‘Second Family’ Thanks Bill Streck

$1.2 Million Clinic Named In Honor Of Former Bassett CEO

COOPERSTOWN – Bill Streck had every reason to be humbled by the opening of the Dr. William F. Streck Health Center at Pathfinder Village.

“I was talking to a friend about it, and he said, ‘Let me get this straight. Bassett starts a clinic in a farmhouse. Then you became president of Bassett. You retire. Dr. Vance Brown opens a clinic and they name it after you’?” he recalled during his remarks at the clinic’s opening reception Friday, Nov. 6.

“When I thought about it that way, there was some humility.”

The clinic has five examination rooms, including a bariatric exam room, plus a lab and phlebotomy room. “It’s a far cry from the one-room clinic on South Street,” said Dan Robinson, CEO of NYCM Insurance, located just west on Route 80.

The $1.2 million clinic was funded, in part, by fundraising efforts from the Pathfinder Village Foundation, and state dollars through the Empire State Development Corp., delivered by state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, who is also a member of the Pathfinder board.

“After seeing this facility, I can say that it was a very good investment of state funds,” he said. The Pathfinder residential community supports those who live with Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

But the new clinic isn’t just for Pathfinder residents. Like Pathfinder’s coffee shop and Village Inn, the health center is open to the all members of the community.

It’s just one piece of the larger mission of Pathfinder Village, said Lori Grace, assistant director of development & public affairs. “We want people in this community to be healthy,” she said. “We

have our farmer’s market so people can have fresh vegetables, and we’re working on programming promoting better eating habits. This is another piece of that.”

Additionally, there is a dental clinic exclusively for Pathfinder residents, who need to see a dentist for cleanings every three months. “This health center is vital to the quality of life for the people at Pathfinder,” said Pathfinder CEO Paul Landers.