Berkshire Medical Center Wins 2nd Clinical Excellence Award

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center staff have a lot to be proud of.

The hospital was awarded its second Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence from an independent assessment group. Healthgrades assessed more than 4,500 hospitals in an array of procedures and BMC ranked near the top.

On Wednesday, Healthgrades presented the award to hospital officials at Berkshire Health Systems' annual meeting.

"If all hospitals performed at this level, 164,414 lives would have been saved," said Heathgrades Vice President Lisa Esch. "Doing this, I get to see into what really happens across the county and hospitals don't get to this point on accident."

The award was presented to Chief of Medicine Dr. Gray Ellrodt and Chief Operating Officer Diane Kelly. But it isn't the hospital's first honor. It won the same award in 2009.

Ellrodt said the honor is a "team award" and at the annual meeting held at the Colonial Theatre, Berkshire Health Systems honored a few of those team members. Ralph Lichtenstein was presented the Gladys Allen Brigham Award; Mario DeMartino, the Francis X. Doyle Award and Janet Dohoney, the C. Bernard and Irene Shea Award.

The Brigham Award honored Lichtensten for being one who "contributed to the growth and development of community healthcare and services with particular devotion to Berkshire Medical Center," and his “enthusiasm, loyalty, and leadership in support of BMC through the auxiliary."

According to Kelly, who presented the award, Litchtensten, known as "R.L." can be seen roaming around the hospital at all hours to get a feeling what it is like for patients. He has taken the leadership roles in the volunteer patient advisory council, which formulates recommendation to improve the patient experience.

"He is a strong leader who believes in us," she said. "We are fortunate that R.L. and his wife, Cynthia, chose Berkshire County."

Dohoney reeled in the Shea Award for her volunteer work at Fairview Hospital. Fairview's President Eugene Dellea said Dohoney knows the importance of "high-quality care" and has dedicated herself to helping the Fairview Auxiliary.

"Janet has been a critical part of the auxiliary for more than 30 years," Dellea said. "She has strengthened our efforts."

Dohoney was director of volunteers for last 14 years — from 1994 to 2008 — oversaw the gift shop, and is on the Fairview Gold Classic Committee. She help create the patient family advisory committee in 2010.

DeMartino was given the Doyle Award for his effort in community service. He has sat on an array of community boards, including chairing the Ethnic Fair, Pontoosuc Lake Advisory Committee, YMCA, HospiceCare of the Berkshires and others.

Berkshire Health Systems President David Phelps said DeMartino is "always supportive and always committed" to community services as well as being one of the first to advocate for a merger with Hillcrest. DeMartino, a longtime physical therapist, first got involved with Berkshire Health Systems in 1970, Phelps said.

"His passion for our community is boundless," Phelps said.

While those awards were the only ones listed on the agenda, the meeting was hijacked moments before Phelps could call for adjournment. With a video presentation and plaque, hospital officials surprised Phelps with a presentation honoring his 20 years as the organization's leader.

John Rogers, BHS general council and vice president, told stories of the "very dark" days when Phelps first joined and credited him with rebuilding the entire system and restoring its fiscal health.

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.