2025 Friends of Bassett Quarterly News

Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network is dedicated to supporting exceptional healthcare services right here in our communities. Our mission is to ensure that you and your loved ones have access to top-notch medical care without having to travel far from home. We are so grateful to our many generous supporters.

Message from the Chair

Dear Friends,

As I reflect on this past quarter, I am filled with gratitude for each of you, our loyal supporters and friends. Whether you joined us lakeside this summer, made a gift during Mohawk Valley Gives, or hosted a fundraising event, your support continues to make a meaningful difference across the Bassett Healthcare Network.

Every story in this newsletter is possible because of your generosity. Thanks to you, our school-based health centers provide children with care at school, our hospitals remain strong, and our patients across our region can find compassionate, high-quality care close to home.

Thank you for believing in our mission and for standing beside us. Together, we are not only supporting healthcare today, we are shaping a healthier future for the communities we serve.

Best regards,

Steven Kroll

Chair, Board of Directors Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network

News From the Network

New Universal Inpatient Care Unit Opens at A. O. Fox Hospital

Bassett Healthcare Network’s A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta has opened an eight-bed universal inpatient care unit, designed to treat patients with a wide range of needs from stable to critically ill. This expansion will reduce the need for transfers to Cooperstown, keep patients closer to home, and preserve specialized intensive care unit space at Bassett Medical Center. With tele-critical care support and plans to grow bed capacity, the new unit strengthens Fox’s role as a vital care provider in the region.

A. O. Fox Hospital Welcomes New Vice President of Operations

Bassett Healthcare Network and A.O. Fox Hospital’s board of directors are excited to welcome Michael Guiry, PA-C, MBA, as the new Vice President of Operations at A.O. Fox Hospital. With more than 25 years of experience in both healthcare leadership and patient care, Michael will help guide Fox’s growth while keeping patients at the center of everything we do.

“I knew right away when I met the leaders and caregivers here that Fox is a special place,” says Guiry. “I’m eager to work alongside this incredible community to expand services and ensure patients can receive the right care, close to home.”

Bassett Medical Center Nationally Recognized for

Excellence in Stroke Care

Bassett Medical Center has earned two prestigious American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards, honoring the hospital’s commitment to providing life-saving, evidence-based care for stroke patients. These recognitions—Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll,along with the Rural Stroke Gold Award—underscore Bassett’s dedication to improving outcomes in our rural region where patients face higher risks of stroke-related death and disability.

By consistently delivering care that meets the highest national standards, Bassett ensures stroke patients in its eight-county service area receive faster treatment, better recovery outcomes, and fewer readmissions. This recognition reflects not only clinical excellence, but also Bassett’s unwavering commitment to closing rural health gaps and giving patients the best possible chance at survival and recovery.

Exciting New Service at Cobleskill Regional Hospital

Cobleskill Regional Hospital is now offering Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections -an innovative, non-surgical therapy that uses a patient’s own blood to stimulate healing.

PRP injections can help decrease pain, improve function, and speed up recovery from muscle, joint, and tendon injuries, as well as conditions like osteoarthritis. Emma Cronk, MD, CAQSM is administering this leading-edge treatment. Dr. Cronk is a double board-certified sports medicine physician and the only Bassett physician trained to provide this therapy.

With state-of-the-art equipment and a patient-focused approach, Cobleskill Regional Hospital is proud to be the first location within Bassett Healthcare Network to offer this regenerative treatment.

A Generous Gift from the Little Falls High School Class of 1975

Earlier this summer, members of the Little Falls High School Class of 1975 decided to celebrate their 50^th reunion by giving back to the community that gave them their start in life. They donated over $25,000 to Little Falls Hospital in honor of Dr. Robert C. Ashley, Dr. Bernard J. Burke, and Dr. Oscar J. Muller – three Little Falls general practitioners from their high school years. Those remarkable caregivers practiced medicine for a combined 133 years!

On August 8, eight classmates and two guests visited the hospital for the unveiling of a plaque commemorating their generous donation.

Thank you, Alumni! Let's go Mounties!

Members of the Little Falls High School Class of '75 and guests

visited Little Falls Hospital for the plaque dedication on August 8.

Front row: Lisa Muller Carrig and Barbara Muller Borer; Row 2:

Alan Sadlon, Ken Carrig, Rita Rovazzi, and Michael Borer; Row 3:

Colleen Borer and Ann Rovazzi; Back row: Brian Molinaro and

Dave Casullo

O'Connor Hospital Receive's Women's Choice Award

Bassett Healthcare Network’s O’Connor Hospital in Delhi has been recognized for the second year in a row as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for emergency room wait times by the Women’s Choice Award^®. In addition, the hospital was also recognized for a second award category – excellence in patient experience.

