BMC Listed Among Heart Association Award Recipients

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center has been recognized in the Best Hospitals Issue of U.S. News & World Report by the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association for its performance in treating heart failure and stroke patients using the association's Get With The Guidelines program.

BMC joins other performance achieving hospitals featured in an insert in the August "America’s Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report recognizing those medical centers that achieved benchmarks in the association's program.

A national leader in the Get With The Guidelines program, BMC is recognized as having achieved Gold Plus recognition, the highest level of achievement, for two or more consecutive years of adherence in heart failure and stroke. BMC was the first hospital in the United States to be honored with awards for both stroke and heart failure, holding seven consecutive yearly awards for outstanding care of stroke patients and six consecutive yearly awards for care of patients with heart failure.

GWTG is a hospital-based quality improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. The program provides three modules that address coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.


Upon meeting each module’s criteria, hospitals are recognized if at least 85 percent of their heart failure or stroke patients are treated and discharged according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s recommendations, which lead to better patient outcomes.

"The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants," said. Dr. Lee Schwamm, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chairman of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Health-care providers who use Get With The Guidelines are armed with the latest evidence-based guidelines and immediate access to clinical decision support, using a set of tools that have been shown to improve delivery of evidence-based care. The goal of this initiative is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disability among patients with heart disease and stroke."
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Multiple Departments Respond to Lanesborough Structure Fire

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Multiple fire departments responded to a structure fire off Narragansett Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Fire Department received a call from the owner of 6 Bangor St. reporting smoke and flames at around 1:44 p.m.

Firefighters arriving on scene reported heavy smoke emanating from the 1940s single-family ranch home in the thickly settled neighborhood.

The blaze was brought under control in less than an hour and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. 

"The homeowner was outside doing some work, evidently, opened the door when she came back in the house, and there were flames and smoke, so she backed out and called us, and that's all we know right now," Deputy Fire Chief Glen Storie said around 2:35 p.m. 

The fire was out at that time, and first responders observed "quite a bit of damage" to the home. The cause is still under investigation. 

Lanesborough, Cheshire, and Pittsfield departments responded to the scene, and Hancock covered the station during the call. 

"The first crew in knocked the fire right down with the first engine," Storie said. 

Smoke could be seen coming from the back of the home. Part of Narragansett Avenue and Bangor Avenue were blocked off while firefighters battled the blaze. 

 

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