Coalition Brainstorms Topics for Monthly Forums
 Justin Inhe, CEO of the Northern Berkshire YMCA, center, makes a point during the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition monthly forum Friday. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Six months after North Adams Regional Hospital closed its doors, health care issues were still on the minds of the 100 people who joined together for the first Northern Berkshire Community Coalition monthly forum of the fall on Friday.
The meeting was the annual September Needs Assessment Forum, which is held to set the agenda for the monthly discussions for the year ahead. Many topics were thrown out by the group, most of whom work for a nonprofit or social services agency.
"No idea is wrong," Coalition Executive Director Al Bashevkin said in introducing the brainstorming session.
But health and wellness issues kept resurfacing as topics that need to be investigated.
"We have a serious issue in our community with obesity and pre-diabetes and diabetes," said Justin Inhe, CEO of the Northern Berkshire YMCA.
Inhe said the YMCA is starting some new initiatives, including a "Wellness Wednesday" series during which adults can use the YMCA free of charge on the third Wednesday of the month.
Jennifer Munoz, director of the Growing Healthy Garden Program, said she sees a need for an urgent care clinic in the region, something to fill a gap between when primary care services are available and when the newly reopened emergency department isn't necessary.
"[We can] teach people how to access services more appropriately," she said.
Robert Dean, who manages Navigation for Caregivers, also suggested that an update of what's happening at the former North Adams Regional Hospital could be helpful. (Representatives from Northern Berkshire Healthcare had frequently attended the monthly forums.) And representatives from agencies that work with senior citizens suggested focusing on cultivating a healthy aging community.
Forums focusing on services for the older population also dominated the discussion. Dean said that Berkshire County has one of the highest population rates of senior citizens in the state, and Bashevkin noted that the imminent retirements of the Baby Boomer generation would have an impact on many different aspects of life.
"It means something in terms of all the jobs we have," he said.
On the other end of the spectrum, opportunities for youths were suggested as an important topic, from anti-bullying to youth leadership opportunities in programs like 4H or Scouts to affordable and accessible child care services.
Other topics suggested included affordable housing, transportation challenges, preventing urban blight, energy prices and climate change, preventing violence in the community, neighborhood-building, suicide prevention and civic engagement.
Bashevkin said Coalition employees would whittle down all of the topics to about 20 and present them to the attendees of the forum via email for a vote on the top five to pursue. In the meantime, the October forum, set for 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3, already has been set and will focus on "Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment."
As the Coalition kicks off its 29th year, Bashevkin said he was pleased to see such a large turnout of concerned community members with so many great ideas to better the region.
"We're definitely weird," he said. "When you look at the state, we do things differently."