Good From Your Gifts

Bassett Nurse Residents Shine at Statewide Conference

A group of Bassett Healthcare Network Emergency Department Nurse Residents recently had an inspiring opportunity to attend the New York State Emergency Nurses Association’s Setting the Pace Conference in Saratoga Springs. With support from the Bassett Healthcare Network Nightingale Fund for Nursing Education, these emerging nurses immersed themselves in three full days of learning, mentorship, and connection with leaders in emergency care.

One of the highlights was Bassett’s own Ralph Villar, Clinical Nurse Educator at Bassett Medical Center, presenting on Bassett's innovative ED Boot Camp program -an initiative developed by dedicated nurse leaders across the network to prepare new nurses for the demands of emergency care.

This experience reflects Bassett’s deep commitment to investing in the next generation of nurses, giving them the skills, confidence, and support they need to thrive. We are so proud of our nurse residents and their passion for delivering the best possible care to our communities.

Keep Kids Healthy and Learning - Your Support Sustains

School-Based Health Programs

A groundbreaking study from the Bassett Research Institute and Cornell University, published by the American Medical Association, has found that students in schools with School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are significantly less likely to experience chronic absenteeism. The connection was strongest among elementary schools and those serving students from low-income families.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as -missing more than 10% of school days- is closely linked to poor academic performance and lower graduation rates. By providing accessible, on-site care for common illnesses, Bassett’s School-Based Health Centers help children stay healthy and in class. “When a child has sniffles, we don’t just send them home,” says Chris Kjolhede, MD, MPH, an emeritus Bassett pediatrician and one of the study’s authors. “We teach them how to care for themselves and keep them learning.”

Bassett’s 22 centers serve over 7,000 students across 18 school districts offering medical, dental, and mental health care at no out-of-pocket cost to families. This life-changing program depends on charitable donations and grants to bridge the gap between costs and reimbursements. A gift of $300 covers a student’s care for an entire year, keeping them healthy, supported, and ready to learn. Click here to read more about this research.

To learn more about Bassett Healthcare Network's School-Based Health program, visit our website.

Ways to Give

Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network Evening Lakeside

On August 1, Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network hosted An Evening Lakeside at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown -a beautiful summer reception that combined elegance, community, and purpose. More than 150 guests gathered by the lake to enjoy live music, local art, and the joy of giving, raising nearly $100,000 through event tickets, a silent auction, community sponsorships, and generous donations. Proceeds from the evening supported Bassett’s new Convenient Care clinic in Cooperstown which will provide accessible same-day and next-day care for patients and out-of-town visitors alike.

Pictured above: Generous sponsors, Kevin and April Green of Epic Landscapes and their guests, Dr. Jennifer O'Reilly, Dr. James Anderson, Dr. Anush Patel, Bijal Patel, Melanie Fabiano, and Frank Novak

A heartfelt thank-you to our event sponsors, the Fenimore Art Museum, The Trio, our silent auction donors, and all who attended. Together, we’re making accessible rural health care a reality.

Thank you to everyone who supported Bassett Healthcare Network hospitals in September through Mohawk Valley Gives! Together, we raised more than $131,000, including generous matching gifts from the UpMobility Foundation.

We are deeply grateful to our dedicated employees, board members, and community supporters who gave, shared, and helped make this year’s campaign such a success. Your generosity and advocacy make our work possible -thank you for being part of our mission.

Valley Health and Valley Residential Services Celebrate 50 Years of Care

As Valley Health Services (VHS) and Valley Residential Services (VRS) prepare to celebrate their combined 50th Anniversary, we’re filled with gratitude for the generosity already shown by our community. Thanks to generous donors and sponsors, we have already raised $34,750 in honor of this milestone!

This celebration honors many decades of compassionate care and the people -staff, residents, families, and supporters - who make our mission possible. Your support ensures that VHS and VRS can continue providing exceptional, senior care in Herkimer County for generations to come.

Thank you for being part of our story — and our future.

Join the Pillars of Health: Make a Lasting Impact

At Bassett Healthcare Network, every gift—big or small—helps strengthen the foundation of care that our communities rely on. But when you choose to give monthly, your generosity creates an even greater, more lasting impact.

By joining our Pillars of Health monthly donor program, you will become part of a dedicated group committed to sustaining high-quality, compassionate healthcare for generations to come. Your recurring gift provides a steady, reliable source of funding that enables innovation, enhances patient care, and ensures that lifesaving services remain accessible to families, friends, and neighbors.

As a special thank you, all new monthly donor sign-ups of $30 or more will receive a complimentary Pillars of Health tote bag.

We also want to recognize our dedicated employee donors: If you sign up for a new or increased payroll deduction of $15 bi-weekly or $30 monthly, you'll receive a tote as well! Sign up or increase your payroll deduction HERE. Just print and return to Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network by email or interoffice mail.

We hope you'll proudly carry your tote bag to show your commitment to keeping our communities healthy!

Be the foundation of healthcare excellence. Become a Pillar of Health today!