Bassett Medical Center and The Clark Foundation Cut the Ribbon on the Harrison House Childcare Center

Barbara Mulhern, Daughter of Dr. Francis F. Harrison, Honored on Her 101st Birthday

Bassett Medical Center and The Clark Foundation held a ribbon-cutting on Saturday, September 26, to celebrate the soon-to-be-opened Harrison House Childcare Center on Bassett Medical Center's campus. The event also honored Barbara Mulhern - daughter of Dr. Francis F. Harrison, who was the namesake of the original Harrison House - on her 101st birthday.

Before the ribbon-cutting, Jane Forbes Clark, President of The Clark Foundation and Chair of Bassett Medical Center's Board of Directors, Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, President & CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network, and Amy Williams, Director of the Cullman Child Development Center, offered remarks to attendees, who included members of Mulhern's family, dignitaries, Bassett leaders, and others. Mulhern also addressed the audience to offer reflections on her childhood home and the evolution of the building as it plays a new part in community care before guests were invited for a view of the building's interior progress.

Honoring a Legacy of Care

Harrison House Childcare Center is named in honor of the historic Harrison House, once the home of Dr. Francis F. Harrison, who joined Bassett as an internist in 1928. He was named an associate in medicine in 1929 by then physician-in-chief Dr. George Miner Mackenzie. From 1963 to 1965, he served as acting physician-in-chief. Dr. Harrison's esteemed career at Bassett spanned 37 years.

"Dr. Harrison never lost sight of how important the delivery of quality rural healthcare is in this region," said Jane Forbes Clark. "And nowhere can Dr. Harrison's lasting influence be more felt than right here. His family, his property, his house, his dedication to rural healthcare, to those who deliver it, and to Bassett - they are all so strongly intertwined."

The exterior of the newly constructed childcare center replicates and preserves the historic look of the original Harrison House, a cherished part of Bassett Medical Center and the Village of Cooperstown. Inside, a state-of-the-art childcare facility will contain classrooms, common and service areas, and offices. Two playgrounds will also be constructed outdoors on the grounds.

"It makes me very happy to know that the staff in this new building will care for many, many children," said Mulhern in her address to guests. "My family and I are most grateful to Jane Forbes Clark, The Clark Foundation, and Bassett Hospital for the enormous effort and care that have gone into making the exterior of this new structure so closely resemble the home my parents built so many years ago. We are very proud that it bears my father's name."

"I would like to express my deep gratitude to Jane Forbes Clark and The Clark Foundation for bringing this transformative project to life," said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, President & CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. "Thanks to The Clark Foundation's incredible support and vision, we will soon make a critically needed service available to many local families."

Caring for the Next Generation

Harrison House Childcare Center, slated to open in December 2026, will provide care for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children. Care will be available during clinical work hours with flexible schedule options. Pre-enrollment is underway for Bassett employees and their families interested in pursuing care for their families.

"The Harrison House Childcare Center will be an absolutely amazing resource for our community," said Amy Williams, Director of the Cullman Child Development Center, the organization that is partnering with Bassett to operate the facility. "The Center will contain two infant classrooms that will serve children as young as six weeks old, two toddler rooms for children aged 18 months to three years, and two pre-school classrooms for children ages three and four. In addition, we will have three sick care rooms, which is a service that is unique to this area."

The Harrison House Childcare Center will employ more than 20 staff members and have space for 66 children each day. Childcare schedules will be flexible and based on the unique needs of healthcare staff - this includes extended evening hours and operating on many holidays.

"Childcare is incredibly important to Bassett and to the future of our communities. We know that access to high-quality, reliable childcare is not simply a family issue, it's a workforce issue - and for Bassett, a healthcare issue," said Thompson. "Our caregivers can only be there for their own patients when they know their own children are safe, cared for, and thriving. As the region's largest employer, we recognize the important role we play in helping strengthen the childcare resources available to our workforce and families throughout the communities. This new childcare center represents exactly the kind of investment that helps families build their lives here, helps employers attract and retain talented people, and ultimately makes our entire region stronger."

Construction is expected to be completed on the Harrison House Childcare Center in early November 2026. Bassett Medical Center's partner in the construction process is Eastman Associates.