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Williamstown Medical Changes Name, Relocates North Adams Offices

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Williamstown Medical Associates has changed its name to Williamstown Medical of BMC (Berkshire Medical Center) and relocated its North Adams offices.

The practice moved on Feb. 1 to the second floor of the main building of the North Adams Campus of BMC at 71 Hospital Ave. The suite has been fully renovated and refurbished and can be accessed through the main lobby. The practice had previously been in the Ambulatory Care Center.

Williamstown Medical became an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems at the end of 2013 and is now fully integrated with the BHS physician practices in order to gain advantages for the long-term health of the practice. Williamstown sought the affiliation because at the time it faced financial and support pressures, common to physician practices across the United States, that were threatening its ability to effectively serve the 12,000 patients who depended on it for care.

Changes in health-care policy and in the health insurance reimbursement system have challenged the viability of private physician practices. At the same time, health-care systems like BHS are increasingly relied upon to ensure current and future access to critical services for the community by investing in physician practices and ensuring they have the necessary support systems and financial stability and investment to succeed in the long-term.


"Through our partnership with Berkshire Health Systems, Williamstown Medical of BMC has preserved and strengthened the availability of primary care and other medical services in Northern Berkshire, and has enhanced the ability to coordinate and provide health services throughout the system and across the county for primary and specialty care services," said Dr. Anthony M. Smeglin, physician practice leader. "Our practice is stronger and BHS is continuing its recruitment of new physicians and advanced practice professionals to serve the residents of Northern Berkshire.

"In fact, we have a new physician assistant who will be starting soon. We are pleased to be teamed with the many other highly successful primary care and specialty physician practices in the BHS group."

Williamstown Medical of BMC has offices in Williamstown and North Adams, and phone numbers have not changed. For Williamstown the number is 413-458-8182, and in North Adams, 413-664-5710. The Williamstown location is also home to BHS Walk-In Care, providing care for non-urgent health situations on a walk-in basis, and open Monday through Friday from 10 to 6.

"We are pleased to welcome our North Adams office patients to the new facility," said Smeglin. "Berkshire Health Systems leadership worked with our staff to provide a modern, attractive and state-of-the-art space for our patients and our providers."


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MCLA in Talks With Anonymous Donor for Art Museum, Art Lab

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Andre Lynch, the new vice provost for institutional equity and belonging, introduces himself to the trustees, some of whom were participating remotely.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts may be in line for up to a $10 million donation that will include a campus art museum. 
 
President Jamie Birge told the board of trustees on Thursday that  the college has been in discussions for the last couple years with a donor who wishes at this point to remain anonymous.
 
"It's a donor that has a history of working with public liberal arts institutions to advance the arts that those institutions," he said.  "This donor would like to talk with us or has been talking with us about creating art museum and an art lab on campus."
 
The Fine and Performing Arts Department will have input, the president continued. "We want to make sure that it's a facility that supports that teaching and learning dynamic as well as responding to what's the interest of donor."
 
The college integrated into the local arts community back in 2005 with the opening of Gallery 51 on Main Street that later expanded with an art lab next door. The gallery under the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center had been the catalyst for the former Downstreet Art initiative; its participation has fallen off dramatically with changes in leadership and the pandemic. 
 
This new initiative, should it come to pass, would create a facility on MCLA Foundation property adjacent to the campus. The donor and the foundation have already split the cost of a study. 
 
"We conducted that study to look at what approximately a 6,500-square-foot facility would look like," said Birge. "How we would staff the gallery and lab, how can we use this lab space for fine and performing arts."
 
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