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Letter from Ben Aldridge

Reminder To Bassett: ‘Do No Harm’

I’m a long-time area resident and, for the past two-plus years, a FoxCare Fitness member. FF is a unique, thriving presence in area healthcare and well-being.

“Do no harm” has been a foundational concept of healthcare for 2,500 years, and I’m confident it underlies Bassett’s mission. Closing or otherwise compromising FF will clearly do harm to hundreds of people—people who, like me, are not only more healthy owing to their membership but also have realized and actualized the agency we all have in maintaining our health. Shouldn’t that also be a foundational concept of healthcare?

Closure would, in fact, be a retreat toward reactive rather than proactive medicine, a 19th-century model and presumably not a desirable aspect of Bassett’s teaching mission. I’d like to think that only an outside consulting firm might see closure as a productive move for Bassett.

The fitness industry is projected to grow by more than 30 percent annually throughout this decade, generating hundreds of billions in revenue nationally fueled largely by the 20-45 age bracket local government claims they want to attract. Multiple sources list poor marketing and poorly trained staff as the biggest obstacles to the success of fitness facilities. FF has an excellent, experienced, proactive, and friendly staff—and no marketing plan that I’m aware of. With proper marketing, from both Bassett and the Chamber of Commerce, FF should be a money-maker for Bassett, in addition to furthering their mission and providing a vital service to this community.

Ben Aldridge
Oneonta

Posted

2 Comments

  1. I just heard about the closing of the FC pool. I’m appalled! I’m 67, had Lyme disease hit me like a ton of bricks. Fibromyalgia, arthritis, nerve damage etc. I’ve been using the therapy pool at FC since 2005. I NEED aqua therapy to keep moving. Without it I’m useless. I refuse to be tossed aside like an old boot! No one seems to care about seniors like me that need the Aqua therapy badly. Colder water makes me sore. We’ve got to do something to keep the pools open! I’m desperate!

  2. I just heard about the closing of the FC pool. I’m appalled! I’m 67, had Lyme disease hit me like a ton of bricks. Fibromyalgia, arthritis, nerve damage etc. I’ve been using the therapy pool at FC since 2005. I NEED aqua therapy to keep moving. Without it I’m useless. I refuse to be tossed aside like an old boot! No one seems to care about seniors like me that need the Aqua therapy badly. Colder water makes me sore. We’ve got to do something to keep the pools open! I’m desperate!

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