COOPERSTOWN — For Bassett Healthcare Network’s new president and CEO Staci Thompson, joining the rural health-care organization just felt right.

She first came aboard Bassett in 2023 as its chief operating officer (COO) after working for more than 27 years at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, Pennsylvania. Guthrie is another rural-based provider where Thompson held several positions including executive VP and COO.

“What drew me to Bassett … was I felt connected with it,” she says. The organizations share the same mission of working to ensure patients have access to medical care.

After joining Bassett last May, Thompson served as its interim president and CEO since Jan. 1 of this year after her predecessor Dr. Tommy Ibrahim left the post. Bassett’s board made the role permanent in May.

“I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Thompson says of Bassett and her new role there as leader.

She’s excited to take the help at the health-care organization and knows there are some hurdles to overcome. The biggest challenge on her to-do list? “It’s, first and foremost, organization efficiency and stability,” she says.

Thompson’s focus is on five key areas — recruitment and retention, improving the patient experience, providing improved access, organizational culture, and organizational stability.

“Making sure financially we have an organization that’s healthy and can invest back into the organization,” she explains.

 Her goals build upon those set by Ibrahim, who focused on bringing the organization together.

In recent years, Bassett has grown into a health system that includes five corporately affiliated hospitals — A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta, A.O. Fox Hospital Tri-Town Campus in Sidney, Cobleskill Hospital in Cobleskill, Little Falls Hospital in Little Falls, and O’Connor Hospital in Delhi. 

Ibrahim’s focus was on making sure all locations were using the same systems and things like that. “So that work had started, and my goal is to continue to build upon that,” Thompson adds.

Her focus is on the bigger picture, making sure the entire organization functions as a system to avoid unnecessary duplication while also recognizing the unique history and individuality of each of those locations that have become part of the Bassett network.

Like many health-care organizations, Bassett lost many employees during the COVID pandemic and has struggled to fill those empty slots, especially when other organizations are looking to hire as well. “Everyone is recruiting from the same pool of resources,” Thompson says.

Currently, Bassett has about 150 employment-agency workers filling those open roles — a solution that gets expensive.

With a goal of having enough staff to not need agency fill-ins, one of the changes Bassett has made under Thompson’s guidance is to bring recruitment back in-house. “We’re seeing good results with that,” she contends.

Other efforts include partnering with area institutions to train the future workforce. Bassett recently announced a new partnership with the Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) for a practical nursing certification program.

“I’m excited about being able to grow the organization,” Thompson says. “It’s exciting to me to look how we can do things a little differently.”