BMC to Host Suicide Prevention Conference In Early October

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 2025 annual Berkshire County Suicide Prevention Conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 7, hosted by Berkshire Medical Center, the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program, The Brien Center, Austen Riggs Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Berkshire County.

The event will be held from 8 am to 4:30 pm at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox, and continuing education unit (CEU) applications will be submitted for social workers, licensed mental health counselors, nurses, licensed alcohol and drug counselors and psychologists. Up to 6.5 CEUs will be available.

The theme of this year's event is Turning Awareness into Action: Community Tools and Resources for Suicide Prevention, featuring a keynote panel with panelists from Volunteers in Medicine (ViM) Berkshires, Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention (BCSP), Berkshire Pride, 18 Degrees, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Love of T, and NAMI Berkshire County. 

Sessions throughout the day will include:

  • Local, state & national trends and populations at risk
  • How to access local resources – keynote panel
  • Firearms & counseling on access to lethal means
  • Safety planning & risk assessment
  • Engaging clinical tools & resources

Early -bird price for participants earning CEUs is $70 and is available until Sept. 1. After that date, the cost for registration and CEUs is $85.  Registration with no CEU credit is $20 for early bird before Sept. 1 and $35 thereafter. To register and view the full conference agenda and presenter bios, visit BIT.LY/BCSPCONFERENCE25. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept.30.


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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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