Letter: Berkshire Health Systems Celebrates Employee Month

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To the Editor:

Every May, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) celebrates Employee Appreciation Month, recognizing the dedication of our talented team of 4,000-plus employees. United by a shared mission, vision, and set of values, our integrated system provides coordinated care for patients across Berkshire County. This month, I invite you all to join me in thanking the BHS team for their work to advance health and wellness for everyone in our community.

Each facility, department, and individual member of the BHS team plays a unique and valuable role in serving the health and well-being of our region. The team at BMC, our system's community teaching hospital, drives our mission forward by delivering advanced care across a full spectrum of medical specialties, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and surgical facilities. The BMC team proudly serves our community's most advanced healthcare needs, providing everything from orthopedic surgery and cancer care to behavioral health, general surgery, and beyond. Our community teaching hospital receives crucial local support from our Critical Access Hospitals, Fairview Hospital and North Adams Regional Hospital, which offer 24-hour emergency departments and a range of inpatient and outpatient services. Our award-winning teams in North Adams and Great Barrington provide skilled, compassionate care, helping us keep care close to home for our North and South County patients.

The dedicated staff within our hospitals depend on the support of our outpatient services — including clinics, pharmacies, and home care services that deliver crucial screenings, treatments, and education needed to help patients live healthier lives. For instance, the staff at our newly opened Lenox Urgent Care and experienced nurses who answer the Nurse Line deliver convenient care and provide timely support for minor illnesses and injuries, especially when patients' primary care providers aren't immediately available. These are just two of the many outpatient teams that provide timely and routine care to support a healthier region.

No one component of this system could exist without the support and shared mission of our employees. On behalf of the entire BHS leadership team and Board of Trustees, please join us in celebrating these individuals. We are grateful for their unwavering commitment to serving our Berkshire County community.

Darlene Rodowicz
Pittsfield, Mass. 

 

 

 


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Pittsfield Council OKs Underground Fiber Network

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More underground fiber internet cables will be installed in Pittsfield. 

On Tuesday, the City Council approved Gateway Fiber's request to install an underground fiber network infrastructure within the city's right-of-way.  

The company was given the go-ahead for an aerial network last year alongside Archtop Fiber, marking the beginning of construction with a ribbon-cutting at the Colonial Theatre. Gateway Fiber will offer subscription plans ranging from $65 to $150 per month, depending on speed. 

Wards 3 and 4 will see the most work in the first phase, according to an underground fiber deployment plan.  Fourteen streets in Ward 4 will see underground fiber deployment; 13 streets in Ward 3.  

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant voted in opposition for personal reasons, as he signed up for Gateway Fiber briefly last year and said he had poor service and poor communication from the company. 

Some councilors and community members appreciated bringing competition to Spectrum internet services. Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey pointed out that it costs about $90 per month for 500 megabytes per second with Spectrum, and that all three fiber services that have come to Pittsfield are cheaper. 

Operations Manager Jennifer Sharick explained that they were seeking approval for underground fiber deployment as part of the next phase in Pittsfield. The city was found to be a "very" viable community for underground fiber. 

Gateway Fiber, she said, originally served a community of 250 residents outside of St. Louis, Mo. 

"Following the pandemic, we saw the need, and what people need for fiber and reliable internet service to bring residents and businesses the opportunity for connectivity," Sharick said. 

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