Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates Affiliates with Berkshire Health Systems

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates, a provider of orthopedic care in the Berkshire region, has entered into an affiliation with Berkshire Health Systems.

“Through this affiliation, Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates will be able to preserve and strengthen the availability of orthopedic services across Berkshire County,” said Dr. Kevin Mitts, division chief of orthopedics at Berkshire Medical Center and a surgeon with the practice. “In addition, this agreement gives us critical access to a variety of support services, including assistance in recruiting new physicians and other providers to serve our community’s orthopedic needs. In fact, two new orthopedic surgeons will be joining our practice in the coming months.”

 Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates features doctors Kevin Mitts, Jeffrey Cella, Anthony DeFelice, Mark Sprague, Michael Nancollas and David Grygier. The practice provides comprehensive orthopedic services, including surgical and non-surgical approaches, advanced Joint Replacement surgery for knees, hips, shoulders and ankles, specialized hand surgery and rehabilitation care. 

The physicians of Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates are joined by a team of highly specialized physician assistants who are experts in orthopedic care.

This affiliation helps to stabilize the physician practice and ensure continued and expanded access to these orthopedic care services. Growing 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. 

By becoming an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates continues to serve its existing patients, but has the enhanced ability to provide access to new patients through the support of Berkshire Health Systems’ intensive physician recruitment program. 

 Daily operations of Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates will remain unchanged, and patients will see no differences in their relationship with their individual physician or the practice. Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates will see patients in three locations in the county – in Pittsfield at its 24 Park Street offices on the first floor of the Crane Center for Ambulatory Surgery building; in Great Barrington at Fairview Hospital, in the Doctor’s Building, 27 Lewis Avenue; and at a new office in North Adams, at the North Adams Campus of Berkshire Medical Center. 

 This new affiliation continues many years of collaborative effort between Berkshire Health Systems and the surgeons of Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates, to assure the availability of these important services for people in the region.


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Lanesborough Board OKs Budget, Warrant Article Changes

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board  last week approved the fiscal 2027 draft budget and made slight changes in the warrant articles impending town vote.

The proposed spending plan has an increase of a little over 10 percent. Some of the main budget increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.

Another notable increase was in the life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.

"I'd like everybody to know that the Town Hall staff, everybody, the Police Department, Fire Department, the DPW, they really looked over their budgets and went down to bare bones. I want to give them credit for that, because I think the townspeople should know that we are not only as a Select Board, as a town administrator, we are all looking to keep our taxes within a reasonable amount," said Chair Deborah Maynard.

"And I want you all to realize that the town staff and the departments have really brought their budgets down to bare bones. And I'm making this because the school department, in my opinion, and this is my opinion only, has not done their due diligence in bringing their budget under control over a 10 percent increase. I think regardless of what the insurance went up, I still think that they could have cut their budget a little more."

Maynard was the only no vote in endorsing the budget. 

The free cash warrant articles for the annual town meeting were approved with a couple of changes since last meeting.

The board added the transfer of $1,200 from free cash to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of all town-owned vehicles.

Instead of transferring $200,000 from free cash for the replacement of a fire engine, voters instead will be asked to transfer $380,000 from the fire truck stabilization fund and authorize the treasurer to borrow up to $700,000 with approval from the Select Board.

An article asking to increase the Zoning Board of Appeals membership from three to five members was  withdrawn as board member Michael Murphy felt it was not needed anymore.

Other changes was withdrawal of free cash article of $3,200 for the Assessors WebPro online search software after public comment from Barbara Hassan addressed a miscommunication with the assessors property card format. Officials want to find another way to get the information that will not cost the town.

The annual town meeting is Tuesday, June 9, at 6 p.m. Lanesborough Elementary School. The annual town election will take place June 16 at Town Hall with polls open noon until 8 p.m.

In other business, solar developer Kirt Mayland updated the board about the solar array project at Old Orebed Road and the work with EDF Power Solutions, which was the highest bidder on the project in 2022 and has been working to bring a solar array on the capped landfill.

The group recently finished an interconnection study with Eversource and connected with ISO New England to make sure they did not have any effects on the transmission system. The price was affordable with Eversource and can move forward if allowed.

EDF's last option agreement was terminated in January, and since 2022 it has been paying $5,000 to extend services, looking to extend again with the town. 

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