RELIVING THE GLORY DAYS
Back from Naples, Fla., with the spring, Vince Foti Sr. provided this photo of former mayor and Oneonta Yankees (then Tigers) owner Sam Nader chatting with Buck Showalter after a luncheon in Sarasota, Fla., in February. Nader and Foti had driven up to hear Showalter, the MLB executive who got his start with Nader’s team in Oneonta in the 1980s.
HONOREE
April Sicilia of Oneonta holds an awarded recognizing her work in the Violence Intervention Program at Opportunities for Otsego.
TOPS AT THE ENVIROTHON
Oneonta High School team won the first-place award and Theodore Peters Scholarship at the 2011 Leatherstocking Regional Envirothon Wednesday, April 27, at Gilbert Lake State Park.
FULL HOUSE AT GOHS ANNUAL DINNER
Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Liz Callahan, executive director of the Hanford Mills Museun, East Meredith, briefs attendees at the annual dinner of the Greater Oneonta Historical Society on advances at the museum, particularly in the restoration of historic steam engines. More than 50 people attended the sold-out event Thursday, April 28, at The Farmhouse in Emmons. In the center rear is Bob Brzozowski, GOHS past president and executive director.
THE KIDS ARE ROCKIN’
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Trombonist Ethan Sypress of Oneonta rehearses with the Hartwick College Rock Orchestra for a benefit concert for Foothills Performing Arts Center that was scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, May 19.
Ron Feldstein New President Of Municipal Power Alliance
Ronald Feldstein, the former Otsego County representative for Otego, has been elected president of the Municipal Electric & Gas Alliance (MEGA) Board of Directors for a third term, 2011-2012.
Feldstein, a long-time member of the MEGA Board, served on the county board from 1998 to 2007. A graduate of SUNY Brockport with an M.A. from SUNY Albany, he was a SUNY Oneonta administrator for 32 years. He is currently associate broker, Prudential Fox Real Estate Oneonta and Cooperstown
The state Association of Counties’ preferred energy procurement program, MEGA’s seeks to find the most competitive prices for electricity and natural gas for its members.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Jamieson’s ‘Laughing Queen’ Wins $1,000 LEAF Prize
Doug Jamieson’s “The Queen’s Laughing...Don’t Be Played” won the $1,000 grand prize in LEAF Inc.’s anti-gambling art show.
The $500 first prize went to Ariel Smullen for “Game Over”; the $250 second prize to Barbara Murray Sullivan for “Storm Clouds,” and $100 third prize to Jane Evelynne Higgins for “Last Judgment in Vegas.”
The $500 first prize in the under-18 category went to Shannon Mish for “Family Gamble,” the $250 second to Zurissa Salisbury for “Gambling Is Bad For You,” and the $100 third to Maeve O’Neill for “Gambling Has a Dark Side.”
In the poetry competition, the $150 first prize went to Mary Anne Rojas, the $100 second prize to Vanessa Perillo, and the $50 third prize to Michael Calkins.
The $500 first prize went to Ariel Smullen for “Game Over”; the $250 second prize to Barbara Murray Sullivan for “Storm Clouds,” and $100 third prize to Jane Evelynne Higgins for “Last Judgment in Vegas.”
The $500 first prize in the under-18 category went to Shannon Mish for “Family Gamble,” the $250 second to Zurissa Salisbury for “Gambling Is Bad For You,” and the $100 third to Maeve O’Neill for “Gambling Has a Dark Side.”
In the poetry competition, the $150 first prize went to Mary Anne Rojas, the $100 second prize to Vanessa Perillo, and the $50 third prize to Michael Calkins.
A Dozen Things Great Downtowns Have In Common
GARY FERGUSON
OTHER VOICES
Editor’s Note: Here are characteristics shared by successful downtowns. Gary Ferguson is Ithaca Downtown Partnership’s executive director.
1) No Single Organizational Model Exists
Contrary to expectations, there is no single way cities with great downtowns deliver their downtown services. Instead, these cities have found varying ways to provide needed services.
