Pittsfield to Host Free Monthly Walk-In Wellness Clinics

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city of Pittsfield's Health Department will be hosting free monthly wellness clinics at designated locations throughout the city.
 
The clinic, which do not require appointments, will be staffed by the city's public health nurse and will include wellness screenings, medication review, check for mobility issues, diabetes and hypertension management, parent-child health and growth/development, COVID-19 guidance and tests, and nutrition counseling.
 
The city's social worker, who is also fluent in Spanish, will be on hand to provide information and assistance in the following areas of need: housing/rent, food, utilities, mental health counseling/support, substance use treatment/support, perinatal health resources, child care needs, employment and unemployment assistance, health insurance, and domestic and intimate partner violence support.
 
There will be a walk-in clinic at the Health Department 1-3 p.m. every Wednesday. The Health Department is located on the mezzanine level at 100 North St. The monthly schedule at other locations is as follows:
  • 9 – 11 a.m., first Tuesday of the month, Ralph J. Froio Senior Center, 330 North St.
  • 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., first Thursday of the month, Epworth Arms Apartments, 350 West St.
  • 9 -11 a.m., second to last Wednesday of the month, Christian Center, 193 Robbins Ave.
  • 9-11 a.m., second to last Thursday of the month, Capitol Square Apartments, 379 North St.
  • 8-10 a.m., last Wednesday of the month, South Congregational Church, 110 South St.
 
For more information, please call the Health Department at 413-499-9411.
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Pittsfield Switching to OpenGov for Permitting Software

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to move on from its "clunky" permitting software in the new fiscal year, switching to OpenGov instead. 

On Thursday, the Finance Subcommittee supported a $199,269 free cash appropriation for the conversion to a new online permitting software. Chief Information Officer Kevin Zawistowski explained that Permit Eyes, the current governmental software, is no longer meeting Pittsfield's needs. 

The nearly $200,000 appropriation is for the software license and implementation. Going forward, the annual cost for OpenGov will be about $83,000; about $66,000 for the next fiscal year, not including building permits. 

"We've had significant issues across the board with the functionality of the system, right down to the actual permits that they're attempting to help us with," he said. 

"Without going into details with that, we have to find a new system so that our permits can actually be done effectively, and we can kind of restore trust in our permitting process online." 

The city is having delays on permits, customer support, and a "lack of ownership and apology" when mistakes are made, Zawistowski reported. Pittsfield currently pays $49,280 annually for the software, which Open Gov is expected to replace after July 1. 

Running alongside this effort, the city wants to bring building permitting software under the city umbrella, rather than being countywide under the vendor Pittsfield is moving away from. 

Finance Director Matthew Kerwood explained that the city has gone through a procurement process, OpenGov being the lowest bidder, and the vendor has been paid with contingency money "because we needed to get this project moving." He said Permit Eyes is a "clunky" piece of software, and the company has not invested in technology upgrades where it should have. 

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