Bassett Launches Workforce Development Partnership with Hartwick College, SUNY Oneonta
Bassett Healthcare Network, Hartwick College, and SUNY Oneonta gathered on September 13 to inaugurate a groundbreaking workforce development partnership aimed at retaining new graduates in the region and addressing critical workforce shortages across Bassett’s network. The signing ceremony took place at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta.
Bassett CARES stands for Bassett Career Advancement and Retention Experience for Students. Annually, up to 50 recent graduates of Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta who graduate with a bachelor’s degree or greater and work in a full-time role at Bassett Healthcare Network can qualify for a loan re-payment stipend while embarking on a career in healthcare. Bassett CARES is open to graduates from all disciplines, not only healthcare programs.
The program aims to support and retain recent graduates with a loan repayment stipend for service worked. Program participants may earn up to $25,000 in loan repayment stipends. For every six months worked in a full-time role, participants will receive $5,000 as a loan repayment stipend.
Working closely with Bassett, the program will expose current SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College students to various career pathways in healthcare through internships, professional development seminars, and additional educational opportunities.
Educational partners will offer free or subsidized on-campus housing in the summer for matriculated students who are working for Bassett Healthcare Network during the summer months. SUNY Oneonta also plans to provide bridge housing for recent graduates for the summer directly following their graduation to ease the transition to professional life at Bassett.
“It’s a privilege to be here today with our colleagues from SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College to inaugurate a program that will profoundly influence healthcare in our region,” said Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “At Bassett, our mission is to improve the health of our patients and the well-being of our communities. Building this partnership with SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College to support pathways to careers in healthcare at Bassett is a giant step in our commitment to caring for people who reside in our Central New York region and beyond.”