BCC Now Admitting Students into Respiratory Care Program

08:05AM / Friday, March 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is now accepting applications for the fall semester for its Respiratory Care program.

The program is part of a workforce development pipeline at Berkshire Health Systems (BHS), otherwise known as the "talent pipeline," which is designed to create a direct career path from education and training to full-time employment at BHS.

The largest employer in the Berkshires, BHS covers the cost of all training in its pipeline programs and also offers trainees full-time pay with benefits while they are completing their training.

"In as little as two years, students can earn an associate degree in respiratory therapy at BCC, then complete their training at BHS, where respiratory therapists are in demand," said Lori Moon, BCC Dean of Nursing. "It's a fantastic partnership that benefits both BCC students and the growing healthcare workforce in the Berkshires."

Respiratory care practitioners help treat patients with a wide range of cardiopulmonary illnesses, including asthma or heart failure. Respiratory care includes diagnostic testing and administering oxygen, various other gases and aerosol drugs.

BCC's two-year Respiratory Care program, a sequence of lecture, laboratory and clinical courses, prepares students to become Certified Respiratory Therapists (CRTs) and Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs). The program combines coursework and hands-on training, emphasizing the rigorous technical and academic competencies required of a respiratory therapist. Students who complete the program are eligible to take the National Board for Respiratory Care examination.

Graduates of the program are employed in diverse areas of healthcare, holding positions such as neonatal/pediatric specialists, adult critical care specialists, pulmonary rehabilitation specialists, critical care transport therapists, home-care therapists, clinical educators and many more. The projected average salary of respiratory therapists working in the United States is more than $73,000 per year. In Massachusetts, respiratory therapists earn a median wage of $73,000 to $87,000.

The Respiratory Care program at BCC is accredited by The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).? For more information, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/respiratory-care.

Tags: BCC, BHS, BMC,

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Pittsfield E-Bike Rider Injured in Collision

Staff reportsiBerkshires
10:00AM / Wednesday, August 19, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man on a motorbike was injured after being struck by a vehicle on Wahconah Street on Tuesday.

Just before 3 p.m., police, firefighters and Action Ambulance were called to the 400 block of Wahconah Street, near the former Bel Air Dam, for a report that a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle.

Upon arrival, first responders found a 22-year-old man, later identified as Girey Rivera of Memorial Drive, lying in the northbound lane with "obvious injuries." Police say he was struck by a vehicle operated by a Lanesborough resident.

"Initial investigation showed that Rivera was actually riding an e-motorcycle southbound on Wahconah Street and attempted to move between stopped traffic to cross the northbound lane when he was struck by a 2014 Honda CRV being operated by Louis Baker of Lanesborough, traveling north," police wrote on Tuesday.

"Baker was uninjured in the collision and Rivera was transported to Berkshire Medical Center with potentially life-threatening injuries."

Wahconah Street was closed for about four hours between Wilson Street and Bel Air Avenue while the accident was investigated and cleared up. The roadway was opened at around 7 p.m.

Next to the roadway in this area is the site of the former abandoned Bel Air Dam, which contractors have been in the process of removing.

The accident remains under investigation by the Pittsfield Police Traffic Unit. Anyone who may have witnessed the accident or may have witnessed this vehicle traveling on Wahconah Street shortly before the accident is asked to contact Sergeant David Hallas at 448-9700 Ext. 560.

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