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Williamstown Joins Countywide Board of Health

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The town is now on board with a countywide Board of Health.

The Board of Selectmen approved Monday signing a intermunicipal agreement that will put them on the board of directors on the newly formed Berkshire Public Health Alliance. The intent, organized by Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 21 of the county's boards of health, is to share services.

"It's not going to dilute Williamstown's services," Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Assistant Director Tom Matuszko told the board. "There is no financial obligation."

The alliance will either have inspectors employed or work with contractors to provide the towns with services, such as camp or pool inspections that towns need to do but for which there is not enough demand to hire a full-time employee. Another example is public health nurses, which many towns currently do not have, Matuszko said. The larger entity will also have a better chance at reeling in state and federal grants.

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"Our hope is the folks of Berkshire County will get better health services," Matuszko said.

Although Health Inspector Jeffrey Kennedy is qualified to do all the needed inspections, having a seat on the board would allow the town to contract in case of an emergency. Kennedy said if there is a large outbreak that endangers public health or if he becomes sick, the town will have the ability to pay for the service from the alliance.

While the exact details are still being worked out through a planning grant, towns would be allowed to contract for single inspections, all of a certain type of inspection or merely a block of time to do anything that is needed. The countywide effort has been in discussion for many years but is just now beginning to take off. The group will soon be applying for an additional planning grant as well as an implementation grant.

"This is an open-ended thing with a total upside and no downside," Town Manager Peter Fohlin said.

In other news, the board approved one-day liquor licenses for Williams College for the football team's home games and a common victualler license for Olympic Pizza. Olympic Pizza was also scheduled to return to the board for a liquor license.

The board also read proclamations to recognize Hunger Action Month and United Nations Day.
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BHS' New North County Urgent Care Center Opens Tuesday

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

There is a waiting area and reception desk to the right of the Williamstown Medical entrance. 
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Staff and contractors were completing the final touches on Monday to prepare for the opening of Berkshire Health System's new urgent care center. 
 
Robert Shearer, administrative director of urgent care, said the work would be done in time for Berkshire Health Urgent Care North to open Tuesday at 11 a.m. in a wing of Williamstown Medical on Adams Road.  
 
The urgent care center will occupy a suite of rooms off the right side of the entry, with two treatment rooms, offices, amenities, and X-ray room. 
 
"This is a test of the need in the community, the want in the community, to see just how much we need," said Shearer. "One thing that I think Berkshire Health Systems has always been really good at is kind of gauging the need and growing based on what the community tells us. 
 
"And so if we on day one and two and three, find that we're filling this up and maybe exceeding the capacity of the two exam rooms and one provider, then we look to expand it."
 
Hours will be weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from 8 to noon, but the expectation is that the center will "expand those hours pretty quick."
 
BHS has two urgent care centers in Lenox and in Pittsfield. The health system had tried a walk-in center at Williamstown nearly a decade ago but shuttered over low volume of patients. 
 
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