Pittsfield Medical Associates Awarded Medical Leadership Role at Berkshire Place

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Place has announced that Pittsfield Medical Associates is the new medical team providing lead physician oversight to its residents and patients.

Dr. Ellis Fribush will be the new medical director and Bruce Rosenhein will be the lead physician's assistant.  

Fribush has been practicing medicine since 1959, and is a cardiovascular specialist. He is well established in the community and highly regarded for his knowledge, expertise and compassion. Rosenhein has been practicing as a physician’s assistant for the past 17 years and specializes in internal medicine. These two individuals will take the lead in providing regular rounds for patients and provide medical oversight - including policy review, care recommendations, and quality assurance.


"We are fortunate to find such a high caliber, energetic, and engaged team who have the same high quality care philosophies as Berkshire Place. Dr. Fribush has been a visionary throughout his whole career and our staff is looking forward to his medical leadership," Edward Forfa, executive director, said. "This new opportunity for me and the practice has been invigorating, and to team up with such a jewel of an organization committed to quality care as Berkshire Place is an honor."

Pittsfield Medical Associates is a local, independent practice founded nearly 40 years ago and includes the 510 Medical Walk-In for urgent care, occupational health and minor emergencies. It also has a teaching affiliation with three local physician assistant programs.

Berkshire Place is an independent, non-profit organization that was established in 1888.  Services provided include short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation care, long-term care, outpatient rehabilitation, memory care support, comfort care/palliative care, respite care and home care services.

 

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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.

On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.

The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.

"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.

Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."

"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.

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