New Doctor Joins BMC's Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Team

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems announces the appointment of Dr. Neville Walker, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center and the physician staff of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Services of BMC.

Walker joins Dr. Marlyn Ramos-Lamboy in providing comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation services, and is accepting new patients.

He received his medical degree from New York College of Osetopathic Medicine and completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at New York University Langone Medical Center's Rusk Institute. He is a certified medical acupuncturist, achieving his certification from the Helms Institute.
 
Walker also has a clinical interest in treating musculoskeletal conditions that involve non-interventional spine management, sports injuries, and non-operative treatment of orthopedic injuries. He utilizes traditional as well as alternative methods for these conditions, some of which involve the use of osteopathic manipulative treatments and medical acupuncture.

For an appointment with Walker, ask your physician for a referral or call Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Services of BMC at 413-445-9353.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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