Each model reflects the institutional strengths present in the community.
2) These downtowns tended to have multiple traffic generators that supplemented the presence of a larger institution(s), all within short walking distance.
Many but not all of these traffic generators were purposely strategically located.
3) These great downtowns are beloved by citizenry.
They have regional significance. There is strong affection for the downtown. There is also controversy and debate, but always strong affection.
4) These downtown have been and are continuing to overcome challenges and obstacles.
Just because the city has a great reputation for its downtown doesn’t mean that it is exempt from challenge. Even today, these cities are preparing for their next set of challenges.
5) These downtowns are walkable. They have pedestrian scale.
There was no single model. They include pedestrian malls, linear main streets, public squares and multi-zone downtowns. People expected and preferred to walk.
6) These downtowns, by and large, had a commitment to mixed use development.
Uses are generally not geographically separated. When they are, they remain within walking distance of each other. New projects have mixed use orientations.
7) There is broad public/private investment in the future of downtown.
These cities are planning for their futures. They are implementing new projects that broaden the appeal and scope of downtown.
8) The nature of downtown retailing appears to be in flux.
Food & beverage is replacing traditional retail. Local, independent retailers continue to dominate most downtowns. These downtowns face increasing competition; some have been exempt from serious competition for years.
9) Entertainment is a driving market segment.
Anchor projects help (movie theaters, performance halls, proximity to university facilities.) All have been able to extend the life of downtown beyond 5 p.m. All have strong and growing restaurant sectors.
10) There was a prevalence of strong, adjacent residential neighborhoods that are within walking distance of downtown.
Many of these neighborhoods were upscale, with some of the higher priced housing in the city. This was not necessarily student housing.
11) Downtown housing was either prevalent or underway. The market for housing in downtown was strong and growing.
Affordability was a major issue faced by many of the communities. Downtown residents were likewise invaluable to the downtown retail economy.
12) Universities help but are not the sole answer.
Several cities reported low use of downtown by students (Northampton, Wooster, Charlottesville).One city had a small downtown despite abutting the campus (Chapel Hill). One city had no major university (Portland).
OTHER VOICES
Editor’s Note: Here are characteristics shared by successful downtowns. Gary Ferguson is Ithaca Downtown Partnership’s executive director.
1) No Single Organizational Model Exists
Contrary to expectations, there is no single way cities with great downtowns deliver their downtown services. Instead, these cities have found varying ways to provide needed services.
Each model reflects the institutional strengths present in the community.
2) These downtowns tended to have multiple traffic generators that supplemented the presence of a larger institution(s), all within short walking distance.
Many but not all of these traffic generators were purposely strategically located.
3) These great downtowns are beloved by citizenry.
They have regional significance. There is strong affection for the downtown. There is also controversy and debate, but always strong affection.
4) These downtown have been and are continuing to overcome challenges and obstacles.
Just because the city has a great reputation for its downtown doesn’t mean that it is exempt from challenge. Even today, these cities are preparing for their next set of challenges.
5) These downtowns are walkable. They have pedestrian scale.
There was no single model. They include pedestrian malls, linear main streets, public squares and multi-zone downtowns. People expected and preferred to walk.
6) These downtowns, by and large, had a commitment to mixed use development.
Uses are generally not geographically separated. When they are, they remain within walking distance of each other. New projects have mixed use orientations.
7) There is broad public/private investment in the future of downtown.
These cities are planning for their futures. They are implementing new projects that broaden the appeal and scope of downtown.
8) The nature of downtown retailing appears to be in flux.
Food & beverage is replacing traditional retail. Local, independent retailers continue to dominate most downtowns. These downtowns face increasing competition; some have been exempt from serious competition for years.
9) Entertainment is a driving market segment.
Anchor projects help (movie theaters, performance halls, proximity to university facilities.) All have been able to extend the life of downtown beyond 5 p.m. All have strong and growing restaurant sectors.
