Bassett Healthcare has teamed up with two area colleges to address the increasing shortage of qualified nurses in the region and provide new professional career opportunities for students and adults.

SUNY Delhi and Hartwick College have joined forces with Bassett in the new "Partnership for Nursing Opportunities" - an innovative program to educate adults and high school students about area nursing career opportunities, offer scholarships for nursing education, provide full-time work while pursuing a degree, and employment once the program is completed.

Administrators from Bassett, Delhi, and Hartwick, NYS Senator James Seward and Otsego County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rob Robinson were on hand to launch the new program at Bassett Healthcare's Clark Auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

"Institutions of higher education and health care providers have worked independently to help solve the healthcare staffing shortage, with little improvement," said Dr. William F. Streck, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare. "We are hopeful that this new collaboration will increase the number of local students pursuing a nursing degree, employ more nurses, and ultimately, improve the health of area residents."

Streck said it is no secret that the area offers limited professional career opportunities and that one of the motivations behind the new partnership was to "address the issue of opportunity in a very real way."

The Partnership for Nursing Opportunities allows students to complete their associate nursing degree (ADN) at Delhi and join Bassett as a full time RN, while pursuing a bachelor's degree from Hartwick College. Through a unique scheduling arrangement, nurses will work three 12-hour shifts each week at Bassett, and receive two days of on-site nursing instruction by Hartwick faculty at Bassett.

Delhi will also offer the second year of its ADN program at Bassett Hospital, beginning in the fall of 2002. This will allow graduates of Delhi's one-year Practical Nursing certificate program to seek immediate employment at Bassett and continue their education at the same time. In addition, LPN's currently employed at Bassett will have the opportunity to pursue an ADN degree from SUNY Delhi and licensure as a Registered Nurse.

"This is the perfect opportunity for local residents to get an education and get a job in the area," said Dr. Candace Vancko, SUNY Delhi president. "By providing this pathway, we are expanding options for local residents, helping meet critical employment needs in the region, and contributing to economic development."

"This is a win-win program for our community," said Dr. Richard A. Detweiler, president of Hartwick College. "Our new partnership allows local individuals to receive high-quality nursing instruction and toremain in the area."

One key component of the success of the Bassett-Delhi-Hartwick Partnership is the ability to provide the necessary coursework at an affordable cost to the student.

To accomplish this, scholarships will be provided to reduce the cost of the Delhi/Hartwick education at Bassett. Scholarships will be provided by Hartwick College, SUNY Delhi, Bassett Healthcare, and other area organizations so that students incur minimal expense for their education. Students will commit to one year of employment at Bassett Healthcare for each year of support provided through the program.

Streck said that there was a meeting he has been to recently that wasn't clouded by the events of September 11 and that we have to recognize there are new demands on government. We can not expect the answer to limited career opportunities to be found in federal grant programs and with that in mind, Bassett went ahead and launched the program.

Senator James Seward, (R-Milford), attended Tuesday's press briefing, but he brought no news of a state grant to help fund the partnership between the three institutions. Instead he spoke of the state "facing untold expresnes and revenue losses as we at the state level wrestle with budget issues." The senator did say he would be "touting this partnership in the halls of the capital."

Chamber president Rob Robinson described the new partnership as a procedure that could be duplicated for all the professions. "It is an opportunity to grow our own workers," he said. "It is the way it can and should be done. It is an example of how we can and should work together to find our own solutions"

The Partnership for Nursing Opportunities begins this month with 11 existing Bassett nurses who will pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing, and the program will be expanded and fully operational in 2002.

People interested in the program can call 888-HARTWICK or visit www.Hartwick.edu, or 800-96-DELHI.