From the Archives...  The following article originally appeared in the Business Review back in 2003. As we look to the future and plan our growth, we don't want to forget our past and will periodically post archived articles.

On the Job - A few words with Dr. Stephen Hassett

Albany Business Review
Friday, September 19, 2003

We asked Dr. Stephen Hassett, a principal at EmUrgentCare, an urgent care center offering medical services from [9] a.m. to 10 p.m. 365 days a year, to give us some thoughts about the health care industry and insight into his personal life. The Business Review questions appear in bold.

How long have you been a practicing physician, and what is your specialty?
I have been a physician since 1999 with a specialty in emergency medicine.

How long have you been planning to set up an extended-hours health facility in Greene County and why did you decide to set up such a center there?
The initial concept of establishing an urgent care center occurred to me during medical school. We moved to Coxsackie for my residency training at Albany Medical Center in 1999. It became obvious relatively quickly, by living here and getting involved in the community, that there was a significant lack of available medical services.

What kinds of services will you offer?
EmUrgentCare will provide medical treatment on a walk-in basis for individuals with urgent medical problems. We have X-ray and lab services on-site and anticipate seeing a wide variety of medical issues including earaches, pneumonia, lacerations, fractures, sprains and allergic reactions. Basically, the purpose of an urgent care center is to take care of any medical problem a person may have when they are unable to get an appointment with their primary care physician or are unwilling to spend a potentially long wait time in a hospital emergency room. Importantly, if someone is in a truly life-threatening situation they should go directly to the hospital emergency department via ambulance, however, we will be equipped to stabilize any unexpected emergency that occurs within our office.

What size staff will you have?
We expect to have 11 or 12 full- and part-time employees initially. We will expand our staff as demand for our service increases.

Where do you expect your patients to come from?
We expect patients will come from all over Greene County, southern Albany County, and even potentially from across the river in Columbia County.

What kind of financial and other support have you received?
The majority of our financing has been obtained through a local bank, The National Bank of Coxsackie, with additional security from the NYBDC and the SBA. We are hopeful to receive a small percentage of funding from local grants for which we have applied. We could go on for pages and pages with the other support we have received. Sandy Mathes, executive director of the IDA and county legislator, has been invaluable by helping us with marketing and promotion, as well as introducing us to business leaders who can utilize EmUrgentCare's occupational health services. The Executive Connection is helping us put together a tremendous staff. Flach Development and all of their subcontractors are doing a great job on our facility at the corner of Routes 9W and Route 81 in Coxsackie. Finally, we couldn't do any of it without our family and friends and the overwhelming community support.

What do you like about working in the Capital Region?
The diversity of the region and its growth potential are very appealing. The people have been kind and extremely welcoming. We enjoy living in a more rural community with the advantages of being close to several large cities.

How did you choose your career?
I have been involved in medical services for over 24 years. I spent 18 years as a paramedic and firefighter in Maine prior to medical school. Advancing to the position of a physician was simply an obvious path for me to follow.

How did you get started in the health care field?
I witnessed a terrible automobile accident when I was in high school and became determined at that time to never again be in the situation of witnessing an accident and not being able to help. I trained to become an emergency medical technician and worked as a volunteer with the local ambulance service. This is one of the reasons I remain so committed to emergency services today. I have volunteered my services to the towns of Coxsackie, Ravena, New Baltimore and Coeymans as medical director, providing advice, training and information to those municipalities whenever possible.

What do you find most challenging about your job?
Keeping abreast of the tremendous volume of new medical advances and treatments.

What do you like most about your job?
With emergency medicine you never know what you are going to see next. I like that because it forces you to constantly think about the best way to treat each patient.

What was your toughest business decision?
To be perfectly honest, we have such a talented and cohesive team that any problem or challenge we have encountered has been met as an opportunity and not a threat. It seems that the resolution of every obstacle ended with a better outcome than we would have previously achieved. With any luck that trend will continue.

Do you recall a turning point in your career?
Resigning from the fire department to prepare for medical school was the biggest turning point in my career.

What businessperson do you most admire and why?
There are many, but foremost is Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines. Kelleher's philosophy is completely customer-oriented. Southwest employees are encouraged to generate ideas that will benefit the firm, they are empowered to make decisions that make customers happy, and they are generously rewarded. I am excited about creating a similar work environment at EmUrgentCare.

What is your education/work background?
I progressed through the Emergency Medical Services system from the level of basic emergency medicine technician to paramedic. I worked as a paramedic and firefighter with the city of South Portland, Maine, for many years while also volunteering at various town rescue and fire departments. I then attended the University of Southern Maine where I received a bachelor's degree in biology summa cum laude. My doctor of medicine degree is from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. I then completed a three-year residency in emergency medicine at Albany Medical Center.

What book is currently on your nightstand?
I wish I could say that I'm reading a pleasure book, but I'm not. I'm reading the emergency medicine oral board exam preparation materials. I successfully completed the written board exams last October and I'm scheduled to take the oral board exams in September. I will then be board-certified in emergency medicine.

What are your favorite stress relievers?
Fly-fishing and bird-hunting.

Where do you go on vacations?
Maine to visit family and friends or the Caribbean for sun, sea, rest, relaxation and rum drinks.

What is your favorite local restaurant?
Definitely the Quarry Steakhouse on Route 26 in Climax. The food is consistently good and the owners, Dave, Trudy and Sharon Merchant are exceptionally kind, community-minded people.

Click here to see the entire article on the Business Review's website.