Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative Holding Additional Vaccination Clinics

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems and the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative are holding additional community vaccination clinics to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Berkshires. 
 
A clinic will be held in Pittsfield on Saturday, Jan. 8, and a Williamstown clinic will be held on Friday, Jan. 14.
 
"The Omicron variant continues to spread across the state and nation, and the Berkshires has seen a dramatic rise in positivity," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "While Omicron is more transmissible than its predecessors, the best defense is still full vaccination, including the booster. Breakthrough cases are occurring in the community, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health, initial vaccination doses and boosters have been shown to significantly lessen the severity of the illness in those cases, preventing hospitalization."
 
Pittsfield Clinic: Saturday, Jan. 8, 9 am to 2 pm, Berkshire Community College Patterson Field House: Open to anyone now eligible for vaccines and boosters. This includes adults, children 12 and older and the newest age group to be cleared for vaccination, those aged 5 to 11 years old. The clinic will offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccine and boosters for adults and first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 5-11.
 
Williamstown Clinic: Friday, Jan. 14, 8 am to 10 am, Williams College Field House, 82 Latham Street: This clinic is for those 12 and over, including adults and provides Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The hours may be extended depending on registration.
 
Pre-registration is required for both vaccine clinics. To register, visit www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org.
 
 

Tags: BHS,   BMC,   COVID-19,   vaccinations,   


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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures. 
 
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).  
 
The Affordable Homes Act identified several communities to automatically receive the designation, including:   
  • All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;   
  • All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and   
  • All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County. 
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To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
 
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated. 
 
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season." 
 
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration. 
 
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:  
  • Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing 
  • Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live 
  • Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents 
  • Create year-round housing for artists 
  • Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment 
  • Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing 
  • Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots 
  • Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence 
 
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