New Plastic Surgeon at Berkshire Medical Center

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Dr. Rodrigo Santamarina, MD
PITTSFIELD - Berkshire Health Systems announces the appointment of Rodrigo Santamarina, MD, a fellowship trained specialist in plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery, to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center. Dr. Santamarina, a highly regarded former Chief Resident in General Surgery at BMC returns to the Berkshires as part of a collaboration between Berkshire Health Systems and University of Massachusetts Memorial Healthcare, where Dr. Santamarina serves on the full time faculty in the Division of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Santamarina's appointment to the BMC staff helps in Berkshire Health Systems' efforts to improve access to care for patients in need of complex plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery. Due to this collaboration, Dr. Santamarina is able to accept most insurance plans and also uninsured patients in need of reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Santamarina received his medical degree from Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala City and completed a research fellowship in plastic surgery at Esthetique Internationale, the center for cosmetic plastic surgery enhancement, in collaboration with Oscar Ramirez, MD from Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his residency training in General Surgery at Berkshire Medical Center in 2003-2004. He also completed a fellowship in Hand Surgery and full training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

In addition to his specialization in hand surgery and providing general reconstructive surgery services, Dr. Santamarina has clinical interest in Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Surgery, Endoscopic Facial Plastic Surgery, breast reconstruction/ reduction/augmentation, body contour surgery, Cosmetic Surgery and Rhinoplasty and facial implants.

For an appointment with Dr. Santamarina, ask your primary care physician for a referral or call his office at 413-499-0431.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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