Adams Board of Health Dealing With VNA Loss
 The Board of Health is dealing with the loss of services from the VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health approved on Wednesday afternoon a temporary Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network service and looked at options to replace visiting nurse services possibly lost in the closing of Northern Berkshire Healthcare.
With the status of VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshires still uncertain, the board has been approached by different programs. The board funds public health nursing and MAVEN reporting and with North Adams Regional Hospital out of service, Adams has no working programs in place.
The VNA supplied flu and blood pressure clinics, and the MAVEN reporting, which is a disease surveillance and case management system.
The board was approached by the Berkshire Public Health Alliance, Gentiva of Greenfield and Berkshire VNA, an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems.
The VNA & Hospice may be provided funding to keep its doors open (it's currently in the process of having its federal license transitioned) but the board decided it was best not to commit to a program at this time
"I told these agencies that we aren’t just going to jump on anything and we need to wait and see what happens with the hospital," Administrative Assistant Susan Foster said.
In the interim, however, Adams has no MAVEN services. Berkshire Public Health Alliance has offered these services while the Northern Berkshire VNA support is procured.
Berkshire Public Health Alliance has only asked for a written temporary agreement and will charge $50 an hour, which is the same amount the board paid for past service. If nothing is reported, the service costs nothing.
"I think with the MAVEN we need to have someone on board at this point," board member Allen Mendel said.
Although the board has looked at the Health Alliance’s services in the past, members have demurred because of the high cost. The board’s contract with Northern Berkshire Healthcare was to run out June 30, the end of the fiscal year, but members wished to continue using the service if possible.
"We should table the two contracts that we are looking at so we can study them and determine what we need," Mendel said. "All indications show that there is something in the works at the hospital."
The board also discussed abandoned housing around Adams as well as an unsatisfactory apartment building at 84-92 Columbia St. The building has many code violations that the board will continue to monitor.
In addition, the board approved Animal Control officer Kimberly Witek as the new barn inspector.
Tags: board of health, VNA,
