A.O. Fox Hospital Opens New Universal Inpatient Care Unit

Bassett Healthcare Network's A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta has opened a new universal inpatient care unit that will serve patients admitted to the hospital who require varying levels of inpatient care – from stable to more critically ill patients. The eight-bed unit opened on July 1.

“With the highest volumes of emergency department visits across Bassett Healthcare Network (25,837 visits in 2024 alone), A.O. Fox Hospital is uniquely positioned to care for patients in a more densely populated area,” says Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network and President of A.O. Fox Hospital. “The universal care unit, which houses 8 beds, contains acuity-adaptable rooms that have the resources to accommodate a wide range of patient care needs.

"We need more beds – and Fox is the perfect place to grow our space.”

This resource flexibility will allow A.O. Fox Hospital to admit more diverse clinical cases and reduce the need to transfer patients to Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown or out-of-network. Patients can receive treatment and heal in the comfort of a private environment close to home.

“A.O. Fox Hospital resides in the health system’s most populated municipality,” says Jonathan Daniel Croft, DO, Vice President of Medical Affairs at A.O. Fox Hospital. 

“It is in the best interest of Bassett Healthcare Network that we embrace Fox’s space and amenities to the fullest, including, importantly, inpatient accommodations. By opening more beds in a universal care unit, Fox is equipped to treat more patients and keep intensive care unit (ICU) beds open in Cooperstown for patients with the most critical care needs."

"Additionally," Croft says, "Bassett Healthcare Network’s partnership with Equum, a tele-critical care service, ensures we have 24/7 access to specialized critical care with on-call tele-intensivists.”

By offering more care resources at Fox, Bassett Healthcare Network will operate more efficiently across the region, preserving bed space in Cooperstown for high-level care needs like trauma and orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, heart surgery, and advanced cancer care and oncologic surgery.

Additionally, with a universal care unit and an increasing census of patients, A.O. Fox Hospital is a premiere location for practitioners, nurses, and other staff seeking to grow their careers in a dynamic clinical setting.

“Our goal is to gradually increase the beds we have open in the universal care unit at Fox,” says Angela Belmont, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at Bassett Healthcare Network. “By the end of this year, we aim to have eight beds. But this will grow in time, especially as we continue working to recruit caregivers. It will also be an opportunity for our terrific nurses and other caregivers at Fox to expand their skills.”

“I am committed to the success of A.O. Fox Hospital,” says Thompson. “Fox’s universal care unit is just one way Bassett Healthcare Network is investing in the Oneonta community. We will continue to expand surgical care options at Fox, with future plans to grow ear, nose and throat (ENT) and orthopedic services, among other disciplines. Additionally, in 2024, Friends of Bassett launched a $2 million fundraising campaign for a major expansion of FoxCare Center’s cancer treatment clinic. Fox has been serving Oneonta and its surrounding communities for more than 120 years. It is essential that we build the hospital as a critical resource within Bassett Healthcare Network. It is exciting to see the ways Fox is thriving as a location with growing space and capabilities.”