10) There was a prevalence of strong, adjacent residential neighborhoods that are within walking distance of downtown.
Many of these neighborhoods were upscale, with some of the higher priced housing in the city. This was not necessarily student housing.
11) Downtown housing was either prevalent or underway. The market for housing in downtown was strong and growing.
Affordability was a major issue faced by many of the communities. Downtown residents were likewise invaluable to the downtown retail economy.
12) Universities help but are not the sole answer.
Several cities reported low use of downtown by students (Northampton, Wooster, Charlottesville).One city had a small downtown despite abutting the campus (Chapel Hill). One city had no major university (Portland).
THE SPORTS BEAT
Gollin Lifts OHS To Victory
Senior Beth Gollin won two events to help the Oneonta girls track team win the title of the Oneonta Invitational Friday, May 13.
Gollin won the mile and 2,000 steeplechase, while teammate and fellow senior Christie O’Connor won the high jump to pace the Yellowjackets, who also won the Cooperstown invitational title on May 7.
Gollin was also on the winning distance-medley relay team.
Fox Classic Sponsors Sought
The Fox Foundation’s 12th annual Fox Hospital Golf Classic is Monday, June 6, at the Oneonta Country Club.
The Classic has become the foundation’s second largest annual fund-raising event. Over the past 11 years, the tournament has raised over $350,000, used to purchase a variety of medical equipment for the hospital and nursing home.
Overall winners receive a trophy and have their names engraved on the Dr. John Lusins trophy on display at the FoxCare Center. Each year 180-200 golfers participate in a captain and crew format.
A late afternoon buffet dinner will follow at the Foothills Performing Arts Center with prizes awarded for both flights.
There are also prizes for longest and straightest drives and closest to pin on the par threes. Country Club Motors is sponsoring the hole-in-one contests and golfers will have a chance to win a new car.
Sponsorships for as little as $350 are available and raffle and silent-auction donations are welcome.
There are still slots available for the morning round. Call 431-5472 or e-mail foundationoffice@aofmh.org.
Youngs Is WBNG All-Star
Oneonta baseball player Conor Youngs was selected as WBNG’s Academic All Star of the Week.
Youngs, a junior, has a 5-1 pitching record for the Yellowjackets and a grade-point average in the mid 90s.
Youngs told the television station he’d like to work for a Major League Baseball team in some capacity after college.
Said OHS head coach Joe Hughes: ``Great student, great athlete, and we’re fortunate to have him as part of our program.’’
Kevin Knack Player Of Year
SUNY Oneonta baseball player Kevin Knack has been named Bob Wallace Player of the Year by the State University of New York Athletic Conference.
The Ghent native is the first baseball player to be selected for the honor and was also selected to the All-Conference first team after leading the Red Dragons with a .348 average, including .368 in conference play.
He led the team in hits (54), triples (6), RBIs (22), total bases (75), stolen bases (12), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.484).
Family Service Tourney Near
The Family Service Association’s fourth annual golf tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 5, at Ouleout Golf Course in Franklin
The $240 entry fee for a four-player team includes lunch, snacks, beverages, green fees and a golf cart. Individual golfers can join for $60 and will be put on a team. Cash prizes will be awarded. There will also be door prizes, putting contests, and long-drive and closest-to-the-pin contests. New this year: A hole-in-one prize.
All money raised will go directly to helping children and families in the local community.
For details, call Tim O’Connor at 433-4654/435-9859 or Mary O’Connor at 432-2870
Senior Beth Gollin won two events to help the Oneonta girls track team win the title of the Oneonta Invitational Friday, May 13.
Gollin won the mile and 2,000 steeplechase, while teammate and fellow senior Christie O’Connor won the high jump to pace the Yellowjackets, who also won the Cooperstown invitational title on May 7.
Gollin was also on the winning distance-medley relay team.
Fox Classic Sponsors Sought
The Fox Foundation’s 12th annual Fox Hospital Golf Classic is Monday, June 6, at the Oneonta Country Club.
