Receptions Planned To Honor Bassett’s Bill Streck

COOPERSTOWN – The Bassett Healthcare Network is planning three public receptions Friday, June 13, for people to join in saluting President/CEO Bill Streck, who is retiring July 1 after three decades building the eight-county system he leads.

The receptions will take place in Cooperstown on Bassett Hospital’s terrace, 7:30-9 a.m., noon-1:30 p.m. and 4-5:30 p.m.

“Without Bill there would be no network,” said Dr. Thomas Q. Morris, who chairs the board of trustees.

Streck began his career at Bassett as the hospital’s first board-certified endocrinologist in 1978. He was tapped to become CEO just six years later.

Between 1984 and 2014, Streck successfully developed what was once a single hospital with 70 physicians into an integrated health care delivery system employing more than 400 providers.

Today, the Bassett system serves eight counties across 5,600 square miles, handles more than 700,000 outpatient visits a year, employs 4,300 people, and realizes revenues of $650 million.

The Bassett Healthcare Network, a major economic engine for the region, is recognized as one of the top 100 most integrated health systems in the nation and a leader in rural health care delivery. In 2009, an article in The New York Times declared Bassett a model for the rest of the country because of its ability to deliver, “high-quality care at low costs in the face of federal reimbursement policies that discourage many of its best practices.”

While shepherding Bassett through years of growth and the turmoil associated with health reform, Streck has also been actively involved in the policy making apparatus of the state. His leadership and health policy insights led to his appointment to the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council in 1990.

In 1992, he became chairman of the state’s Public Health Council and in 2010, when the state consolidated the Hospital Review and Planning Council with the Public Health Council to form the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC), Streck was chosen to lead the PHHPC. He remains chairman of the PHHPC today.

Daniel Sisto, president of the Healthcare Association of New York State for 27 years, says, “There is nothing I could say about Bill Streck that could begin to approximate the significance of what he has meant to health care delivery and policy in NYS. Bill’s insights substantially shaped the hospital community’s strategy in advocating for reform for better patient care, wider coverage of the uninsured and fairer payment for all providers.”

The depth of his experience, insightful leadership and understanding of health policy twice earned Streck consideration as a candidate for New York State Commissioner of Health. In both instances, he withdrew his name from consideration, electing to dedicate his career to Bassett.

Throughout his tenure, Streck has explored and seized every opportunity to strengthen and position the organization for long term success in a way that would most benefit people living in the region Bassett serves. From establishing community-based primary and specialty care centers throughout eight counties, to developing affiliations with community hospitals in four counties and partnerships with health organizations across the continuum of care, Streck has assured the availability of a sophisticated health care network for generations to come.