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CCS 2024 Hall of fame inductees announced, page 3
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COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, April 25, 2024
Volume 16, No. 26
Exclusive to Iron String Press
Bassett Head Answers Queries, Opens Up About Challenges
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ditor’s Note: Iron String Press hears from readers of “The Freeman’s Journal,” “Hometown Oneonta” and AllOtsego.com on a regular basis, in a variety of ways, be it via e-mail, telephone or text. Folks also stop by to chat and offer their opinions on the news of the day, responding both positively and negatively to various stories and subjects of general interest. One of the topics our readers seem most interested in is Bassett Healthcare Network, and their questions and comments run the gamut—from health concerns, to financial stability, to staffing and housing shortages. New Bassett President and Chief Executive Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, agreed this week to address some of those questions and concerns from our readers. We appreciate her time, and believe these responses will clear up some misconceptions, clarify struggles faced by Bassett administrators and the healthcare industry in general, and illustrate how the network is addressinig these challenges. Photo by WilliamJayMiller.com
Misty Morning Magic COOPERSTOWN—Many thanks to Bill Miller for sharing this photo, which he describes as an “inundated Brookwood Garden on a foggy morn.” Brookwood Point, a 22-acre conservation area two miles north of the Village of Cooperstown is a quiet refuge for residents and visitors, featuring formal gardens, walking trails, and a natural launch area for canoes and kayaks. The property has been owned and managed by Otsego Land Trust for public use since 2011.
CANO Receives $5K Award Toward Juneteenth Celebration
T
ONEONTA he Community Arts Network of Oneonta has received a $5,000.00 award from the Community Foundation of Otsego County in support of the 2024 Juneteenth Celebration. The event will be held on Saturday, June 22 on Field Number 5 in Oneonta’s Neahwa Park. The free, family-friendly, Oneonta INSIDE ► farm market preps for big event, page 3 ► national volunteer week kudos, page 4 ► letters praise TFJ, HO Coverage, page 4 ► glimmerglass festival announces new programs, page 5 ► news in brief, page 6 ► merchants get ready for busy season, page 6 ► birding events set for sunday, page 14 Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com
to support reduced, safe, and appropriate prescribing of pain medication. Although some commonly prescribed medications—like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and tramadol—are useful for controlling pain, they have the potential to cause dangerous side effects, including addiction. Other narcotic medications, like morphine, fentanyl, methadone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone, while often used for pain management when a patient is hospitalized, are less appropriate for use once the patient goes home. Bassett Healthcare Network has an interdisciplinary team dedicated to Interventional Pain Management. The program is a subset of what our greater hospital system offers as it relates to managing pain. Many practitioners across our network work with patients to prescribe medications to address pain after considering indications, risks, and benefits (both in the shortand long-term). When pain persists and medication options have not worked well, patients are often referred to Continued on page 12
Coffee House Still Going Strong after Nine Years By CASPAR EWIG
D
► rotary Gala, page 4
Juneteenth Celebration is a forum for celebrating Black joy and justice. In its fifth year in Oneonta, Juneteenth is a day filled with Black culture, community relationships, education and entertainment. According to a press release, local organizations will talk about their cultural services. Food is from local Black-owned businesses—and free. Continued on page 8
Question 1. We have had three or four folks just this week reach out, who are suffering from health issues and who are in severe pain, and yet their physicians will not prescribe anything that will give them relief. These are people who have visible difficulty walking, standing, etc. I know the intention is to prevent people from becoming addicted to painkillers, which is a very real and very frightening issue, but is there nothing that can be done to help these folks? What sort of pain management does the hospital provide? What does it entail? Pain management is a very challenging aspect of medical care, which often requires a multidisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of anyone experiencing pain. Its practice requires balancing treatment to preserve quality of life while choosing care approaches that will offer the best long-term outcomes with limited side effects. One of the most important actions the medical community can take is
SCHUYLER LAKE o you have a musical, comedic or other talent that you would like to share? Every fourth Saturday of the month from 79 p.m.—including this coming Saturday—the “Coffee House” that springs up at the Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church at 128 Church Street holds an open mic night. And every fourth Saturday the little church comes alive with artists performing works
of varying genres (and some, like this writer, of varying talents) entertaining an enthusiastic assemblage. And it helps, of course, that Pastor Sharon Rankins-Burd is an accomplished pianist and guitar player who can provide accompaniment or back-up when needed. The monthly event, hosted by Timothy Peters, was launched in December 2015 and has been sailing along continuously, except for the pandemic interruption. “When the church was
Photo by Kathleen Peters
Dr. Chris Kjolhede leads the audience in a performance of the Jean Sibelius hymn, “This Is My Song.” Pictured from left are: Pastor Sharon Rankins-Burd, Ken Gracey, Joe Rossi, Dr. Tom Huntsman, Judy Steiner, Dr. Celeste Johns, Dr. Julie Huntsman, and Dr. Kjolhede.
rebuilt after the fire in 2014,” Peters recalled,
“church members felt it was a shame to limit use
of the building to only Continued on page 8
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