Bassett Receives $17M in FEMA Reimbursements

By KRISTIAN CONNOLLY
COOPERSTOWN

The corner of Atwell Road and River Street in Cooperstown is quite possibly the sight of the busiest continuous pedestrian-and-automobile traffic in Otsego County. So there was a slight disconnect on the lawn of the Bassett Medical Center on Tuesday, August 13, when New York’s senior United States senator and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer highlighted the importance of rural healthcare and announced more than $17 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funding for the Bassett Healthcare Network as part of the American Rescue Plan.

At the three-pronged intersection, in a setting similar to an average Manhattan street corner with its constant stream of activity and the din of foot and motor traffic, even honking horns, Schumer made sure two points were heard loud and clear: Rural healthcare systems like Bassett Healthcare deserve the support of the federal government, and he was here to provide it.

“Bassett’s reputation is fabulous not just here in the Southern Tier and in Otsego County, not just in New York State, but really around the country for being the kind of great provider it is, in a rural area giving top-notch medical care to [eight] counties,” said Schumer, who was joined by Bassett Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Thompson, Village of Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, Otsego County Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr., Bassett Healthcare Directors Chair Douglas Hastings, Bassett Medical Center President Dr. Henry Weil, and medical student Katherine Dunkelberger.

The $17 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funding from the federal government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency follows an earlier FEMA distribution of $6 million. Providing that money, said Schumer, is both an act of thanks for Bassett Healthcare’s role during the “darkest days of the pandemic,” and a boost for the future in helping Bassett close budget gaps caused by the unexpected and additional spending that was necessary in order to serve its rural community following the arrival of COVID.

“Everyone here heroically stepped up,” said Schumer, who led the effort in the U.S. Senate to secure an additional $2 billion from the then-incoming Biden Administration in 2021 to support COVID relief for New York’s hospitals. “The medical staff, the nurses, everybody else. And the hospital stepped up to buy the equipment and supplies, and keep the personnel paid, during a terrible time of financial strain.”

When asked if there were any restrictions placed on how the hospital can spend the new funds, Schumer said, “Not really. These are reimbursements. [Bassett Healthcare] already spent the money to take care of COVID, so this goes into their bottom line. Which is a good thing for the hospitals.”

During his prepared remarks, Schumer noted the extensive array of facilities throughout the Bassett Healthcare Network, and just how large and relatively sparsely populated the Bassett Healthcare service area is in the state. Statistics that serve to underscore the need that Bassett Healthcare fills for providing rural healthcare to its community.

“The Bassett area covers 5,600 square miles, and that’s bigger than Connecticut,” said Schumer. “Our rural hospitals have always needed special help, because the people are further away, and because there’s less density. … People forget this, they think of New York City. But New York State has the third-largest rural population in America.”

Schumer closed his speech by saying, “I can assure all of you here today that I will continue to be a watchdog to make sure Bassett gets the help it needs from the federal government.”

Thompson then addressed the gathering, thanking the senator for his hard work in Washington on behalf of Bassett Healthcare Network and other healthcare systems across New York.

“We are so grateful for the senator’s leadership and his tremendous advocacy to help secure $17 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan,” said Thompson. “These funds make a tremendous difference for rural healthcare systems like Bassett. Most importantly, it makes a difference for our patients and our communities who depend on us for care every day.”

Thompson continued, “For so many people who live in rural areas, community hospitals and rural healthcare networks are their lifeline to good medical care,” and then noted that Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown is a Level 3 Trauma Center, the only trauma center in Bassett’s eight-county service area for 75 miles.

In her closing remarks, Thompson again thanked Senator Schumer, not just for the additional funding to help Bassett recoup COVID-related expenditures, but for “his tireless advocacy and support and for continuing to believe in the future of rural healthcare.”

In a follow-up e-mail with Thompson, she was asked what kinds of ways the funds could be used.

“There are absolutely opportunities for immediate use of these funds,” said Thompson. “Some of Bassett’s biggest needs (as is true with most rural hospitals and health systems) include recruiting and retaining permanent caregivers, upgrading building infrastructure, and upgrading equipment and technology, among other operational needs. Bassett’s leadership is examining some of our most critical projects to appropriately allocate these funds.”

Specifically when it comes to staffing, and the effect of COVID on staffing, Thompson was clear.

“Staffing expenses have been a significant aspect of the challenges hospitals and health systems are facing in the wake of COVID-19, even more than four years after the pandemic started,” said Thompson. “While the demand for care services is high, the tight supply of qualified practitioners and staff due to retirements, turnover, and burnout has driven up staffing costs.”

Thompson also noted that “agency staffing,” or the use of travel nurses, has been one way to deal with staffing issues. But, Thompson said, “These short-term agency staffing solutions are not sustainable. They drive up expenses significantly. Addressing these issues is a top priority.”

Mayor Tillapaugh had opened the occasion by expressing gratitude for the Senate Majority Leader’s moral leadership and support for multiple issues on the national level, in areas like “basic human rights, including access to healthcare services, so important in our rural areas, and to the village’s largest employer, Bassett Hospital. [Schumer] is truly a role model.”

In wrapping up last Tuesday, Schumer asked that anyone in attendance who was an employee of Bassett—from maintenance staff to medical staff—raise their hands, at which point the senator led a round of applause as a show of thanks “for the good work that you do.”

Applause that was hopefully heard, or at least described to others, throughout the much wider Bassett Healthcare Network.