The Classic has become the foundation’s second largest annual fund-raising event. Over the past 11 years, the tournament has raised over $350,000, used to purchase a variety of medical equipment for the hospital and nursing home.
Overall winners receive a trophy and have their names engraved on the Dr. John Lusins trophy on display at the FoxCare Center. Each year 180-200 golfers participate in a captain and crew format.
A late afternoon buffet dinner will follow at the Foothills Performing Arts Center with prizes awarded for both flights.
There are also prizes for longest and straightest drives and closest to pin on the par threes. Country Club Motors is sponsoring the hole-in-one contests and golfers will have a chance to win a new car.
Sponsorships for as little as $350 are available and raffle and silent-auction donations are welcome.
There are still slots available for the morning round. Call 431-5472 or e-mail foundationoffice@aofmh.org.
Youngs Is WBNG All-Star
Oneonta baseball player Conor Youngs was selected as WBNG’s Academic All Star of the Week.
Youngs, a junior, has a 5-1 pitching record for the Yellowjackets and a grade-point average in the mid 90s.
Youngs told the television station he’d like to work for a Major League Baseball team in some capacity after college.
Said OHS head coach Joe Hughes: ``Great student, great athlete, and we’re fortunate to have him as part of our program.’’
Kevin Knack Player Of Year
SUNY Oneonta baseball player Kevin Knack has been named Bob Wallace Player of the Year by the State University of New York Athletic Conference.
The Ghent native is the first baseball player to be selected for the honor and was also selected to the All-Conference first team after leading the Red Dragons with a .348 average, including .368 in conference play.
He led the team in hits (54), triples (6), RBIs (22), total bases (75), stolen bases (12), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.484).
Family Service Tourney Near
The Family Service Association’s fourth annual golf tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 5, at Ouleout Golf Course in Franklin
The $240 entry fee for a four-player team includes lunch, snacks, beverages, green fees and a golf cart. Individual golfers can join for $60 and will be put on a team. Cash prizes will be awarded. There will also be door prizes, putting contests, and long-drive and closest-to-the-pin contests. New this year: A hole-in-one prize.
All money raised will go directly to helping children and families in the local community.
For details, call Tim O’Connor at 433-4654/435-9859 or Mary O’Connor at 432-2870
15-1 Overall Record Finds OHS Baseball Ready For Tourney
Getman Comes Up Big In 7th Inning
By ERIC AHLQVIST
Sports Editor
Down to its final three outs, the Oneonta baseball team staged a miraculous comeback at Chenango Valley Saturday, May 14, setting the stage for STAC playoffs, which began Wednesday, and Section Four Class B playoffs, which begin May 23.
The 15-1 Yellowjackets scored five times in the top of the seventh inning, and held off a Warriors’ rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to win, 6-5, and capture the East Division STAC Championship. The teams tied for first in the regular season, and Saturday’s game was a one-game playoff to decide the division.
Coach Joe Hughes said he hopes the victory will help land the #1 see in the upcoming tournament.
Junior Sean Getman hit a two-run double in the top of the seventh inning, and threw a runner out at home in the bottom of the seventh inning to preserve the win.
OHS’ winning rally started when Logan Pondolfino was hit by a pitch, and Chris Pindar reached on a fielder’s-choice grounder to third base. After a fly out, Getman hit a two-run double to make it 5-3.
Dan Hodne then struck out, but reached first base when the ball got past the catcher. Junior Mike Calkins followed with a two-run triple to right center field to tie the score at 5-5. Calkins scored the winning run on a passed ball.
``It was a heads up play by Mike,’’ Hughes said of the winning run. ’’He got a really good jump off of third and scored pretty easily even though the ball didn’t get that far from the catcher.’’
Chenango Valley put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. But the next batter grounded to Getman, who backhanded the ball and threw home to catcher Zack Pigeon in time for the out at home.
