|
Friday, February 9, 2007February 9 2007Bassett To Start Medical School COOPERSTOWN A full-fledged medical school at Bassett Healthcare’s Cooperstown campus may be admitting its first class within three years, according to Laura Schweitzer, Ph.D., who became the system’s first chief academic officer, effective Feb. 1. The idea is to become a “regional campus” of an existing medical school – Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, long-affiliated with Bassett, would be given the opportunity first – and to train 24-30 medical students a year during the last two years of their four-year program of study, Schweitzer said in an interview Wednesday, Feb. 7. “The literature is completely supportive” of the concept Bassett plans to implement, said the new administrator, who most recently was SUNY Upstate Medical University’s vice president for academic affairs and Syracuse University’s vice provost/health liaison. “When physicians train in this kind of setting, they tend to locate their practices in rural settings.” In that regard, the medical school would extend the model of Bassett’s collaboration with Hartwick College, which has helped fill the system’s roster of nurses at a time of nationwide shortage. Dr. William F. Streck, Bassett president and CEO, referred to that in the Monday, Feb. 5, announcement of Schweitzer’s appointment, saying, “While Bassett is nationally known for its residency-training programs and medical-student education, there is more to be done to address issues of physician supply.” Upstate Medical University has established a “regional campus” at Binghamton University, Schweitzer said. The University of Louisville has done so at its Trover Campus in Madisonville. The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is planning to do so in Charlotte. The Association of American Medical Colleges has called for a 30 percent increase in the number of medical students and the creation of new medical school campuses, he said, and this will help address that need. Bassett brought in a team of three experts a year ago to provide an initial assessment of the medical-school idea, and they were very favorable toward it. Schweitzer’s first task, she said, will be to flesh out that initial assessment through meetings with the physician leadership, staff and administrators, and by touring Bassett’s two dozen facilities in an eight-county area. Her goal is to “facilitate” the discussion that will help refine the plan. Before the first full-time class can be admitted, the medical school must go through an accreditation process with the AAMC Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Bassett is already a teaching hospital, and at any given time a dozen students from Columbia, Rochester, Dartmouth or Albany Medical College are “on campus” for a six-week rotation, about 100 a year. “The new program would take the place of this,” Schweitzer said. The first two years of medical school are generally “lecture-driven,” she continued, with experts in various scientific disciplines address large lecture halls. The next two years are more real life, and that’s where Bassett’s medical school would fit in. The school would not necessarily be a physical building, but at least “a couple of classrooms” would be required, equipped with interactive video. The American Association of Medical Colleges is predicting a 30 percent shortfall in physicians as Baby Boomers age, doctors continue to retire earlier, and practicing physicians are looking for shorter work hours. “Regional campuses” are part of the answer, according to AAMC spokesperson Nicole Buckley. Additionally, several new medical schools are being developed from the ground up, she said. Bassett “is ready to move to this next level,” said Schweitzer, showing the list of more then two-dozen specialities Bassett physicians – Dr. Jim Dalton is director of medical education – already teach, from nephrology to rural surgery to urology. Rural surgery, she said, would develop expertise in “farm injuries, in things that happen in rural counties. You don’t have to focus so much on knifings and gunshot wounds.” Schweitzer was raised in Yorktown Heights, Westchester County, and received her Ph.D in psychology in 1979 from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed post-doctorate work in neurobiology at Duke, where she then served on the research faculty. She joined the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1988, and was dean by the time she transferred to Syracuse last year. Her husband, Dr. Michael Gruenthal, is Albany Medical Center’s chairman of neurology. They have two sons, both at Washington University, where the parents met. Mark, 23, is studying biomedical engineering; Eric, 19, is considering medical school. As it happens, Cooperstown is something of a