RICHFIELD SPRINGS-An evening of cocktails, jazz and conversation to thank donors got Bassett Healthcare's new Richfield Springs Health Clinic off to an auspicious start last Thursday.

Dr. Bill Streck, president of Bassett Hospital, is hoping that a state moratorium on the opening of new clinics will be lifted soon so that the six-woman staff of nurses, a doctor and receptionists can move in and get to work.

"The state imposed a moratorium on clinics five months ago or so. The real issue is that some clinics were not complying with requirements. Now, of course, the state is distracted. But we're hoping to have it lifted any day now so we can get started here," Streck said.

The effort to build the clinic was spearheaded and largely funded by Charles "Jud" Pannaci, a Richfield resident.

"This project was started in the spring of 2000," Pannaci said, taking a moment from greeting visitors as they came in from the candlelit walkway. "It's taken time but we've done it. I think it's great. You have an idea, an image in your mind, and then here's the reality."

Pannaci, a business and civic leader, approached Bassett Healthcare administration with a proposal for the new clinic. He donated a parcel of land and $100,000 to cover the initial architectural work and the start of the construction. To draw the community into the project, Pannaci pledged to match dollar for dollar the contributions given by the community up to $200,000. Within months, the $200,000 mark was met and exceeded by the community.

Michael Stein, vice-president of external affairs at Bassett, said the total amount raised by the community was $230,000, including $50,000 from the Friends of Bassett and a few individual gifts exceeding $10,000. Some gifts were as small as $5, but ultimately, they added up to a new clinic.

Dr. Carol Beechy has been at the Richfield Clinic since 1985, a year after it opened. She said the most notable new features are the added privacy, storage space, cleanliness and the abundance of natural light, which will benefit patients and plants alike.to thank

"I'm just really excited about this," Beechy said.

Christina LaBarre, a family nurse practitioner, has been on board since the day the clinic opened.

"We work together beautifully," she said of Beechy and the rest of the staff, "and we've kept it up. I'm kind of stunned to have this new facility. What a fantastic town to raise this much money. This is their clinic. They did this. It's from Jud's mother, and the town."

Pannaci's mother, Mary Strong Pannaci, is memorialized within the clinic in a Lady Ostapeck portrait, in the background of which are two other pictures, of Mary's mother, Helen Martin Strong, and Helen's mother, Mary Adams Martin. The three generations contained within the portrait are commemorated on a plaque and in the heart of Pannaci, who credits his late mother for the creation of the clinic.

"This is a real tribute to the community and to Jud," said Streck, who, earlier in the day, had watched a CDC broadcast about the realities and myths of the current anthrax scare. On that subject, he had only one comment. "People should keep it in perspective," he said.

Beechy said the anthrax scare may wind up having more positive than negative results, as it has already created a shift in awareness about the public health network.

Another new addition absent from the current facility, Beechy said, is a staff room, in which a plaque reads, "In grateful recognition of generous support from The Friends of Bassett in memory of Christopher J. Warrell."

The clinic does not yet have a date slated for the grand opening.