Northern Berkshire Healthcare will host an open house

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NORTH ADAMS - Northern Berkshire Healthcare will host an open house on Thursday, May 8, to welcome the members of Northern Berkshire Obstetrics & Gynecology to new space on the third floor of North Adams Regional Hospital. The open house will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on May 8.

Charles O’Neill, M.D. and Susan Yates, M.D., with certified nurse midwives Carol Bryan and Robin Rivinus, will move into the newly renovated space on Monday, May 12.

The transition of OB/GYN services from Williamstown Medical Associates to the NBH family is the result of both organizations’ efforts to preserve this essential service for the community, as well as NBH’s intent to grow the service with additional clinical staff. NBH continues to actively recruit for a third physician.

“This is all about making sure that we continue to provide a critical service for our patients,” said Bob Calway, Vice President of Physician Services and Business Development. “We want to preserve obstetrics and gynecology in Northern Berkshire so patients don’t have to travel long distances for their care. This is the best way to do that.”

Carol Bryan, a certified nurse midwife who most recently lived in Oregon, joined the practice in March.

Renovations are being completed on the third floor to prepare space for the physicians, midwives, and support staff. The practice will move by May 12, to space that will include eight exam rooms, four offices, a procedure room, waiting area, and space for medical assistants. The new practice name is Northern Berkshire Obstetrics & Gynecology; the practice phone number remains (413) 664-4343.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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