BHS Offering Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

02:19PM / Friday, February 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With COVID-19 still impacting the region, Berkshire Health Systems is expanding its vaccination program with special vaccine clinics, specifically for children.

These pediatric clinics will provide COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 and will be held the first Saturday of each month, beginning March 5 at the BHS Vaccine Center, 505 East Street in Pittsfield, from 8am to noon.

Each child being vaccinated must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Appointments are required and can be made by calling the BHS COVID-19 Hotline, 855-BMC-LINK, or 855-262-5465 or by booking an appointment online through the child's Berkshire Patient Portal account. If there are any questions about setting up a Patient Portal account for a child, call 413-447-2505 or email berkshireportal@bhs1.org.

BHS recognizes that vaccination can be anxiety-inducing, particularly for children and has specifically designed these clinics with children and their well-being in mind. BHS will not be offering adult doses during these clinic hours. The pediatric clinics will be staffed by skilled and knowledgeable pediatric nurses and emergency personnel will be standing by to offer support, if needed.

According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control, there have been nearly 2 million cases of COVID-19 within the 5 to 11-year-old age group during the pandemic. COVID-19 can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death. Children are as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults and can get very sick from COVID-19. In addition, they can have both short and long-term health complications from COVID-19 and can spread the virus to others at home and school.

As of mid-October 2021, children ages 5 through 11 years have experienced more than 8,300 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and nearly 100 deaths from COVID-19. In fact, COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5 through 11 years.

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

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Lenox Applying for Housing Rehab Program

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:35AM / Thursday, February 05, 2026

LENOX, Mass. — The town is applying for a federal Housing Rehabilitation Program to help low- and moderate-income residents fix their homes.

The Select Board last Wednesday voted to authorize Bailey Boyd Associates to apply for the Community Development Block Grant funding for fiscal 2026.

The grant is up to $1,150,000 and will help with the renovation of 13 homes with zero-percent interest, deferred-payment forgivable loans.

Cassie Boyd Marsh, president of Bailey Boyd Associates, a community development consultant, explained how the program will work.

"The program prioritizes health and safety, including weather, vacant and other health and safety issues, septic, repair and replacement, roofs, windows, insulation, siding," she said. "We kind of work from the most demanding things in and so we're looking to apply for the next round, because the wait list is so long, we think we could keep applying year on year. That's the goal for as long as there's a need in Lenox."

Marsh said Lenox and Sandisfield have the option to apply together for upwards of $1.25 million, which would help about 13 units with repairs of up to $70,000.

"We can spend up to $70,000 per home. That's a 15-year, zero percent deferred forgivable loan, meaning that if you stay in your home, you don't pay it back. And with each year that passes, 1/15 of your loan is forgiven if you do happen to move and sell your home, the remaining loan comes back to the town of Lenox, which can be put toward programs like this," Marsh said.

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