Fairview Receives 5-Stars for Overall Hospital Quality

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Fairview Hospital has been named a 5-Star Hospital by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  

The star ratings - five stars being the top rating - relate to patients' experience of care. The ratings are based on data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) at more than 4000 Medicare-certified acute care hospitals across the country. The HCAPHPS summary star rating combines information about different aspects of patient's experience of care.

The HCAHPS survey focused on three topics: composite topics, individual topics and global topics encompassing measures including: nurse communication, doctor communication, and responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, and communication about medicines, discharge information and care transition, patients’ perception of cleanliness of hospital environment and quietness of hospital environment, and hospital rating and willingness to recommend hospital.

Hospital Compare was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in collaboration with organizations representing consumers, hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations, and other federal agencies.The Hospital Compare web site can be viewed online.

New Camp Is Safe Place for Children Suffering Loss to Addiction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:26AM / Saturday, December 27, 2025

Last year's Happy Campers courtesy of Max Tabakin.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new camp is offering a safe place for children who have lost a parent or guardian to addiction. 

 

Director Gayle Saks founded the nonprofit "Camp Happy Place" last year. The first camp was held in June with 14 children.

 

Saks is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor who works at the Brien Center. One of her final projects when studying was how to involve youth, and a camp came to mind. Camp had been her "happy place" growing up, and it became her dream to open her own.

 

"I keep a bucket list in my wallet, and it's right on here on this list, and I cross off things that I've accomplished," she said. "But it is the one thing on here that I knew I had to do."

 

The overnight co-ed camp is held at a summer camp in Winsted, Conn., where Saks spent her summers as a child. It is four nights and five days and completely free. Transportation is included as are many of the items needed for camping. The camp takes up to 30 children.

 

"I really don't think there's any place that exists specifically for this population. I think it's important to know, we've said this, but that it is not a therapeutic camp," Saks said.

 

She said the focus is on fun for the children, though they are able to talk to any of the volunteer and trained staff. The staff all have experience in social work, addiction and counseling, and working with children.