New Convenient Care Serving Cooperstown Area Open Seven Days
MILFORD—Bassett Healthcare Network has opened a new Convenient Care location, serving patients in the Cooperstown area seeking same-day, walk-in care for non-emergencies.
The clinic saw its first patients on June 1. The location will now be open seven days a week. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration was held on Friday, May 29.
The new Convenient Care is located at 4580 State Highway 28 in Milford, inside the existing Bassett Hartwick Seminary Specialty Services facility. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Convenient Care is a critical point of access for patients to receive timely care for non-emergent illnesses and injuries, including but not limited to coughs, colds, flu, fevers, sprains, rashes, and insect bites. According to a press release, the clinic space has been renovated to include six exam rooms, a reception and waiting area, an X-ray room, and a nurses’ station.
“Bassett is taking strategic and deliberate steps to grow services and improve access—and this means connecting people with the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Walk-in convenient care serves a specific purpose and Cooperstown has felt this gap for some time. This new location near the village and adjacent to Cooperstown Dreams Park will offer accessible care to both full-time residents and visitors alike,” said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, president and chief executive officer of Bassett Healthcare Network.
“The opening of this new Convenient Care clinic was made possible through the vision, collaboration, and over a year of hard work that involved so many leaders, experts, caregivers, and team members across Bassett Healthcare Network,” said Deanna Charles, MHA, senior vice president, chief ambulatory officer for Bassett Healthcare Network.
“We are grateful for the contributions of everyone who had a hand in bringing this project to this point and thankful for the caregivers who will now be on the frontlines at this location, delivering seamless access to necessary care to our neighbors and those visiting our area this summer and each summer in the future,” Charles said.
Prior to this Convenient Care being established, residents and tourists visiting Cooperstown either had to travel a half hour or more to be seen at a Convenient Care location or seek treatment at Bassett Medical Center’s Emergency Department, where they might face longer wait times behind patients with more critical needs. This clinic joins two existing Bassett Convenient Care clinics, located in Oneonta and Herkimer.
“A Convenient Care location central to our region has been a long-term need for both our patients and the network. Providing our community with this acute-care option local to Cooperstown, but outside of the emergency room setting, will serve as a resource multiplier,” said Matthew Kleinmaier, MD, chief of emergency and trauma services for Bassett Healthcare Network. “Patients who need and want immediate care will now enjoy improved access for acute illnesses that don’t quite require an emergency visit.”
This new Convenient Care location was made possible with funding awarded through New York’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program IV. The award from which funding for the Convenient Care clinic was pulled totaled $7,633,694.00. This investment will also support renovations to Bassett Medical Center’s Emergency Department and Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, officials said.
Philanthropic contributions, made through Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network, also contributed to the project.
“Our partners at Friends of Bassett extend their deepest gratitude to Strategic Financial Services, EPIC Landscapes Inc., Leatherstocking Credit Union, Nixon Peabody LLP, Terry and Keith Fulmer, and all who attended last summer’s ‘An Evening Lakeside’ reception at Fenimore Art Museum. In total, Friends of Bassett raised $140,000.00 for this project,” the press release states.
