NARH appointments
NORTH ADAMS – Charles E. Glass, M.D., and Michael K. Wilson, M.D., recently joined Williamstown Medical Associates and the medical staff of North Adams Regional Hospital.
Glass, a native of Wayland, is board certified in internal medicine. He lives in Williamstown with his wife, Emmanuelle, and their two daughters.
Wilson is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He previously worked at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. He lives in Williamstown.
The medical associates has offices on Adams Road in Williamstown and in the Ambulatory Care Center at North Adams Regional Hospital. Information: 664-5757.New orthopedist
NORTH ADAMS — Suk Namkoong, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with special interests in sports medicine, has joined Orthopedic Associates of Northern Berkshire and the medical staff of North Adams Regional Hospital.
Namkoong graduated from Princeton University and earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. He served his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at New York University’s Hospital for Joint Diseases. Namkoong has also served as assistant team physician for the New York Mets, the Brooklyn Cyclones and the New York University Athletics.
"Dr. Namkoong is a welcome addition to our medical staff at NARH," said Bruce Nash, M.D., president of the hospital, in a news release. "He is one of the few fellowship-trained sports medicine specialists in our region, and his skills and professional background are a good match to the community as well."
Namkoong will accept new patients. His office is in the Ambulatory Care Center at the hospital, Suite 107. Information: orthopedic associates, 664-6111.
Oral surgeon
NORTH ADAMS — John Michael Stewart, D.M.D., M.D., has joined Oral Surgery Associates and the medical staff of North Adams Regional Hospital.
Stewart joined Dr. David Rothschild in serving patients in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont.
In addition to traditional oral surgery and dental implantology, Stewart has experience in the treatment of facial skin cancer, corrective jaw surgery, sleep apnea and snoring, functional-eyelid-and-brow surgery, dermabrasion and scar revision, Botox treatment and facial laser resurfacing.
He comes to the area from Dallas, Texas. He earned his medical degree at the University of Texas and completed dental training at Boston University. He trained in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
Stewart met his wife, Bethany, also a dentist, at Boston University. She is taking time out of her practice to raise their two sons, one 2 years old, the other 3 months. The Stewarts were drawn to the Northeast by proximity to family in Saratoga, N.Y., the intimacy of small community life and seasonal climate, according to the hospital.
Stewart and Rothschild practice in North Adams at the Ambulatory Care Center at NARH. Information and appointments: 664-4100.
BMC specialist
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Medical Center has announced the appointment of Andrew B. Lederman, M.D., a specialist in minimally invasive surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy and weight-loss surgery for the treatment of severe obesity.
Lederman will initiate a program in the Berkshires for the surgical treatment of severe obesity, also known as "Bariatric surgery." Bariatric surgery promotes weight loss by restricting food intake and the absorption of calories. Gastric bypass surgery, done laparoscopically, involves reducing the capacity of the stomach and rerouting the intestines. The LapBand procedure uses an implanted device to reduce the size of the stomach, limiting the number of calories that can be ingested.
A Boston native, Lederman was a member of the Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. He has also served on the medical staff of Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., and Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Lederman received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed his residency training at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. He was awarded a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., where he also served as an instructor and associate in surgery. He has an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Yale University.
Lederman will practice with Robert D. Fanelli, M.D., F.A.C.S., at Surgical Specialists of Western New England, P.C., with offices at 510 North St. Information: 442-2462 or www.endosurgery.medem.com.
Mortelliti appointed
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Medical Center has announced the appointment of Michael P. Mortelliti, M.D., a specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine, to the medical staff.
Mortelliti will practice with Ricardo Cordon, M.D., Daniel Doyle, M.D., Boris Murillo, M.D., and Jack Ringler, M.D. — pulmonary and critical care medicine specialists with Berkshire Faculty Services at the medical center.
The center has the area's only 24-hour critical care unit staffed by a team of physicians and medical professionals specialized in intensive care services; Mortelliti will join the intensive care group.
He was a pulmonary and critical care physician at Parkland Medical Center, a community hospital in Derry, N.H. He also served as the director of a quality initiative intensive care program at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H.