homecoming for Schweitzer. When her parents, Judith and Charles Schweitzer, sold their hardware store downstate, they retired to Sharon Springs, and sought out Bassett for health care because of its good reputation, which is one thing that brought their daughter back. “It’s so clear,” Schweitzer said in explaining why she’s taking on her new role, “that what Bassett is about is excellence in clinical care of patients.” First-Class First-Day Cover To Honor Village's Birth COOPERSTOWN Done right, a first-day cover is more than just a one-day happening. The cover the Village of Cooperstown Bicentennial Committee is planning for Tuesday, April 3, the 200th anniversary to the day of the village’s founding, is a case in point. This is no simple envelope, beginning with the actual envelope: It will consist of the finest acid-free paper from the Crane Paper Co. of Dalton, Mass., (which also makes the paper for U.S. currency.) An image of Otesgo Lake from the 19th century will be printed in acid-free ink. (The lack of acidity prevents deterioration.) And the stamps, oh the stamps, four in all, clustered in the upper right-hand corner. First is the April 14, 1982, issue of New York’s 20-cent “State Bird and Flower” stamp: eastern bluebirds frolicking around wild roses. Next to it is the venerable James Fenimore Cooper 2 cent stamp, part of the 1940 “Famous American Author” series, provided by Al Keck, the village building inspector, who has been a stamp aficionado since age 5 and has a cache of them. To the right of that is a 22-cent one from 1988, a scene from lower Manhattan depicting the celebration surrounding New York State’s July 26, 1788, part of the “Ratification of the Constitution Bicentennial” series. And below is the piece de resistance: The “Centennial of Baseball” 3-cent commemorative from June 10, 1939, the day the Hall of Fame was dedicated. It depicts boys playing the national game in a pasture that could very well be Doubleday Field. The stamps will be cancelled with a special mark developed by Bicentennial committee chairman Grace Kull’s daughter Dianne, an art teacher at Milford Central School, based on the drawing of The Leatherstocking, Natty Bumppo, on the 200th anniversary logo. On the back will be an embossed village seal; inside, a narrative explaining the significance of the cover and its adornments. Keck, who has been advising Grace Kull in this area, has been putting together first-day covers since 1992, selling them on Hall of Fame Induction Weekend to benefit the Cooperstown Fire Department Fellowship Fund, which provides $300 to $500 to surviving spouses of firefighters who pass away. He estimates he’s done 3,500 of them and raised $30,000 for the fund. It can be a complex undertaking. For instance, Keck will pair teammates who he anticipates will both get into the Hall of Fame, although perhaps years apart. Tom Seaver, for instance, was inducted in 1992, and Keck had the Seaver-Nolan Ryan cover cancelled at the time. In 1999, when Ryan was inducted, he had it cancelled again. Ditto with Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield. When Cal Ripken Jr. is inducted this summer, the cover will bear a Lou Gehrig stamp – Ripken broke Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games started – and a Baltimore oriole stamp, the bird, not the ball team. “I’m having such an education here, let me tell you,” Kull said the other day of her mentor in philately. The most Keck ever got for a cover is $100, for one featuring Derek Jeter, but most of his covers are “more low-end, because more people can afford low-end.” The committee’s plan is to issue 200 full-color covers, and 200 black-and-white ones – the number reflects the Bicentennial – and to sell them for $20 each. Keck estimates the committee could clear $4,000 on the project. In the course of creating first-day covers over 15 induction weekends, Keck’s seen “boys grow up,” as they return each year to add to their collection. “It’s fun,” he said. “I won’t say I don’t enjoy those three days immensely. I enjoy them immensely.” Keck traces his interest in stamp collecting to his father, Sheldon (who otherwise was an art restorer, along with Al’s mother Caroline), and his maternal grandfather, Albert Kohn, who sold a collection for $35 in the depths of the Depression to buy his beloved wife a dress. “It taught a kid a lot,” he said of the hobby. At age 7, “I knew all the countries in the British Empire. Some countries’ stamps had their whole lifestyle; they showed you what they raised, they showed you how they lived.” While he no longer collects stamps – he still participates in the Leatherstocking Stamp Club, founded by the late George Tillapaugh – it was a profitable hobby. “My stamp collection bought our first house,” he said. When the house needed a new bathroom, he