WILLIAMSTOWN-David M. Laplante of Springfield, VT, has been named president of Sweet Brook Care Centers, the 183-bed skilled nursing facility in Williamstown.
Laplante has an extensive background in health care administration, most recently as executive director of Linda Manor Rehabilitation & Extended Care Center in Northampton. He has also served as executive director of Sunrise Care and Rehabilitation Center in Holyoke, as well as a variety of other senior health care positions in the Boston area and throughout New England.
"David's broad background in rehabilitation, psychiatric services, acute hospital programs, and nursing home administration will serve Sweet Brook well," said K. Elaine Neely, Vice President of Elder Services for Northern Berkshire Health Systems, Sweet Brook's parent company. "I am looking forward to Dave helping us to chart a rewarding course in a very difficult health care environment."
Laplante said challenges in the health care field are tremendous now, given that most government and insurance reimbursement systems provide insufficient financial support for health care providers. He added that Northern Berkshire Health Systems includes all the necessary elements to provide a true continuum of care to local and regional patients - North Adams Regional Hospital, the VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, Sweet Brook, Sweetwood Continuing Care Retirement Community, and the REACH Community Health Foundation.
"To have joined the leadership of this system is exciting to me," said Laplante. "Sweet Brook has a large group of very competent professionals - people who are committed not only to their work, but to this region. Our challenge is to continue to create an environment that our employees enjoy and find rewarding."
Sweet Brook Care Centers includes 184 skilled nursing beds, divided into an 83-bed specialized dementia care unit and a 101-bed subacute and rehabilitation unit, as well as a separately licensed outpatient rehabilitation center. All beds are certified for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Both the facility and the specialized dementia care unit are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). In 1987 Sweetwood Continuing Care Retirement Community opened adjacent to Sweet Brook to provide independent living for residents with full services available as needed. Sweetwood offers 70 luxury apartments, central dining facilities, a library, an auditorium and a fitness center.
Sweet Brook and Sweetwood joined the Northern Berkshire Health Systems family of health care providers in 1999. NBHS, founded in 1984, is also the parent corporation of North Adams Regional Hospital, which was founded in 1883; the VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, which has its roots in the visiting nurse agencies that have served North Berkshire since 1911; and the REACH Community Health Foundation, created in 1998.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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