One of the Oneida Indian Nation’s proudest initiatives is the advancement in Member and community healthcare, which was accomplished in partnership with Bassett Healthcare Network.

 

The center’s opening marks the completion of phase one of a project announced by Bassett Healthcare Network and the Oneida Indian Nation last summer to bring two state-of-the-art health care facilities to the region, offering additional access to primary care for Oneida Indian Nation team members, their families and the public.

“The goal of health care today is to help improve a population’s quality of life through good preventive care, care coordination and a strong emphasis on care management and the management of chronic diseases,” said Basset President and CEO Dr. Vance M. Brown. “In so doing, Bassett can help reduce emergency room visits and hospitalization. We are pleased to be able to bring our experience in this arena to bear on the needs of the region, as well as partner with Turning Stone Enterprises to meet the needs of their employees, their families and members of the Oneida Indian Nation.”

In addition to providing primary and orthopedic care to people in the region, the Bassett Oneida Health Center’s laboratory and X-ray services will be available to non-Bassett patients and, through an agreement with Indian Health Services (IHS), the health center’s laboratory and X-ray services will also be available to members of the Oneida Indian Nation and other Native American Indians, which are new services not previously available to IHS clients.

“This partnership with Bassett helps us assure our Nation members, Oneida Indian Nation employees and their families, as well as the people in the community, have convenient access to high quality primary care,” noted Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO. “We know our employees as well as the families who live in this region will benefit greatly from Bassett Healthcare’s innovative approach to health care.”

Phase two of the Oneida project will result in the relocation and expansion of Oneida Indian Nation Health Services, currently located on Territory Road and operated by IHS. The new facility, which is under construction and slated for an early summer opening, will consolidate all of the clinic’s offerings into one location adjacent to the Bassett Oneida Health Center in the Nation-owned Dream Catcher Plaza.

The Bassett Oneida Health Center, located at 2031 Dream Catcher Plaza, is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers family health care services including women’s health and pediatric appointments.

Dr. Aimee Pearce, who lives in Holland Patent, is medical director of the Bassett Oneida Health Center. Prior to assuming leadership of Bassett’s Oneida facility, she was medical director of the student health center at Hamilton College from 2013-2015 and was previously medical director for Bassett’s Clinton health center from 2011-2013.

In addition to Pearce, family nurse practitioners Christine Dunn and Grace Digman will also see patients at the Oneida Health Center. Digman had been practicing at Bassett’s primary care center in Hamilton before transferring to the Oneida clinic; Dunn was seeing patients at Bassett’s primary care in Clinton and will now see patients in Oneida. Dr. Paul Klawitter, who completed a non-operative sports medicine fellowship and is a member of the Orthopedic Division of Bassett Healthcare Network, will provide sports medicine, musculoskeletal and concussion care. The potential exists to add other practitioners at the Bassett Oneida Health Center as demand for services grows.

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