sold another piece of the collection to pay for it. That was in the late 1970s, when stamps were hot. A change in the tax laws depressed stamp prices in the ‘80s; now high-end collectors are driving up the prices again. A 16-cent 1938 presidential, for instance, recently sold for $200, Keck said, but it was close to perfect. Kull passed along her interest to Veronica Seaver, chairman of the 22 Main St. Restoration Committee, and she has been talking to Al about a first-day cover to raise funds to renew the building that houses village offices, the village library and the Cooperstown Art Association. Planning is still in the early stages, but he said it will probably bear a 20-cent library commemorative from 1980 and – a favorite of Keck’s – the 20-cent “Nation of Readers” stamp from 1984, showing Abraham Lincoln reading to his son. And, of course, the Cooper. Gray Day Inspired Cooperstown Winter Carnival COOPERSTOWN In search of a way to brighten up the gloom produced by otherwise cold and gray February days in 1966, Cooperstonians Richard Jacobson and the late Joe Canzeri pooled their energetic ideas and created what would eventually become a fun-filled family tradition known today as the Cooperstown Winter Carnival. “We were looking for a way to beat the doldrums,” Jacobson said in an interview from his California home a few days before the 41st carnival was scheduled to get under way on the evening of Friday, Feb. 9. “Joe and I thought that it would be good to get people outside and moving around. Our plan was to get the entire community involved.” Along with ice skating behind the Cooper Inn, ski races and a ice-fishing contests, Canzeri and Jacobson lured families from their cozy homes with car races on Otsego Lake, softball games at Lakefront Park, and a snow-sculpting contest up and down Main Street. (Joe Canzeri, a longtime aide to Nelson Rockefeller who later worked on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, died in December 2004.) “One of the highlights surrounding the first few winter carnivals was snowmobiling,” said Jacobson.“The sport of snowmobiling was still in its infancy, so the idea of racing was new and entertaining for a lot of people who showed up to watch.” In addition to the snowmobiles, Jacobson fondly recalled sled-dogs racing through the streets of the village with spectators cheering them on. “A lot of people came out to cheer on the dogs,” he said. “It was a sight to see: Sled-dogs racing down Pioneer Street and around the block.”Over the years, the festival has evolved with the passing of time, but it has still – through the help of a strong group of dedicated volunteers – remained a favorite winter weekend amongst Cooperstonians and guests from the surrounding towns. This year’s Cooperstown Winter Carnival Committee members include Brad Feik, chair; Bill Senif, co-chair; Teri Barown, Donna Borgstrom, Peter Deysenroth, Dan Evans, Jim Hogan, Amanda Pinney, Elise Schiellack and Brian Wrubleski. “During my time spent with the CWC I’ve seen a conscious effort by all committee members to find, create and come up with more outdoor activities as well as improving the quality of the events that already exist,” said Feik. Following a full day of outdoor activities, Jacobson recalled, families and friends would often gather in local establishments for snacks and refreshment specials. “The Tunnicliff always made a special drink for the weekend,” he said. “And we’d start every winter carnival with a Friday night spaghetti dinner at the Hotel Pratt and a teen dance at the Church Mouse” – now Templeton Hall – “and the crowning of the King and Queen.” When it came time for the weekend to wind down, everyone hopped in their cars and headed up the lake road to The Hickory Grove. “We always used to wrap things up at the Hickory Grove” – The Inn at Hickory Grove on Five Mile Point, said Jacobson. Aside from racing cars on Otsego Lake, today’s winter carnival is quite similar, yet different. You won’t find anglers jigging their way through ice-fishing contests off the frozen shores of Lakefront Park and you won’t see sky-divers dropping from planes circling the village. But revellers will find tons of family fun, including a demonstration by the Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club, adult and youth sled races at Lakefront Park and live music in local establishments. Innovations include sled-dog demonstrations and sled-dog rides around Doubleday Field, an SSPCA Dog Show, a hot-dog eating contest and a Chinese auction. County Board Chair Satisfied All's Well COOPERSTOWN Don Lindberg, chairman of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, said he has learned a lot from this year’s budget mishap – the representatives thought they were approving a 2.5 percent tax increase that turned out to