Biz Briefs: Williamstown Commons, Kimball Farms Named Best Nursing Homes by Magazine
Best of the best: Four of Berkshire Healthcare's skilled nursing facilities in Massachusetts have been named among the best in the commonwealth by US News & World Report. In the Berkshires, Williamstown Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center in Lenox were among 80 in Massachusetts selected by the national magazine. Other Berkshire facilities including Hunt Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Danvers and Pilgrim Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing in Peabody earned spots on the list.
US News evaluated more than 15,000 skilled nursing facilities nationwide, across each state and in 100 major metropolitan areas. Just over 2,000 nursing homes earned the designation as a US News Best Nursing Home.
Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center is part of the award-winning Kimball Farms Life Care Continuing Care Retirement Community in Lenox, the only life care community in Western Massachusetts. The nursing home specializes in short-term rehabilitation, long-term care and skilled nursing. Kimball Farms is a member of Berkshire Healthcare, a leader among not-for-profit, post-acute care organizations in Massachusetts. Kimball Farms is managed by an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems, the region’s leading provider of comprehensive health care services. For more information, visit www.kimballfarms.org.
Williamstown Commons holds a 5-Star overall rating from Medicare and in 2015 earned the Silver Achievement in Excellence Award from the American Health Care Association. Williamstown Commons is one of only 128 facilities in the nation, and one of only four facilities in Massachusetts, selected to receive the silver award in 2015. The competitive award program highlights select centers across the nation that serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality long term care. For more information, visit www.williamstowncommons.org.
Sweet partnership: Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is now working in collaboration with Sarah's Cheesecake & Cafe, a local restaurant right here in the Berkshires that cares about the community enough to give back. As volunteers from all over the Berkshires continue to help Central Berkshire Habitat build new homes, Partners like Sarah's Cheesecake & Cafe make sure those volunteers stay fed while on the job site. By donating food regularly, Sarah's Cheesecake and Cafe helps to fuel the city's efforts to move forward economically. And it is efforts like these that keep our streets clean and safe for future generations.
Right now, Central Berkshire Habitat is in the final stages of construction for two homes on Hall Place in Pittsfield. After completion, a new project will begin on Clarendon Street, where more volunteers will be needed to help hard working families find stability here in the Berkshires. Thanks to the support of Sarah's Cheesecake and Cafe and our other Restaurant Partners Program participants, these accomplishments will be that much easier to obtain.
Three-year program: Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has a new program that will allow highly motivated and hard-working students to complete a general business administration degree in three years, instead of the traditional four. MCLA is the first and only institution out of the nine universities in the Massachusetts State University System to offer this innovative program.
Enrollment in MCLA's Three-Year Business Administration Degree Program is full-time, across six regular semesters, plus two summer semesters. The program includes on-campus, hybrid and online courses, as well as summer internships. The program’s general business concentration allows students the flexibility to earn a business degree that conforms to their needs in a shorter time frame.
The Three-Year Business Administration Degree Program supports Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker’s call to reduce college costs, as a three-year business student will save on a full year's worth of room and board. Although most students generally take one or two summer classes during their time at MCLA, students in this program will enroll in additional courses during the summer sessions, and/or internships.
