting, fishing, traveling and of course a stout member of BIlls Mafia. GO BILLS!!

 I am the father of 5 amazing humans who have taught me more about this life than anything I have ever seen in the field.

Denise M. Abbott

Emergency Room RN, Health & Safety Officer CWA 1168, Buffalo Area Labor Federation President

Denise M. Abbott, is the wife of Jeff Abbott. She brings more than two decades of frontline clinical experience and executive labor leadership to Abbott Operations Group. 

A registered nurse with extensive experience in emergency and critical care environments, Denise combines bedside insight with high-level systems advocacy to address workforce safety, operational risk, and regulatory compliance within healthcare organizations.

Denise currently serves as the Health & Safety Director for CWA Local 1168, where she acts as a strategic liaison between union members and health system leadership. In this role, she assists healthcare professionals navigating Workers’ Compensation, Disability, FMLA, Paid Family Leave, and complex occupational health matters while participating in policy development related to safe staffing and patient handling standards.

She serves as President of the Buffalo Central Labor Council and made history as the first woman elected president in New York State within the American Labor Federation structure. 

Her leadership reflects a long-standing commitment to workforce advocacy, collaborative labor-management solutions, and evidence-based safety reform.

Denise also serves on multiple boards and advisory committees focused on occupational health, environmental medicine, and safe patient handling initiatives across New York State.

At Abbott Operations Group, Denise provides strategic insight on workforce risk exposure, regulatory compliance, labor relations dynamics, and healthcare safety systems — bringing a balanced perspective that bridges frontline clinical realities with executive decision-making.

When she is not changing the landscape of labor and healthcare Denise enjoys traveling, her dogs and making custom themed cakes and cookies  as a side project. 

 Essie Reed-Schrader, MD, FACEP, FAEMS

Emergency Medicine Physician 

Lehigh Valley - Jefferson Health Network

Regional Medical Director

EMS of Northeast Pennsylvania

I bring a prehospital physician perspective to the Abbott Operations Groups. As a dual

board-certified Emergency Medicine and EMS Physician, my experience includes work in

various emergency departments, as well significant experience as a medical director and

medical command physician in the prehospital environment. 

I have worked clinically in high

volume, high acuity, Level 1 trauma centers to austere, single coverage community hospital

emergency departments. My prehospital experience spans event coverage and medical

planning for everything from small community events to NFL games and stadium events,

regular flight/truck time, and scene responses. 

I have had the opportunity to provide

medication direction to critical care and flight services, municipal fire-based agencies, a regional SWAT team, as well as community-based agencies. This has provided extensive

experience with a variety of practice environments, building tailored education, and customized QI/QA programs. 

COVID is an experience that touched us all and necessitated systemic efforts and response changes. The bridging of my two worlds in EM and EMS provided unique knowledge and skills in order to coordinate COVID responses such as developing an EMS exposure notification database and follow up, coordinating mobile health paramedic squads to provide antibody infusions at alternate care sites, development of surge tents and triage protocols in addition to working clinically in the emergency department.  

My husband and I love to hike with our K9 kids and are Bills Mafia for life.

William Major

"Leading with courage, serving with honor, and teaching for tomorrow"

I have had the privilege to work in Emergency Services for over 42 years. I have served in many roles

over the years. I have had the honor to be a part of many teams. I have worked in EMS as a

provider, an administrator, and a liaison between the Program Agency and the New York State Department of Health. I also had the opportunity to work in a hospital ICU as a paramedic. 

In addition,

my fire career has provided me with the opportunity to move up the ranks and serve as a Career Fire

Chief and Volunteer Fire Chief. I believe my career reflects an unwavering commitment to protecting

lives, advancing emergency response standards, and mentoring the next generation of fire & EMS professionals.

I began my journey in emergency services as a firefighter & emergency medical technician in a rural community and worked in a variety of communities. 

I continued my EMS training to become an Advanced Provider and finally became a Paramedic. I successfully completed the New York State Recruit Firefighter Training Program in the fall of 2006.

 I am also a New York State Code Enforcement Officer. I strive to make an impact as a Fire Chief, Paramedic, EMS Instructor, and New York State

Uniformed Code Enforcement Officer, combining operational leadership with education and community safety initiatives.

I was selected as the 2009 New York State Advanced Life Support (ALS) Provider of the Year. This award, while an honor, was not accomplished by only my actions, but the actions of those who I had the chance to work alongside. As a Fire Chief, both in career and volunteer capacity, this has been marked by innovation, collaboration, and a steadfast focus on training and preparedness, helping

shape resilient emergency response teams. 

I am a proud father of four daughters and grandfather to four grandchildren, cherishing family is the cornerstone of my life. Beyond my professional achievements, I am passionate about photography, capturing moments that reflect my appreciation for the lifetime moments we are given. I am also very

passionate about mental health and the first responder community.

Katie Decaire Flight & CVICU Registered Nurse,  Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Program Coordinator 

 I am a Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Program Coordinator with more than 10 years of healthcare experience spanning prehospital medicine, cardiovascular critical care, and air medical transport. I began my career in EMS as an EMT before earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University at Buffalo in 2017.

I practiced as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, where I specialized in the management of high-acuity cardiac and cardiothoracic patients. During my tenure, I became an RN ECMO Specialist, served as charge nurse, precepted new staff, and chaired the ECMO committee. In these roles, I contributed to protocol development, clinical quality initiatives, and multidisciplinary coordination for complex extracorporeal support cases.

In 2020, I transitioned to critical care transport with Mercy Flight, further expanding my expertise in the interfacility transfer of patients requiring advanced cardiac support. In 2022, I assumed my current role as Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Program Coordinator, where I lead education, training, and systems development focused on the safe management and transport of mechanical circulatory support devices.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, and being with family.