be 25 percent – but believes matters are now well in hand. State Rep. Bill Magee, D-Nelson, who represents northern Otsego County, was expected to introduce legislation this week empowering Otsego County to issue new tax bills that include checks reimbursing taxpayers who paid too much, Lindberg said. That bill would mirror one state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, introduced in the state Senate the week of Jan. 29. Any differences in the versions would have to be reconciled and the resulting legislation signed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Still, the chairman, in an interview in his office prior to the county board meeting of Wednesday, Feb. 7, said he expects the matter should be resolved by April. Lindberg said his original understanding of the problem – the representatives thought they had $600 million in added assessment, but that turned out to be only $90 million – still holds. The $600 million, he said, was the figure before the state applied the equalization rate. “Now that I know the numbers and how they’re calculated,” he said, “I’m going to do it myself next year.” Beyond that, Lindberg said he has asked County Attorney Rodney Klafehn to provide him with the specific duties of the country treasurer, in an effort to make incumbent Myrna Thayne clear on what her responsibilities are. As the chairman understands it, the duties of a budget officer devolve onto the county treasurer if the county board doesn’t appoint its own budget officer. For her part, Thayne continues to accept no blame for the mistake, and reportedly had former county attorney James Konstanty write a letter to county Rep. Ronald Feldstein, D-Otego, chairman of the Administration Committee, directing him to stop trying to pin blame on her. (Asked the other day whether revenues are coming in as expected, Thayne responded, “I haven’t got a clue,” saying collection is the responsibility of the towns. The first tax-payment deadline was Jan. 31.) Lindberg said the biggest problem this year was the number of new factors at play; Thayne completed the first year of her first four-year term Jan. 1, and kinks still need to be worked out in the county’s new computer system. Once completely installed, he said, the computer system should give the county board more oversight. Beyond that, he said he sees no need for a county manager or budget officer to help the board develop and administer the $100 million budget. “It’s not perfect,” he said of the system as is, “but it’s the best we have so far.” Other challenges are now taking precedence, he said. Changes in state Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates Spitzer is proposing could take $1.66 million from the $18 million budget of the county’s nursing home, Otsego Manor. The legal problems of Otsego Manor’s administrator, Edmond Marchi, who is facing charges of DWI and fleeing the scene of an accident, and was hospitalized this week, is also preoccupying the county board. And, Lindberg pointed out, “During the floods we did a good job; we helped a lot of people.” Cherry Valley Village May Merge Into Town CHERRY VALLEY As the Village of Cooperstown celebrates its 200th birthday, the 195-year-old Village of Cherry Valley may be preparing for its funeral. The state’s Shared Services Incentive Program has given the village and town boards a $22,700 grant to explore whether to merge the two municipalities into one, said Village Trustee Lou Guido, an advocate of studying the change. “We just decided to look into the idea to save taxpayers’ dollars,” said Guido. “The bottom line is money, for everyone.” The village budget is more than $100,000 a year, and it pays for garbage pickup, sidewalk plowing, a water district and two fire districts, which should probably be merged into one, the trustee said. Town Supervisor Tom Garretson said he favors exploring the idea as well, if it could save money and improve municipal efficiency. Village Historian Gary Thompson, whose family moved to town in 1743, just two years after the Rev. Samuel Dunlap arrived with a group of Scotch-Irish settlers, said the village was home to many elegant mansions when it was founded in 1812. There were 80 houses and stores in the community. The village continued to thrive well into the 20th century and Thompson, who is 58, remembers it was “almost like a city” when he was a boy, with folks riding trains into town on weekends to attend dances at the Central Hotel and other venues. Parking was scarce. His grandfather, Milton Thompson, was the village’s first Democratic mayor, the grandson recalled. Because of its proud history, the historian doesn’t favor this merger talk. “I was against the school merger for the same reason,” he said. “We’re losing our identity.” Labels: Archives
Subscribe to Posts [Atom] |
|
 |
