BMC Awarded $3M for Health Care Center in North Adams

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center will receive $3 million in state funding to create a "Patient Centered Medical Neighborhood" in North County.

That's on top of the $6 million that BMC is planning to invest in upgrades and expanded services announced on Tuesday.

The state award will help fund initiatives to align with the findings of the Stroudwater Associates' health needs report for North Berkshire.

Dr. Marc Pettus, BMC's director of medical education and population health, told WAMC Northeast Public Radio on Wednesday that the funds would be used to create a multi-care center at the former North Adams Regional Hospital in early part of 2015.

BMC was one of 28 community hospitals awarded $60 million in funding Wednesday by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. The awards were part of Phase 2 of the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation (CHART) Investment Program designed to address community and behavioral health needs.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.