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Provider Profile – Trevor Bayliss, MD, Medical Director, Phelps Cancer Center

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When Trevor Bayliss, MD, was an undergraduate at Williams College and a member of the school's hockey team, he was diagnosed with cancer, a frightening diagnosis for anyone. Despite treatments, his symptoms only got worse, until he was readying himself to accept the inevitable terminal stage. But remarkably a physician steered him to a very common cancer medication that put his illness in remission. His journey made him realize that his career path was going to be in oncology, where he could help people facing similar circumstances and hopefully lead them to their own survivorship.
 
Dr. Bayliss is now the Medical Director of the Phelps Cancer Center at the Hillcrest Campus of BMC.
 
"Cancer can be one of the most physically and emotionally challenging realities anyone can face, and patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones want and deserve the best care possible," said Dr. Bayliss. "The Phelps Cancer Center is the region's most advanced and comprehensive cancer program in a location that promotes healing and well-being right here in the Berkshires. Our patients will never face their cancer diagnosis alone. Every patient is supported by an entire team of highly skilled, compassionate providers who are trained specifically in cancer care, from physicians and nurses to social workers and therapists. Additionally, all patients are assigned an oncology nurse navigator who will guide them through every step of their cancer journey. Our goal is to eliminate confusion and reduce as much of the anxiety that comes with a cancer diagnosis as possible, so that our patients can focus on getting better."
 
"At the Phelps Cancer Center, we focus on the 'whole person,' meaning we rely on the latest scientific and technological innovations in cancer diagnosis and care as well as a full range of wellness therapies to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients," said Dr. Bayliss. "Because different types of cancer behave and respond in different ways to a variety of treatments, we design treatment plans specifically customized to each unique patient."
 
A Berkshire native, born and raised in Williamstown, Dr. Bayliss returned to the area after fellowship training in Hematology Oncology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, where he also completed his residency training in Internal Medicine. He is board certified in Medical Oncology Hematology and Internal Medicine and has a medical degree from Albany Medical College.
 
For more information on the Phelps Cancer Center, visit https://www.berkshirehealthsystems.org/programs-and-services/cancer-center/.




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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $87M Budget for FY27

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee has approved an $87 million budget for fiscal year 2027 that uses the Fair Student Funding formula to assign resources. 

On Wednesday, the committee approved its first budget for the term. Morningside Community School will close at the end of the academic year and is excluded. 

"This has been quite a process, and throughout this process, we have been faced with the task of closing a $4.3 million budget deficit while making meaningful improvements in student outcomes for next year," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said. 

"Throughout this process, we've asked ourselves, 'What should we keep doing? What should we stop doing? And what should we start doing?' I do want to acknowledge that we are presenting a budget that has been made with difficult decisions, but it has been made carefully, responsibly, and collaboratively, again with a clear focus first on supporting our students."

The proposed $87,200,061 school budget for FY27 includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding, $18 million from the city, and $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues.  It is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million. 

The City Council will take a vote on May 19. 

Thirteen schools are budgeted for FY27, Morningside retired, and the middle school restructuring is set to move forward. The district believes important milestones have been met to move forward with transitioning to an upper elementary and junior high school model in September; Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School, and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School. 

"I also want to acknowledge that change is never easy. It is never simple, but I truly do believe that it is through these challenges that we're able to examine our systems, strengthen our practices, strengthen our relationships, and ultimately make decisions that will better our students," Phillips said. 

Included in the FY27 spending plan is $2.6 million for administration, $62.8 million for instructional costs, $7.5 million for other school services, and $7.2 million for operations and maintenance. 

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported that they met with Pittsfield High School and made two additions to its staff: an assistant principal and a family engagement attendance coordinator.

In March, the PHS community argued that a cut of $653,000 would be too much of a burden for the school to bear. The school was set to see a reduction of seven teachers (plus one teacher of deportment) and an assistant principal of teaching and learning, and a guidance counselor repurposed across the district; the administration said that after "right-sizing" the classrooms, there were initially 14 teacher reductions proposed for PHS. 

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