The next CV batter hit a one-hop grounder off the glove of Oneonta pitcher Ben Moxley, who retrieved the ball up the third base line and threw to first in time for the out, setting off a big celebration among Oneonta fans and players.
``There were lots of gloves and hats in the air, and a big pile-up near the pitcher‘s mound,’’ Hughes said. ``I don’t know if we’ve exhaled yet. This was a true team win. A lot of people contributed.’’
One of the unsung heroes was Moxley, a junior righthander, who had only pitched four innings all season before Saturday. Hughes called on Moxley to relieve Calkins, who pitched the first five innings, striking out eight and allowing five unearned runs.
``He probably hasn’t pitched as much as he’d like this year because we have a deep staff, but he came through when he was needed the most,’’ Hughes said. ’’Having that depth in our pitching staff is really a big key to the season.’’
CV scored twice in the second and three more times in the fifth inning to take a seemingly commanding 5-1 lead.
By ERIC AHLQVIST
Sports Editor
Down to its final three outs, the Oneonta baseball team staged a miraculous comeback at Chenango Valley Saturday, May 14, setting the stage for STAC playoffs, which began Wednesday, and Section Four Class B playoffs, which begin May 23.
The 15-1 Yellowjackets scored five times in the top of the seventh inning, and held off a Warriors’ rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to win, 6-5, and capture the East Division STAC Championship. The teams tied for first in the regular season, and Saturday’s game was a one-game playoff to decide the division.
Coach Joe Hughes said he hopes the victory will help land the #1 see in the upcoming tournament.
Junior Sean Getman hit a two-run double in the top of the seventh inning, and threw a runner out at home in the bottom of the seventh inning to preserve the win.
OHS’ winning rally started when Logan Pondolfino was hit by a pitch, and Chris Pindar reached on a fielder’s-choice grounder to third base. After a fly out, Getman hit a two-run double to make it 5-3.
Dan Hodne then struck out, but reached first base when the ball got past the catcher. Junior Mike Calkins followed with a two-run triple to right center field to tie the score at 5-5. Calkins scored the winning run on a passed ball.
``It was a heads up play by Mike,’’ Hughes said of the winning run. ’’He got a really good jump off of third and scored pretty easily even though the ball didn’t get that far from the catcher.’’
Chenango Valley put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. But the next batter grounded to Getman, who backhanded the ball and threw home to catcher Zack Pigeon in time for the out at home.
The next CV batter hit a one-hop grounder off the glove of Oneonta pitcher Ben Moxley, who retrieved the ball up the third base line and threw to first in time for the out, setting off a big celebration among Oneonta fans and players.
``There were lots of gloves and hats in the air, and a big pile-up near the pitcher‘s mound,’’ Hughes said. ``I don’t know if we’ve exhaled yet. This was a true team win. A lot of people contributed.’’
One of the unsung heroes was Moxley, a junior righthander, who had only pitched four innings all season before Saturday. Hughes called on Moxley to relieve Calkins, who pitched the first five innings, striking out eight and allowing five unearned runs.
``He probably hasn’t pitched as much as he’d like this year because we have a deep staff, but he came through when he was needed the most,’’ Hughes said. ’’Having that depth in our pitching staff is really a big key to the season.’’
CV scored twice in the second and three more times in the fifth inning to take a seemingly commanding 5-1 lead.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
City of The Hills
Actor Sorvino Expected Here
Paul Sorvino, star of “Goodfellas” and dozens of movies and TV shows in a long career, will attend a special screening of “Mineville” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Oneonta Theatre, producer Joel Plue has announced. The evening will feature music by the Horseshoe Playboys and a Q&A with the actor will follow the screening. $10.
GRADUATIONS:
SUNY Oneonta will graduate 1,484 students at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, in Alumni Field House. Hartwick College will graduate 300 at 11:30 the next Saturday at Foothills Performing Arts Center.
TEENS PARTY:
The Oneonta Teen Center’s fourth annual Block Party is 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Asa C. Allison Building, 4 Academy St., featuring music, food, face-painting and more – after a trash cleanup.
