Bassett CARES, Oneonta colleges launch workforce partnership

STAFF REPORT

Bassett Healthcare Network, Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta gathered Wednesday, Sept. 13 to inaugurate a new workforce development partnership aimed at retaining graduates in the region and addressing critical workforce shortages across Bassett’s network, according to a news release.

Bassett CARES, or Career Advancement and Retention Experience for Students, is open to graduates from all disciplines, not only health care programs.

Annually, up to 50 recent graduates of Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta who graduate with a bachelor’s degree or greater and work in a full-time role at Bassett can qualify for a loan repayment stipend while embarking on a career in health care.

Program participants may earn up to $25,000 in stipends. For every six months worked in a fulltime role, participants will receive a $5,000 stipend.

Working closely with Bassett, the program will expose current SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College students to various career pathways in health care through internships, professional development seminars and additional educational opportunities.

Educational partners will offer free or subsidized on-campus housing in the summer for matriculated students who are working for Bassett during the summer months. SUNY Oneonta also plans to provide bridge housing for recent graduates for the summer directly following their graduation to ease the transition to professional life at Bassett.

A signing ceremony took place at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta.

Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, president and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network, said in the news release, said that the program “will profoundly influence health care in our region.”

“At Bassett, our mission is to

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improve the health of our patients and the well-being of our communities,” Ibrahim said. “Building this partnership with SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College to support pathways to careers in health care at Bassett is a giant step in our commitment to caring for people who reside in our central New York region and beyond.”

Hartwick College President Darren Reisberg said that Bassett CARES “embodies the spirit of collaboration, recognizing that together, we can make a transformative impact on our region.”

“Through the partnership, our students will gain exposure to the many different career opportunities in health care, from direct patient care to administrative roles, and help them choose a path that is both rewarding and fulfilling,” he said.

SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle said that Bassett CARES “is a testament to the ideal that strong partnerships between anchor institutions are a solution to addressing critical workforce needs.”

“Partnerships like this not only address workforce shortages but create an educational ecosystem that provides students with valuable educational and career opportunities,” he said.

Also in attendance were Senator Peter Oberacker, R/C–Schenev us, and Assemblyman Brian Miller, R/C–New Hartford, along with executive leaders from Bassett Healthcare Network, Hartwick and SUNY Oneonta.

Oberacker said that as New York continues to lose population to other states, “it is critical that we implement inventive strategies to keep our best resource — our people — from moving away.”

“Bassett CARES will help restock our health care workforce while ensuring that the highly skilled students graduating from Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta are here to stay with an excellent career path to follow,” he said. “This is another example of what can be done when local stakeholders work together and will certainly translate to lasting benefits for our region.”

Miller said the partnership between Bassett and the colleges “is forging an example that will reshape health care in the Basset Network.”

“The community as a whole will benefit from the public and private educational institutions working together with a premier health care institution, and also provide a cohesive affordable pathway for students to enter the workforce,” he said.