BHS Offering Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

02:19PM / Friday, February 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With COVID-19 still impacting the region, Berkshire Health Systems is expanding its vaccination program with special vaccine clinics, specifically for children.

These pediatric clinics will provide COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 and will be held the first Saturday of each month, beginning March 5 at the BHS Vaccine Center, 505 East Street in Pittsfield, from 8am to noon.

Each child being vaccinated must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Appointments are required and can be made by calling the BHS COVID-19 Hotline, 855-BMC-LINK, or 855-262-5465 or by booking an appointment online through the child's Berkshire Patient Portal account. If there are any questions about setting up a Patient Portal account for a child, call 413-447-2505 or email berkshireportal@bhs1.org.

BHS recognizes that vaccination can be anxiety-inducing, particularly for children and has specifically designed these clinics with children and their well-being in mind. BHS will not be offering adult doses during these clinic hours. The pediatric clinics will be staffed by skilled and knowledgeable pediatric nurses and emergency personnel will be standing by to offer support, if needed.

According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control, there have been nearly 2 million cases of COVID-19 within the 5 to 11-year-old age group during the pandemic. COVID-19 can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death. Children are as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults and can get very sick from COVID-19. In addition, they can have both short and long-term health complications from COVID-19 and can spread the virus to others at home and school.

As of mid-October 2021, children ages 5 through 11 years have experienced more than 8,300 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and nearly 100 deaths from COVID-19. In fact, COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5 through 11 years.

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

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Pittsfield Seeks CPA Funds for Bike Racks, AED

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
07:17PM / Sunday, October 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to apply for Community Preservation Act funds for park bike racks and an AED machine at the pickleball fields.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission endorsed Pittsfield’s applications for CPA funds.

"Both of those projects are certainly, relative to CPA funds, low cost but high benefit," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said.

Through CPA, bike racks are proposed for a few city parks, and the Berkshire Mountain Pickleball league is looking to place an automatic external defibrillator at the Benedict Avenue pickleball fields.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath and Recreation & Special Events Coordinator Jennifer VanBramer presented the two small project applications, which will go through an eligibility period before full consideration in the spring of 2027.

During the city’s free, six-week, summer playground program, it was observed that many kids access parks by bicycle. The plan is to buy between six and eight racks to be placed at Durant Park, the Common, and Clapp Park; other parks are being considered as well.

McGrath explained that the three parks hosting the playground program don’t have bike racks, and they wind up on the ground and sometimes become a distraction.

"The ancillary benefit to having bike racks is that it encourages that mode of transportation for folks that want to come to the park on their bike," he said.

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