Paul Sorvino, star of “Goodfellas” and dozens of movies and TV shows in a long career, will attend a special screening of “Mineville” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Oneonta Theatre, producer Joel Plue has announced. The evening will feature music by the Horseshoe Playboys and a Q&A with the actor will follow the screening. $10.
GRADUATIONS:
SUNY Oneonta will graduate 1,484 students at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, in Alumni Field House. Hartwick College will graduate 300 at 11:30 the next Saturday at Foothills Performing Arts Center.
TEENS PARTY:
The Oneonta Teen Center’s fourth annual Block Party is 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Asa C. Allison Building, 4 Academy St., featuring music, food, face-painting and more – after a trash cleanup.
 |
| HOMETOWN ONEONTA Under their umbrella of many colors, Molly and Bill Swain looked pretty sporty at the Alzheimer Walk Saturday, May 7, at the Plains at Parish Homestead. (Other photo, A3) |
Fox Facilities Study May Turn Double Rooms To Singles
On National Hospital Week, Remillard Lists Benefits Of Affiliation
By JIM KEVLIN
Fox Hospital – the main hospital and facilities around Oneonta – will be meeting the 21st century in the next few months.
In collaboration with Bassett Healthcare – the two organizations affiliated 18 months ago – an architect will be selected and work will begin on a master facility plan, Fox President/CEO John Remillard said in an interview to mark National Hospital Week, May 16-22.
“We need to modernize certain parts of the hospital,” he said. “This is the first step.”
A prime area of focus, said the executive, is that most of Fox’s 100 certified beds are in double rooms, and the idea would be to create singles. “There are a whole host of reasons to do that,” he said, including privacy, limiting infection and accommodating patients’ families.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Remillard expressed satisfaction that the collaboration of Fox and the Bassett system have improved offerings to local patients and put the Oneonta hospital in a stronger position as it faces the future.
In cancer treatment, for instance: With the retirement of Fox’s oncologist, Bassett doctors Yoshiro Matsuo and James Leonardo, and nurse practitioner Patty Jacob opened a branch of the Bassett Cancer Institute at the FoxCare Center on Route 7, providing radiation and chemotherapy under the same roof. Dr. Timothy Campbell, Bassett Hospital’s chief of Radiation Oncology, is also seeing patients locally.
In orthopedics, a husband and wife team, surgeons Tally Lassiter Jr. and Jocelyn Wittstein, were recruited out of Duke University Hospital, joining Drs. James Elting, Michael Diaz and Richard Sternberg in offering treatment at FoxCare. Previously, an orthopedic doctor from the Binghamton area had been serving Fox patients parttime.
With Baby Boomers aging and the amount of athletics at the local colleges, this – hip and shoulder replacements, as well as broken bones – this is becoming a particularly critical specialty.
“This would have been very difficult for us to do by ourselves,” said Remillard, “because of the tremendous challenges of physician recruitment.”
While Fox, a century-old institution, had sought for years to maintain its independence, Remillard said the hospital trustees could see that, with health-care reform coming, affiliating with its larger Cooperstown-based neighbor put the Oneonta hospital in “a much better position” to face the challenges ahead.
In providing health coverage for “50 million people who don’t have it,” payments to doctors and hospitals will have to be cut at some point. “That’s the simple story,” Remillard said. “We will be treating more people, but we will be paid less.”
The model of the future is “Accountable Care Organizations,” which will receive lump-sum payments that can be spent more cost-effectively in a larger entity – the federal government defines an ACO as serving at least 5,000 patients a year.
The public sometimes forgets, Remillard said at another point, what a “huge engine for the local economy” Fox is. Employing 950 people, it is routinely one of the top three local employers. Bassett is always first, and Fox and SUNY Oneonta go back and forth on second and third.
“People don’t realize how much staff it takes to staff a 24-7 operation,” he said.
