BHS Hospitals Nationally Recognized For Cardiovascular Care

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — All three of Berkshire Health Systems’ hospitals – Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital and North Adams Regional Hospital – have received a total of 16 American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. 

"Achieving 16 recognitions for the exceptional care of cardiac patients shows the enormous commitment that the clinical staff of Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital and North Adams Regional Hospital have in providing the highest standards of care for our community," said Darlene Rodowicz, Berkshire Health Systems President and CEO.

For 2025, Berkshire Medical Center received a Commitment to Quality Award, signifying a hospital's dedication to high-quality, evidence-based care in areas like stroke, heart failure, and resuscitation, stated a press release. To earn this recognition, hospitals like BMC achieved Silver awards or higher in at least three of the AHA's Get With The Guidelines programs.  

"The many providers and staff at all three BHS hospitals can be proud of this remarkable achievement," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "BMC and Fairview have a long history of Get with Guidelines honors, and after being reopened for just over one-year, North Adams Regional Hospital is continuing that trend of excellence."

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association 2025 Statistical Update. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines. 

Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline put the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs, Berkshire Health Systems qualified for the awards by demonstrating how the organization has committed to improving quality care.  

This year, BHS received these achievement awards: 

Berkshire Medical Center

• Commitment to Quality Award 
• Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Referring Gold  
• CAD NSTEMI Bronze 
• Stroke Gold Plus 
• Heart Failure Gold Plus, Target: Heart Failure Optimal, Target: Diabetes  
• Resuscitation Bronze 
• Resuscitation Target CPR 

Fairview Hospital  

• CAD STEMI Referring Bronze  
• Rural CAD STEMI Gold 
• Rural CAD Non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) Bronze 
• Rural Heart Failure Silver 
• Rural Stroke Bronze 

North Adams Regional Hospital

• CAD STEMI Referring Bronze  
• Rural CAD STEMI Silver 
• Rural CAD NSTE-ACS Bronze 
• Rural Heart Failure Bronze 

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.