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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Governor Healey Announces $2M Boost for Pittsfield Tech Hub

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Governor Maura Healey visited the Berkshire Innovation Center on Wednesday to see where millions in state funding will help build a tech hub for advanced optics. 

On the same day, her administration announced a $2 million award to the BIC for its upcoming Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Lab.  This is on top of $5 million from the MA Tech Hub designation and a total of $1 million from the city’s economic development funds

"This is so inspiring to be at this site to look out at what was and to see how it's coming back to life in a new and even better form," Healey said, looking over at the former "moonscape" surface of Site 9 that is now greened over, a $10 million effort. 

"…One thing that we've leaned into as an administration is innovation. It's been core to who we are." 

An 8,000-square-foot addition is planned for the BIC to welcome a new company, Myrias Optics Inc. Myrias, a meta-optics producer, has a partnership with BIC tenant Electro Magnetic Applications for testing and simulation services, and the two companies will be able to work side by side once the expansion is complete. 

Project funding has been closed with this award, and shovels will be in the ground in the fall. Myrias will bring up to 55 employees to Pittsfield with an average salary of $110,000.

Patrick Larkin, founder and director of the Innovation Institute, the economic development division of the MassTech Collaborative, said this was only possible through the Tech Hub program that has "really catalyzed communities."

"This region has captured advanced optics. It’s where they want to build an economy," he reported. 

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