Provider Profile – Suzanne Childs, BHS Occupational Therapist

12:21PM / Wednesday, May 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

Across the country, there are nearly 135,000 Occupational Therapists, and Suzanne Childs, who provides this specialized care at the Center for Rehabilitation at BMC, says OT goes beyond helping someone regain their functions for work.

"We promote functional independence for people and help restore not only vocational skills, but also homemaking and daily living skills," said Childs. "Occupational Therapy covers the full range of activities people of all ages do to live functional, meaningful lives."

Suzanne has been with BMC since 1994 and has served as an Occupational Therapist in the Berkshires for nearly 30 years, most of that time in the outpatient setting. She came to the Berkshires after providing OT services in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and later New York state.

"Occupational Therapists often work together with Physical Therapists, but our roles are quite unique. PT focuses on improving the patient's ability to move their body, whereas I concentrate on improving my patient's ability to perform activities of daily living. We help our patients to do things beyond their PT care, such as brushing their teeth, getting dressed, making meals and all of their other everyday tasks that may have been impeded by an illness or injury."

Suzanne is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and completed her clinical education at Toledo Mental Health in Ohio and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Over the years, she has provided care for spinal cord injury, stroke, post-acute rehabilitation for children and young adults and general rehabilitation.

If you need Occupational Therapy or any kind of rehabilitative care, ask your primary care provider for a referral or call the Center for Rehabilitation at BMC at 413-447-2234.

Tags: BHS, BMC,

Pittsfield ConCom OKs Weed Treatment for Pontoosuc

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Tuesday, June 16, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pontoosuc Lake will be treated for weeds with a contact herbicide on Thursday, June 17.

Last week, the Conservation Commission OK'd a request for Diquat treatment on 53 acres of the lake.

"We have four non-native and invasive species, three of which we are controlling with the use of herbicides, and if we didn't do that control, the weeds would take over the lake and the shore," explained Lee Hauge, president of the Friends of Pontoosuc Lake and Lanesborough's harbormaster.

"All the shorelines would be unusable for swimming and even fishing, and you'd only have the center half of the lake, where you could do any boating or swimming if you could get out there."

Pittsfield and Lanesborough equally share the management of the lake and associated costs.

Hauge explained that underwater weeds were harvested for almost 20 years, and it was successful in making the lake accessible for swimming and boating, though over the years, he said, the process favored the propagation of Eurasian milfoil, which spreads by fragmentation.

"And so the result of that 20 years of harvesting control was the lake being choked by Eurasian milfoil, and the native desirable weeds were choked out of being able to grow because of the proliferation of the milfoil," he said.

The application is for 53 acres, and Pontoosuc will need to be treated again in August. This will require permission from the ConCom.

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