Bassett Healthcare Network opened up a vaccination clinic, but within a matter of minutes it was full. Hospital officials held a press briefing to talk about the number of vaccinations they’re getting, but Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, the CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network explains how the hospital staff may now be facing a new crisis.

"While COVID numbers are beginning to trend in the right direction, the number of hospitalized non-COVID patients continues to be concerning," he said.

Patients have been putting off healthcare for so long it’s starting to catch up to them.

"And as a result, things that could have been handled sort of in a basic chronic conditions continued to progress and worsen to where now they’re really more acute in nature, and patients are no longer able to put their care off any longer," Ibrahim added.

The Bassett Healthcare Network is working to provide vaccinations to anyone in New York State’s Phase 1a and 1b program. Of the 5 hospitals in the network, Little Falls was recently the only hospital to receive a mere 100 vaccinations. Bassett's Network Pharmacy Director Dr. Kelly Rudd is frustrated about the lack of vaccinations, but realizes the benefit of what you do get. 

"Any amount that we get is an amount we can offer to our healthcare workers and our community, those 65 plus, so looking at the number of sites who aren’t getting vaccines, 100 doses is 100 more people that we can help."

Here's a link to any future vaccination clinics in the Bassett Healthcare Network, click here.