Remillard, a native of Peru, near Plattsburgh, came to Fox via Lemoyne – he majored in accounting; he later received a master’s in health-care administration at Sage College – and the state Health Department.
“Hospital work is noble work,” he said, describing what drew him to his career. “You get to do something very good for the community.”
Yes, there are problems and complaints, “but I get a lot more letters from people thanking me for the kind care they received here. It’s a privilege to be part of the team of people who work here.”
The next afternoon, the executive planned to present the annual Susan Remillard Awards, scholarships to nursing students in honor of his late wife, who came down with cancer soon after the family arrived in the city 22 years ago and passed away at age 39.
By JIM KEVLIN
Fox Hospital – the main hospital and facilities around Oneonta – will be meeting the 21st century in the next few months.
In collaboration with Bassett Healthcare – the two organizations affiliated 18 months ago – an architect will be selected and work will begin on a master facility plan, Fox President/CEO John Remillard said in an interview to mark National Hospital Week, May 16-22.
“We need to modernize certain parts of the hospital,” he said. “This is the first step.”
A prime area of focus, said the executive, is that most of Fox’s 100 certified beds are in double rooms, and the idea would be to create singles. “There are a whole host of reasons to do that,” he said, including privacy, limiting infection and accommodating patients’ families.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Remillard expressed satisfaction that the collaboration of Fox and the Bassett system have improved offerings to local patients and put the Oneonta hospital in a stronger position as it faces the future.
In cancer treatment, for instance: With the retirement of Fox’s oncologist, Bassett doctors Yoshiro Matsuo and James Leonardo, and nurse practitioner Patty Jacob opened a branch of the Bassett Cancer Institute at the FoxCare Center on Route 7, providing radiation and chemotherapy under the same roof. Dr. Timothy Campbell, Bassett Hospital’s chief of Radiation Oncology, is also seeing patients locally.
In orthopedics, a husband and wife team, surgeons Tally Lassiter Jr. and Jocelyn Wittstein, were recruited out of Duke University Hospital, joining Drs. James Elting, Michael Diaz and Richard Sternberg in offering treatment at FoxCare. Previously, an orthopedic doctor from the Binghamton area had been serving Fox patients parttime.
With Baby Boomers aging and the amount of athletics at the local colleges, this – hip and shoulder replacements, as well as broken bones – this is becoming a particularly critical specialty.
“This would have been very difficult for us to do by ourselves,” said Remillard, “because of the tremendous challenges of physician recruitment.”
While Fox, a century-old institution, had sought for years to maintain its independence, Remillard said the hospital trustees could see that, with health-care reform coming, affiliating with its larger Cooperstown-based neighbor put the Oneonta hospital in “a much better position” to face the challenges ahead.
In providing health coverage for “50 million people who don’t have it,” payments to doctors and hospitals will have to be cut at some point. “That’s the simple story,” Remillard said. “We will be treating more people, but we will be paid less.”
The model of the future is “Accountable Care Organizations,” which will receive lump-sum payments that can be spent more cost-effectively in a larger entity – the federal government defines an ACO as serving at least 5,000 patients a year.
The public sometimes forgets, Remillard said at another point, what a “huge engine for the local economy” Fox is. Employing 950 people, it is routinely one of the top three local employers. Bassett is always first, and Fox and SUNY Oneonta go back and forth on second and third.
“People don’t realize how much staff it takes to staff a 24-7 operation,” he said.
Remillard, a native of Peru, near Plattsburgh, came to Fox via Lemoyne – he majored in accounting; he later received a master’s in health-care administration at Sage College – and the state Health Department.
“Hospital work is noble work,” he said, describing what drew him to his career. “You get to do something very good for the community.”
Yes, there are problems and complaints, “but I get a lot more letters from people thanking me for the kind care they received here. It’s a privilege to be part of the team of people who work here.”
The next afternoon, the executive planned to present the annual Susan Remillard Awards, scholarships to nursing students in honor of his late wife, who came down with cancer soon after the family arrived in the city 22 years ago and passed away at age 39.
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