CHP CEO Stepping Down After Nearly 7 Years

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Health Programs (CHP) CEO Lia Spiliotes, who has led CHP since 2015, has announced she is stepping down from CHP. 
 
In a statement to staff and colleagues, Spiliotes said she intends to refocus on family health priorities in Boston and New York. She stated she is also turning her professional attention to broader advocacy efforts around public and economic policy related to community health. Her last day is June 30. 
 
"We have accomplished so much by advancing and accelerating CHP's mission and vision," said Spiliotes in a statement. "CHP reaches so many in our community in need, regardless of their ability to pay, but CHP is also a choice for many people who have plenty of health care resources and options. They choose CHP's excellent team for their care, and I am proud to have been among the CHP stewards of our community's health and wellness." 
 
 "The Board is grateful for Lia's leadership during her tenure," CHP Board President Brian Drake said. "CHP has grown exponentially, achieved strong financial stability, and maintained uninterrupted services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lia has been a voice of advocacy for healthcare access, and CHP is on a solid path toward the future." 
 
Appointed as Interim CEO is Richard H. Gregg of Lenox, who has served on the CHP board for six years, most recently as vice president. His professional work includes consulting in healthcare management, strategy and organizational change for companies and organizations much like CHP, where he has been a longtime patient. 
 
Gregg is also a professor and distinguished instructor of Healthcare Administration at Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School in Boston. Since he joined that faculty in 2001, he has led two graduate programs and taught a range of courses, including in leadership, non-profit management, and healthcare innovation and strategic management. He is a former director and CEO of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.  
 
"We're fortunate that someone with Rick's credentials and intimate knowledge of CHP and Berkshire County was able to step into that role as Lia leaves," said Drake. "As interim, he looks forward to making his own positive mark on the long legacy of CHP." 
 
Gregg will serve in that capacity as the CHP Board begins discussing the process of a nationwide search for the next permanent CEO.

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Elevated Mercury Level Found in Center Pond Fish

BECKET, Mass. — The state Department of Public Health has issued an advisory after a mercury-contaminated fish was found in Center Pond. 
 
According to a letter sent to the local Board of Health from the Division of Environmental Toxicology, Hazard Assessment and Prevention, elevated levels of mercury were measured in the sample taken from the pond. 
 
The concentration in the fish exceeded DPH's action level of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, or parts per million. 
 
"This indicates that daily consumption of fish from the waterbody may pose a health concern. Therefore, DPH has issued a FCA for Center Pond recommending that sensitive populations should not eat chain pickerel and all other people should limit consumption of chain pickerel to 2 meals/month," the letter states.
 
The letter specifically points to chain pickerel, but the 60-acre pond also has largemouth and smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
 
The "sensitive populations" include children younger than 12, those who are nursing, pregnant, or who may become pregnant.
 
The Toxicology Division recommends reducing intake of "large, predatory fish" or fish that feed on the bottoms of waterbodies, such as largemouth bass and carp. More information on safely eating fish can be found here
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