Mortelliti received his degree from the University of Vermont School of Medicine, served his residency and internship at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. He has an undergraduate degree from Vassar College and a graduate degree from Columbia University.
Mortelliti is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He also is a member of the American Thoracic Society and American Medical Association and a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. Appointments and information: 447-2695.
New gastroenterologist
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Medical Center has announced that Ira Jay Schmelkin, M.D., a Mount Sinai Medical Center-trained gastroenterology specialist will join the Central Berkshire Gastroenterology Group at the center’s Medical Arts Complex, 777 North St.
Central Berkshire Gastroenterology has provided gastroenterology consultation and endoscopy services to the community for 35 years. Schmelkin will join Dr. Joel Colker, Dr. Larry Pellish and Dr. Arthur Wasser to provide consultative and endoscopic services.
Schmelkin received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He performed his internal medicine internship and residency, as well as his gastrointestinal fellowship, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He is a member of the American Gastroenterologic Association, American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society of Gastroenterology Endoscopy.
Schmelkin has been in private practice for 15 years in Great Neck, Long Island, where he was the founding senior partner of Great Neck Gastroenterology Associates. He specialized in gastrointestinal endoscopy, capsule endoscopy and liver disease and has extensive experience in diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy and endoscopy. He was an attending physician at North Shore University Hospital and New York University’s School of Medicine, where he taught clinical gastroenterology, as well as teaching at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Schmelkin is an internationally recognized authority on capsule endoscopy, a technology in which patients swallow a "camera pill" to visualize the intestinal tract. Since the federal Food and Drug Administration gave clearance for this device three years ago, Schmelkin has performed hundreds of the procedures, as well as having authored many studies and abstracts on capsule endoscopy and presentations and lectures on the use of the technology in community clinical practice.
Information or appointment: Central Berkshire Gastroenterology, 499-8590.
New practitioner
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Community Health Center of the Berkshires has welcomed Dr. Sokharith Mey to its medical staff.
Mey is a certified family practitioner available to provide complete health care for infants, children, adults and elders. He also treats orthopedic injury. Mey completed his family practice residency at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, Pa.
The Community Health Center of the Berkshires provides complete health care for patients of all ages, regardless of one’s ability to pay for care. To better serve the community, the health center expanded its hours as of Oct. 4. The center is open on Mondays from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Our mission, as a federally qualified health center, is to assure that all area residents have access to high quality medical care. We serve a mix of patients who have insurances, who have no insurance and those who are minimally insured,†said Debbie Phillips, clinic director, in a news release.
The health center’s staff consists of two physicians, Dr. Susan Johnson and Mey, family nurse practitioner Linda Leck and nursing and support staff. New and established patients are scheduled for same-day visits, whenever needed, and they are also scheduled for ongoing and routine care. Information or appointments, 528-8580.
Cardiology topics
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Area Health Education Center will hold a “Topics in Cardiology†program in the Medical Arts Complex’s fifth-floor conference rooms on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. Registration will begin at 5:30.
The program will update participants on ischemic heart disease, with a focus on acute coronary syndromes, to increase their knowledge of deep-vein-thrombosis treatment and prophylaxis in the acute coronary syndrome patient. Nurse practitioners Gayle Armstrong and Sharyn Hickey from Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington will be the presenters. Continuing education credits will be awarded to nurses; advanced registration is required. A $30 fee includes dinner, materials and a continuing education certificate. A $35 fee will be charged for registration after the Oct. 29 deadline. No refunds will be given after that time. Call the center if inclement weather threatens cancellation. Information or brochure: 447-2417 or www.berkshireahec.org.
Wreath project
NORTH ADAMS — North Adams Regional Hospital's annual Wreath Project will continue a holiday tradition of over 50 years in the Northern Berkshires.
About 100 volunteers will decorate an estimated 600 fresh evergreen wreaths within a week's time, raising thousands of dollars for the hospital's EXCEL Annual Appeal.
For the third year, the Wreath Project will occur prior to Thanksgiving, from Nov. 13-19.
