Four Members Elected to BCC Board of Trustees

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Four new members have been elected to the Berkshire Community College (BCC) Board of Trustees. 
 
The board is composed of area residents appointed by the governor of Massachusetts.  
 
Suzanne Bateman, student trustee, is a non-traditional student at BCC, a mother of four and a grandmother of nine. Since 2015, she has owned and operated Autumn's Bistro, a restaurant and special events operator. Previously, she owned and operated Pepe's Kitchen and was a transportation coordinator for Ace Cab Company. A graduate of August Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado, she is now a business administration student at BCC, where she is active in the Student Government Association. 
 
Jason Cuyler?is Executive Director of Second Street Second Chances, a nonprofit under the direction of the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office that connects formerly incarcerated people of Berkshire County with the tools, programs and support they need for reentry into their community. He is licensed social worker who has been a case management coordinator for the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office for 20 years, where he also serves as the office's certified High School Equivalency Test (HiSET)?proctor and lead certified application counselor. Cuyler is a board member of Hillcrest Educational Centers, Berkshire United Way and The Christian Center, as well as a member of the Berkshire County District Attorney's Domestic Violence High Risk Team. He holds a criminal justice certificate and bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 
 
Harry “Chip” Moore III is Executive Vice President at Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, where he was previously Vice President/Controller. A native of Washington, Massachusetts, he began his financial career in the Berkshires in 1990 as a tax consultant for H&R Block in Pittsfield. He then joined Adams Cooperative Bank, where he remained for 17 years, rising to the position of Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer. Moore also served as Vice President/Controller at Greylock Federal Credit Union before joining the Pittsfield Coop. He holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Westfield State College, a master's degree in executive bank management from Babson College, a diploma from the National School of Banking, and a master's in business administration from the University of Maryland (Adelphi). Moore is a past board member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, past treasurer of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, past treasurer of the American Red Cross (Berkshire County Chapter) and past board member of the Visiting Nurses Association of Northern Berkshires and North Adams Regional Hospital. 
 
Jennifer Vrabel is Executive Director of Communications, Planning, and Development at Berkshire Health Systems. Previously, she was Director of Development at Berkshire Medical Center, Executive Director of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire and Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Williams College. She is a board member of Downtown, Inc. and is active with Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pittsfield. Vrabel earned a bachelor of arts degree in art history from Williams College. She was an honoree of BCC's 40 Under Forty awards in 2022 and was also named to Berkshire Magazine's Berkshire Top 25 list in 2018. 

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics. 

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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