Bassett removes interim tag from CEO Thompson

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network’s board of directors has named Staci Thompson as the next president and CEO of the organization, making permanent a role she has filled on an interim basis since Jan. 1, Bassett announced.

She succeeds Tommy Ibrahim.

“Staci is an accomplished leader with decades of experience and knowledge with a deep passion for rural health,” Doug Hastings, Bassett board chair, said in a release. “Her extensive experience in healthcare-operations leadership has positioned her to provide highly qualified and critical guidance at a pivotal time as Bassett Healthcare Network continues to navigate complex industry headwinds around recruitment and retention, operational efficiency, the changing needs of our patients and communities, and rapidly expanding technological advancements in medicine.”

The Bassett board selected Thompson in a unanimous vote, and her tenure begins immediately.

Thompson joined Bassett Healthcare Network in 2023 after serving for more than 28 years at the Guthrie Clinic, where she held several executive leadership positions including executive VP and chief operating officer for Guthrie Medical Group.

“I am thrilled to join a legacy of exceptional leaders at Bassett Healthcare Network,”Thompson said. “Bassett Medical Center was founded in 1922 by Dr. Mary Imogene Bassett, a pioneering leader and true trailblazer who held a vision for rural medicine focused on access, social equity, research, and academics. It is an honor to continue this work and lead Bassett forward surrounded by a team of talented and capable leaders. I am also humbled to work alongside 5,000 amazing caregivers who are dedicated to our patients and communities.”

While serving as interim president/CEO, Thompson already worked on clearly defining organizational priorities that focus on Bassett’s financial stability, operational efficiency, recruitment and retention, continued network integration, patient care and experience, embracing virtual health and innovation, and positioning the organization to thrive.

“My focus will continue to be recruiting physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, other clinical professionals, and the many other roles needed so Bassett can provide the care our patients and communities deserve,” she said. “Also, importantly, we will continue to emphasize retaining staff and creating meaningful pathways for people to build long-term careers at Bassett.”

Thompson cited her years at Guthrie, a rural healthcare system spanning more than 10,000 square miles in New York and Pennsylvania, for her understanding of the unique needs and challenges of rural patient populations.

An Auburn native, Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in health–care administration from Penn State. She has served as a board member of several volunteer organizations including United Way and Stray Haven Humane Society.

Bassett Healthcare Network is an integrated health-care system providing care to a 5,600-square-mile region of upstate New York. It includes five corporately affiliated hospitals, more than two dozen community-based health centers, over 20 school-based health centers, and two skilled-nursing facilities.