Provider Profile – Suzanne Childs, BHS Occupational Therapist

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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.




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Pittsfield Schools to Reconsider Communication Policy

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools will revisit its cell phone and personal communication policies to ensure there are clear expectations. 

A mother had reported that an educator gathered student contact information, such as personal email and phone number, via a new school year form and wasn't pleased with the administration's response.  

After some heated testimony at the Sept. 23 School Committee meeting, the Policy subcommittee was charged with reassessing and clarifying the district's rules for electronic communication with staff.  

Superintendent Latifah Phillips has heard that parents want informed consent when their child's information is collected; this was confirmed by caregivers who spoke during public comment at the subcommittee meeting on Tuesday at the Mercer Administration Building. 

"The intention is for us to update the policy to have an expectation and requirement that parents are informed about when we need to collect student information," Phillips said. 

"I think the other piece around information we still need to gather is what are all of the ways that staff are needing to contact students so that we can know that whatever we write, it's broad enough for everyone's appropriate needs."

The administration will return in November with new proposed language to clear any grey areas. 

Phillips recognized times where it might be appropriate to collect student contact information, such as for field trips, clubs, athletics, or in Career Technical Education programs. She thinks there is a way PPS can get informed consent and meet the needs of staff, "which are, in most cases, well-intentioned."

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