Bassett completes $12 million cardiac care campaign
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COOPERSTOWN - “Raising $12 million in a little over two years for
the Bassett Heart Care Campaign is a remarkable feat,” observed Michael
Stein, Bassett Healthcare’s vice president of External Affairs, in a
recent interview.
“The success of campaign is a reflection of the desire within our
region to have accessible, state-of-the-art cardiac care and intensive
care available, close to home,” Stein said. “People in our mostly
rural, eight-county area of Central New York want the same quality of
cardiac and intensive care that people have in urban areas. With the
establishment of the Bassett Heart Care Institute, Bassett’s new
Critical Care Complex and enhanced cardiology services throughout the
region, Bassett is filling that need.”
“Taking all of our fund-raising initiatives into account, the
Friends raised over $4.8 million in 2004. In addition to the multiyear
Bassett Heart Care Campaign, fund-raising initiatives included programs
at Bassett Hospital of Schoharie County (BHSC), O’Connor Hospital and
several regional health centers,” he said.
Fund-raising also supported the Medical Education Endowment Fund,
which grew by 5 percent to reach $3.2 million by the end of the
campaign. Interest from the endowment supports medical education
programs and projects that advance Bassett’s humanistic philosophy of
health care.
“A mantra of the Friends,” explained Stein, “is money that is raised
locally stays local, unless the donor designated the gift to be used
otherwise. For example, the Friends provides philanthropic and
administrative support to Bassett affiliate O’Connor Hospital from
developing fund-raising strategies to processing gifts. During 2004,
over $1,162,000 was raised for the Campaign for O’Connor Hospital –
Building on a Legacy of Caring, O’Connor’s renovation and modernization
project. Since the campaign began in June 2002 to Dec. 31, 2004, over
$2.9 million in grants and gifts was generated for O’Connor.”
“It is often said that it takes money to raise money,” noted Stein,
“and the return on a donor’s contribution to the Friends is stellar.
For every dollar spent on fund-raising, the Friends raised $6.93. This
figure compares most favorably to national benchmarks, where the median
range for every dollar spent per dollars raised is from $4 to $5.50.
The Friends steward donors’ contributions in a cost-effective and
responsible manner, designating a minimal amount of money to
fund-raising administrative cost.”
With the successful conclusion of the campaign, the Friends will
continue to secure philanthropic support for specific projects and
programs. “The Heart Care Campaign highlighted the strong capital
investment that Bassett is making in hospital modernization. With
Bassett Hospital’s new fifth-floor Critical Care Complex setting the
standard of design, quality and efficiency, the Friends will continue
to support improvements in the work and patient care environment.”
Fund-raising for regional projects includes support for cardiac
substations, which are extending the Bassett Heart Care Institute’s
delivery-of-care concept. The Institute’s diagnostic and consultative
services are being offered in Oneonta Specialty Services (OSS), Bassett
Healthcare–Herkimer and Bassett Hospital of Schoharie County.
Stein concluded, saying, “In 2004, gifts to the campaign and the
Friends Annual Fund came in all sizes. We’re thankful to all who
contributed for making Central New York a healthier place to live, and
look forward to their continued support.”
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