Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative Holding Additional Vaccination Clinics

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems and the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative are holding additional community vaccination clinics to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Berkshires. 
 
A clinic will be held in Pittsfield on Saturday, Jan. 8, and a Williamstown clinic will be held on Friday, Jan. 14.
 
"The Omicron variant continues to spread across the state and nation, and the Berkshires has seen a dramatic rise in positivity," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "While Omicron is more transmissible than its predecessors, the best defense is still full vaccination, including the booster. Breakthrough cases are occurring in the community, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health, initial vaccination doses and boosters have been shown to significantly lessen the severity of the illness in those cases, preventing hospitalization."
 
Pittsfield Clinic: Saturday, Jan. 8, 9 am to 2 pm, Berkshire Community College Patterson Field House: Open to anyone now eligible for vaccines and boosters. This includes adults, children 12 and older and the newest age group to be cleared for vaccination, those aged 5 to 11 years old. The clinic will offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccine and boosters for adults and first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 5-11.
 
Williamstown Clinic: Friday, Jan. 14, 8 am to 10 am, Williams College Field House, 82 Latham Street: This clinic is for those 12 and over, including adults and provides Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The hours may be extended depending on registration.
 
Pre-registration is required for both vaccine clinics. To register, visit www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org.
 
 

Tags: BHS,   BMC,   COVID-19,   vaccinations,   


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Former Miss Hall's Teacher Arraigned on Rape Charges

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former teacher pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to three counts of felony counts rape related to his tenure at Miss Hall's School.
 
Matthew Rutledge, 63, was indicted last month by a Berkshire grand jury following accusations dating back to the 1990s of sexually assaulting students at the girls' school. 
 
Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon, former students, publicly accused Rutledge abuse and called out the school for failing to protect them. 
 
On Wednesday, they provided testimony at his indictment and were in the courtroom to see their alleged abuser arraigned. 
 
Rutledge was working at the day and boarding school until the allegations surfaced nearly three years ago. Pittsfield Police investigated the claims but initially concluded no charges could be brought forward because the students were 16, the age of consent in Massachusetts. 
 
However, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office took up the investigation and, with information from a report commissioned by the school, a team of special prosecutors say they found Rutledge to have violated state law.

"This arraignment has been a long time coming. Thank you, Melissa and Hilary, for your patience. You have been waiting for justice not only over the past two years, but since the abuse first occurred," said Berkshire DA Timothy Shugrue at a press conference following the arraignment. "While today represents just one step in that ongoing process, I hope it has offered at least some sense of long over-due acknowledgment from the criminal justice system recognizing your experiences."

Simon and Fares urged others to release their shame from abuse such as this, as it was never theirs to hold, and continue to push for systemic change to prevent it from happening again.  
 
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