Health, Hope and Healing Around the Holidays Health Programs at Fairview Hospital

04:10PM / Sunday, November 19, 2023Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Fairview Hospital and Berkshire Health Systems will offer "Health, Hope and Healing Around the Holidays," a series of free health programs to support our community during the holiday season.

The program is offered as part of the Berkshire Health Systems role as healthcare partner and community advocate for improving the region's overall quality of life.

Programs include:

Approaching the Holidays with Better Health in Mind: Nov. 28 4:00 -5:00 p.m. The holidays can be a slippery slope when it comes to staying healthy and avoiding the overindulgence that accompanies the season. Emotions, stress and even exhaustion can lead us to let down our guard. Join Fairview nutritionist Meg McGonagle,RD, for a discussion about common challenges and smart strategies for approaching holiday eating and drinking events, common triggers, and getting back on track when you slip, in order to enter the new year on a healthy note.

Finding Joy - Nov. 30 10:30-11:30 a.m. There really is both physical and mental health benefits associated with laughter, fun and joyful activities. During the holidays, it is especially important to find joy, even if there are moments of loneliness or sadness. BHS Director of Wellness, Maureen Daniels, M.Ed, will lead a discussion over a morning cup of tea. Together, we will explore what brings you joy and create a plan for adding more joy into your life by recognizing the power of simple, small moments that bring joy if we see them.

Coping with the Holidays: Dec. 5 2:00-3:00 p.m. Traditions and celebrations can spark feelings of loss or sadness for many people during the holiday season. Tricia Lewis, LICSW, a health counselor with BMC Healthworks, a member of BHS' Employee Assistance Program, will discuss the importance of recognizing and accepting these feelings and explore ways to navigate this sometimes very difficult time of year.

Resolutions: A NEW You or a BETTER You? Dec. 7, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. It's the time of year we often commit to new goals only to find ourselves with a sense of failure just a few weeks into the new year. To prepare for successful resolutions in the coming year, join Rich Berry, RN, Coordinator of Fairview Hospital's Life Enhancement Program, to learn how to set goals and helpful tips and strategies, and how to restart if you get off track.

Trees of Light, Dec. 12 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. It's the season of light, and no matter what your tradition is or is not, lights are everywhere. We welcome the community as we light a new installation of year-round lighting at Fairview Hospital. Charles Redd, Officer of DEI and author of Berkshire Health Systems' Dignity Posts, hosts this celebration of the lighting and shares his reflection on dignity and light as we turn on the lights of care at Fairview Hospital.

Coping with Cancer During the Holidays: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to facing cancer during the holidays. Join Sue Budz, LICSW, OSW-C, and Shannon Wellauer, RN, OCN of the Phelps Cancer Center for a conversation about how to cope with having cancer or how to care for a loved one with cancer, during the holidays. Learn tips and strategies for planning, prioritizing, and taking care of yourself and others during this holiday season. Most importantly, understand that you are not alone on this journey with the region's trusted cancer caregivers.

Reservations are accepted but not required. For more information, call Fairview Hospital Community Relations at (413) 854-9609.

Tags: BHS,

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Lee Wants Bioremediation in Housatonic River Vernal Pool Study

05:24AM / Thursday, September 03, 2026

LEE, Mass. — The town has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric to include PCB bioremediation in its vernal pool study on the Housatonic River.

Lee officials are urging the EPA to require GE to add a bioremediation treatment arm to the vernal-pool study or provide the public with a clear explanation for why such testing is being excluded.

"This is exactly the kind of question EPA and GE should be asking before final remedy decisions are locked in," Select Board Chair Bob Jones said in a statement released to the press. "The town is not asking to slow the cleanup. We are asking EPA and GE to make the cleanup smarter, less destructive, and more protective over the long term."

An open house was held in Pittsfield earlier this summer for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A of the Housatonic River, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.

EPA has required GE to conduct a Vernal Pool Pilot Study as part of the Housatonic River Rest of River remediation, comparing excavation and restoration with activated-carbon-based treatments, including a product called SediMite and powdered activated carbon, the town said.

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned of polychlorinated biphenyls in total, five with excavation and five with active carbon, and seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years.

The Lee PCB Advisory Committee wrote a letter calling for the 21st-century approach it said could reduce long-term toxicity, avoid unnecessary destruction of sensitive habitats, and improve the effectiveness of the cleanup.

It states that Lee supports the study's purpose and agrees that EPA and GE must understand how cleanup activities affect sensitive vernal-pool ecosystems.

"The current pilot includes 10 treatment pools and seven control pools, while local officials understand that roughly 100 vernal pools may occur in the broader remediation corridor," the Aug. 27 letter reads.

"That makes the pilot study consequential: the methods tested now could shape how many sensitive wetlands are excavated, reconstructed, treated, or left with PCBs managed in place."

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