Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates Holding Meet & Greet Event in North Adams

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates, an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems, will hold a special meet and greet community event in North Adams, for the North Berkshire public to have the opportunity to speak with the specialists about comprehensive orthopaedic care, joint replacement and sports medicine services.

The event will be held on Tuesday, June 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mass MoCA, and will feature the surgeons of Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates and members of the Berkshire Health Systems orthopaedic care team. This free event will showcase the most advanced care and surgical and non-surgical techniques keeping people of all ages living life pain free and to the fullest and will introduce to the community the newest member of the Berkshire Orthopaedic team – Dr. Mahlon Bradley. Dr. Bradley is providing orthopaedic care out of the BOA office at the North Adams Campus of BMC.

The event will feature beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres, and people can attend at any point during the 6 to 8 p.m. timeframe. The event is free, but registration is recommended. To register, visit the Berkshire Health Systems website or call 413-447-2060.

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.