"We wanted people to be able to enjoy their wreaths for as long as possible," said Wreath Project Coordinator Christine Lapedota, in a news release. "We also felt that people may be better able to volunteer before Thanksgiving, before the holiday season engulfs their spare time."
Wreaths will be decorated in the basement of Our Lady of Mercy Church at 635 State Road (Route 2). Volunteers are invited anytime from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays of Wreath Week, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday or noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Donations of acorns, pinecones and rosehips will be appreciated.
Nearly 2,000 area families and businesses received order forms in the mail in early October. Order forms are still available at the North Adams Regional Hospital gift shop and at the Women's Exchange on Cole Avenue in Williamstown. All wreath orders must be returned by Oct. 31.
Wreath sizes range from 12 inches to 36 inches, costing between $15 and $62, depending upon the size, type of decorations and bow. Information, or to volunteer: Lapedota, 458-5853.
Diabetes Expo
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Medical Center, the Salvation Army and the Pittsfield Lions Club are joining forces to present a health-care screening and education program focusing on diabetes.
The Diabetes Expo will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army. The event is free and open to the public, and WBEC radio will broadcast live from the site.
Throughout the day, health-care professionals from the medical center’s Accent on Health community Wellness Program and Diabetes Education Program will provide diabetes, cholesterol, vision and depression screenings and blood pressure testing. Participants will have access to nutrition information, lectures, Kid Care ID packages, healthy snacks and a dental health display. Anyone who donates a pair of used eyeglasses to the Lions Club will be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate.
According to the American Diabetes Association, over 18 million people in the United States, or just over 6 percent of the population, have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, another 5.2 million people — or nearly one-third — are unaware that they have the disease. In addition, 41 million Americans have “pre-diabetes,†which occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Information: Candace Lusa, RN, 395-7942.
Health grant
BENNINGTON, Vt. — A three-year, $1.5 million federal grant will help Southwestern Vermont Health Care develop a fully electronic health record, according to a news release.
The new record will be able to follow a patient from the primary care office, to the hospital, nursing home and home health agency. The grant, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is part of a federal effort to prove the value of computer technology in health care.
"Technology is crucial to improving the quality of health care," said Harvey M. Yorke, president and CEO of the hospital, in the release. "However, paying for technology is one of the biggest challenges facing rural hospitals and health systems. This grant ensures that we can continue to offer the highest quality care anywhere."
An electronic health record is part of a larger patient safety effort at the health-care facility. The system itself is more than simply a medical record that can be viewed on a computer. Eventually, the electronic health record will include lab tests, x-rays and notes from physician offices, home health services, centers for living and rehabilitation, as well as from hospital-based physicians and therapists.
"Integrating all this information into one record is extremely important for patient safety," said Robert Pezzulich, M.D., the health care center’s chief medical safety officer. "It will help make sure that doctors know a patient's diagnosis, medications, treatments and other information. With paper charts, this information remains locked in a physician's office when the office is closed. That means emergency room doctors must rely on the patient and family members for critical information. Soon, it all will be at hand."
The system also will contain a feature known as decision support. Decision support helps doctors and nurses by double checking the orders they write or the procedures they perform. For instance, if a doctor accidentally prescribes the wrong medicine or a dose that's too high, the system will alert the doctor. It also will come with standard sets of orders that will help ensure that physicians are incorporating the latest recommendations for care.
The first year's efforts will focus on a pilot study of five private physician practices and hospital-based records. The second year will expand private physician access and add Home Health to the system. By year three, the health care center will integrate the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation and eventually provide patients access to their own records.
The research grant will require the health care center to collect data that will help determine if this generation of health technology lives up to its promise of better care. Pezzulich will be the principal investigator on research.
"We are leading hospitals our size," Pezzulich said. "For years, SVHC has been focused on collecting data to make us better. This flows naturally from that. And, our research will help set the standards for clinical information systems at hospitals everywhere.â€
Southwestern Vermont Health Care is a community-based not-for-profit health care system. Founded by a gift from Henry Putnam Sr., SVHC continues to depend on the generosity of donors to provide the highest quality health care.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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