Bassett Benefit Dinner Helps Sustain Lifeline for Rural Students across Four Counties

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
COOPERSTOWN

Community members, healthcare advocates and supporters gathered on Friday, September 18 at the historic Fenimore Farm and Country Village for a benefit reception to bolster Bassett Healthcare Network’s School-Based Health Program. The event, featuring refreshments and community fellowship, raised funds for a program that provides medical, dental and mental health services to local students throughout the region. Organizers said proceeds from the evening will help sustain and expand a program that has become a vital resource for thousands of children and families across rural New York.

For more than three decades, Bassett Healthcare Network’s School-Based Health Program has quietly transformed healthcare access for children across the region. What began 34 years ago has grown into the largest rural school-based health program in the state, serving students in four counties and 18 school districts, while continuing to expand its reach into additional communities.

That remarkable growth, and the mission behind it, was celebrated during the benefit dinner. While the event raised funds, speakers repeatedly stressed that the evening represented something far larger: an investment in the health, education and future success of thousands of local children.

Staci Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Bassett Healthcare Network, told attendees that the program embodies the healthcare organization’s mission.

“Every effort we make across the health system is rooted in this incredible mission, but few programs capture its essence as deeply as our school-based health programs,” Thompson said. “Most importantly, we’re building new generations.”

The numbers behind that mission are extraordinary. Between the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026, the program tallied approximately 40,000 visits, including more than 22,000 medical visits, more than 13,000 mental health visits, and thousands more addressing dental and other healthcare needs. More than 7,000 students are currently enrolled in the program.

No one has had a larger role in the program’s growth than Jane Hamilton, RN, manager of Bassett’s School-Based Health Program. Colleagues throughout the evening highlighted Hamilton’s decades-long commitment to building and expanding the initiative, which is preparing to open its 23rd school-based health center.

Hamilton described a model that goes far beyond traditional healthcare delivery.

“We should have a goal of doing what’s best for the kids,” Hamilton said. “We work hard and education and health organizations together.”

That collaborative approach has allowed the program to become deeply integrated within the schools and communities it serves. According to Hamilton, strong partnerships with school districts have been essential to the program’s success.

“It’s actually better than a doctor’s office,” she said.

The school-based centers provide students with medical care, dental services, mental health counseling, and preventative healthcare in a setting they already know and trust.

“These are fully self-contained health clinics nested within the school, where the kids get not only medical health, but dental and mental health as well,” said Dr. William Fredette, co-director of the program and medical director of Fox Pediatrics.

Fredette, who also practices in a traditional pediatric setting, said the school-based model removes barriers that often prevent rural families from accessing care.

“Every pediatrician needs to see this, because some of the things that happen for these kids in a school day, I have to move mountains to make happen for patients in the community,” he said. “Some of the things that happen for these kids in a school day is, I have to move mountains to make happen for patients in the community.”

“What a privilege it is to be able to have a child come to you,” Fredette added. “Especially one who’s having a mental health crisis or something like that. Within minutes, I can set them up with somebody one door down.”

Simply put, Fredette said, “It’s an incredible model.”

The impact reaches not just students, but also their families.

“Forty thousand times, kids didn’t have to leave school. Forty thousand times, your parents didn’t have to take a day off,” Fredette said. “That’s a huge amount of care.”

Hamilton said the benefits extend beyond healthcare alone, helping create a safe and supportive environment where students can receive assistance when they need it most.

“School is a safe place for kids. They’re warm, they’re safe, they’re cared for,” she said.

Throughout the evening, speakers emphasized that Bassett’s School-Based Health Program’s success stems from a simple philosophy: putting children first. Whether that means helping a student receive dental care, connecting a child with mental health services or ensuring preventative care is available close to home, every decision is guided by what best serves young people and their families, officials said.

Maintaining and growing that work, however, requires continued community support. While Bassett has remained committed to the initiative for decades, organizers acknowledged that funding remains an ongoing challenge.

“The dream is someday, you get a solid stream of revenue, and you can concentrate just on giving the kids what they need,” Fredette said. “Events like this have to happen for us to be able to continue even next week.”
Hamilton echoed that appreciation for the support the program continues to receive.

“We know that there’s a lot of competing priorities at Bassett and we’re grateful that Bassett is seeing this as one,” she said.

That reality underscored the importance of Friday’s benefit dinner. While a single fundraiser may appear small compared to a program serving thousands of children across four counties, supporters said events like this are a critical part of ensuring that care remains available, accessible and responsive to the needs of local families. As the program continues to grow and new school-based health centers come online, community support remains a key part of sustaining that momentum.

As the evening concluded, Hamilton thanked attendees for helping make that work possible.

“Thank you for supporting school-based health. It’s truly to make a difference,” she said.

Then, in a sentiment that captured the focus of the program’s mission and the purpose of the evening itself, Hamilton offered one final reminder:
“What we do comes back to the child.”