Provider Profile – Suzanne Childs, BHS Occupational Therapist

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Across the country, there are nearly 135,000 Occupational Therapists, and Suzanne Childs, who provides this specialized care at the Center for Rehabilitation at BMC, says OT goes beyond helping someone regain their functions for work.
 
"We promote functional independence for people and help restore not only vocational skills, but also homemaking and daily living skills," said Childs. "Occupational Therapy covers the full range of activities people of all ages do to live functional, meaningful lives."
 
Suzanne has been with BMC since 1994 and has served as an Occupational Therapist in the Berkshires for nearly 30 years, most of that time in the outpatient setting. She came to the Berkshires after providing OT services in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and later New York state.
 
"Occupational Therapists often work together with Physical Therapists, but our roles are quite unique. PT focuses on improving the patient's ability to move their body, whereas I concentrate on improving my patient's ability to perform activities of daily living. We help our patients to do things beyond their PT care, such as brushing their teeth, getting dressed, making meals and all of their other everyday tasks that may have been impeded by an illness or injury."
 
Suzanne is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and completed her clinical education at Toledo Mental Health in Ohio and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Over the years, she has provided care for spinal cord injury, stroke, post-acute rehabilitation for children and young adults and general rehabilitation.
 
If you need Occupational Therapy or any kind of rehabilitative care, ask your primary care provider for a referral or call the Center for Rehabilitation at BMC at 413-447-2234.




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Pittsfield Council Appoints Department Heads, Requests Meetings on Gun Violence

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday appointed new department heads and requested that community mobilization meetings be held to address recent gun violence. 

Mark Pompi was appointed director of Veterans Services, and Rian Dowd was as the new building commissioner. They will begin work on July 27. 

"She is going to be an extremely resident- and business-friendly building commissioner," Mayor Peter Marchetti said about Dowd. 

"… It was one of the questions in the interview: how do we get people to know that we have a friendlier environment? And she's already working on it." 

A petition from Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren and Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi requesting that 18 Degrees Inc. organize and host at least two community mobilization meetings was sent to the community-based organization. 

"The recent gun violence that occurred in the city has left many residents feeling concerned, and also like they would just like to have more information about what we, as a city, and our partner is doing to help interrupt gun violence," Lampiasi said. 

Last month, 29-year-old Pittsfield resident Justin Crawford was fatally shot near the intersection of Pleasure Avenue and Tyler Street. 

18 Degrees has received a total of $1,391,170 in grants from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Gun Violence Prevention Program since fiscal year 2019; $394,780 in FY23 for outreach and engagement with youth and young adults ages 17-24 who have been impacted by trauma and violence. 

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