Bassett Healthcare Network Names Dr. Joseph Vukovic Associate Chief of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services in Cobleskill and Little Falls Regions

Bassett Healthcare Network is pleased to welcome Joseph Vukovic, MD, as an Associate Chief of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services. Dr. Vukovic will help lead and oversee Emergency Department operations across the network, with his main focus being the Emergency Departments at Cobleskill Regional Hospital in Cobleskill, NY and Little Falls Hospital in Little Falls, NY.

"I am excited to start in my new position as the Associate Chief and to provide care for the Cobleskill and Little Falls communities. I feel very strongly about providing the best possible care for patients and have always worked hard to do so," said Dr. Vukovic.

Dr. Vukovic joined Bassett Healthcare Network and began his new role in September 2026. He earned his medical degree at The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Albany Medical Center in Albany New York in 2013. Dr. Vukovic is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He previously practiced with St. Peter's Health Partners at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York.

One of Dr. Vukovic's proudest accomplishments was serving as co-creator of TeleSAFE, a telemedicine initiative launched in 2018 that connects rural and underserved emergency rooms that lack an on-site certified Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) with one virtually via a secure video call. SAFEs are expertly trained to provide care and support to sexual assault survivors, completing documentation and gathering forensic and photographic evidence to ensure survivors are treated with the dignity they deserve. Before this program was piloted, sexual assault survivors may have faced long wait times or even transfers to health centers in more urban areas during a very sensitive time. TeleSAFE has grown into a statewide program, with all hospitals in New York State eligible to receive services at no cost. Each of Bassett Healthcare Network's five hospitals receive TeleSAFE support.

"We are pleased to have Dr. Vukovic joining our leadership teams and look forward to benefiting from his unique perspective on providing vital care to patients in rural communities. The Emergency Departments at Bassett's Critical Access Hospitals - Cobleskill Regional Hospital, Little Falls Hospital, and O'Connor Hospital - provide care to patients facing life-threatening illness or injury close to home, significantly reducing the time they would otherwise have to travel to get care when seconds can make all the difference in their recovery," said Susan Oakes Ferrucci, DNP, MSN, RN, CNS, President of Cobleskill Regional Hospital and Little Falls Hospital and Chief Hospital Executive of Bassett Healthcare Network's Critical Access Hospitals.

Across Bassett Healthcare Network, a total of 77,864 patients visited Bassett Healthcare Network for Emergency Care in 2025. Cobleskill Regional Hospital is the only provider of emergency-level care in Schoharie County. Little Falls Hospital is the only provider of emergency-level care in Herkimer County. Emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.