North Berkshire Community Invited to Speak to Health Care Consultants

A health care consultant will hear from the community this Tuesday at the weekly meeting at the American Legion.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Community members will have a chance to provide their perspective on the medical needs of the community this Tuesday.

Representatives from Stroudwater Associates will attend the weekly meeting at the American Legion on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m.

Those interested in commenting should arrive early and sign in to speak. Comments should be in writing and be limited to two minutes. The public is invited to attend.

The health care consulting firm based in Portland, Maine, has been commissioned by the state to assess the health care needs and access for Northern Berkshire following the abrupt closure of Northern Berkshire Healthcare.

The weekly meetings have been hosted beginning at 5 p.m. each Tuesday by the unions that had represented workers at NBH, local chapters of 1199SEIU and the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

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.