Provider Profile – Suzanne Childs, BHS Occupational Therapist

Print Story | Email Story
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.




Tags: BHS,   BMC,   


Pittsfield Plans to Replace Bridge Over Daniels Brook

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The city plans to replace a deteriorating bridge on Hancock Road over Daniels Brook. 

Last week, the Conservation Commission continued a notice of intent application for the project to its November meeting to get more information on water flow. 

"It's a great project. We like it. We just want to make sure it's done correctly as well," Commissioner Jonathan Lothrop explained. 

Pittsfield proposes replacing the crumbling bridge with a 17-foot-wide hydraulic span underneath to an embedded precast box culvert with a span of 26 feet. The .37 work area extends about 200 feet along Hancock Road, north of 615 Hancock Road.  

Contractors from Fuss & O'Neill presented to the commission. A budget was not provided. 

"I think overall, this is going to be a really great improvement for traffic traveling over this bridge and for wildlife living under this bridge," Natural Resources Scientist Megan Woytik said. 

The 1930 bridge is showing cracking, spalling, exposed steel supports, and section loss. It was determined that repairs would retain deteriorated components and yield fewer long-term benefits, while a full replacement also improves hydraulic capacity and aquatic organism passage. 

Engineers pointed to exposed, corroding reinforcement and an existing guardrail that is no longer embedded into the structure.  Rigid barriers were placed on either side of the road so that vehicles can't impact the rail. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories