CHP Adds Three Providers to Staff

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Health Programs has added three new health care providers to its medical and dental ​network in the Berkshires.

Dr. Claire Horth, a family medicine physician, has joined the primary care team at CHP Community Health Center in Great Barrington. A graduate of UMass School of Medicine in Worcester, she completed her residency through Brown University at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island; she earned her undergraduate degree with honors at Notre Dame University. She has a particular interest in preventive medicine, adolescent and women's health.

Gina Nickels-Nelson, family nurse practitioner, has joined the primary care team at CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield. She earned her M.S. in nursing at the University of Rochester after completing her undergraduate nursing degree from Northern Michigan University. She has specialized in pediatric urgent care and wellness care, and is currently completing her doctor of nursing practice degree at the University of Texas at Tyler. Her
studies are focus​ed on improving adolescent asthmatic health outcomes.

Dr. Elwira Tyra has joined the dental staff at CHP Neighborhood Dental Center in Pittsfield. She graduated from Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, Poland, where she received her doctor of Dental Surgery degree, followed by a dental residency program at Collegium Stomatologicum in Poznan. She then moved back to the United States and completed her general practice dental residency at CHP through Berkshire Medical Center's residency program. A resident of Connecticut, where she attended the University of Connecticut, she is fluent in English and Polish. She has a long history of giving back to her community through volunteer activities and is committed to providing quality care for all her patients.

 


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Pittsfield Holds Second Master Plan Workshop

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Participants added notes to the sectors  such as transportation, open space and neighborhoods  being reviewed by the Master Plan Steering Committee. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The city is about halfway through developing its new master plan, and held a second community workshop this past Thursday. 

"Basically, we're talking to people from Pittsfield and trying to figure out, among a broad sector of issues that affect us, what is our goal and vision for the next 10 years, where we want Pittsfield to be in 10 years, and what changes do we want to see?" Director of Community Development Justine Dodds explained to about 20 community members and city staff at Conte Community School. 

"That will be broken down into some goals and objectives and then some measurable action items that we can all take as a community to move that forward."  

The Pittsfield Master Plan is the policy guide for future physical development, covering land use, infrastructure, sustainability, and more. The plan was last updated in 2009, and Pittsfield has engaged the VHB engineering firm and CommunityScale consultants to bring it through 2036. 

There have been two public listening sessions, a Master Plan Advisory Committee guiding the work, and small focus groups for each section. On poster boards, residents were able to see and mark the draft goals and actions under six themes: economic development, housing opportunities, transportation and infrastructure, environment and open space, neighborhoods and community, and governance and collaboration. 

In November 2025, community members participated in a similar exercise at City Hall. 

Transportation and infrastructure had several notes on them. Suggestions included using infrastructure to address the urban heat island effect, a light rail system, and continuing to implement Complete Streets standards for roadway construction projects. 

"I want to ride my bike to my friend's house safely," one respondent wrote. 

Under economic development, people suggested digital business infrastructure for the downtown, food hall opportunities, and nightlife opportunities. 

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