Fairview Honored Nationally

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Fairview Hospital announced that it has been recognized as a 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipient. 
 
This distinction places Fairview Hospital among the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for patient experience, according to Healthgrades, the leading marketplace that connects people with the right doctor and hospital.  Fairview Hospital has received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for 11 years in a row (2013-2023).
 
"Fairview Hospital consistently provides exceptional care to the Southern Berkshire community," said Darlene Rodowicz, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "We could not be more proud of the providers and staff at Fairview who put their patients first day in and day out. This recognition is well-deserved."
 
For this annual analysis, Healthgrades evaluated 3,138 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January 2021 through December 2021. Of those hospitals evaluated, 419 hospitals outperformed their peers—based on their patients' responses—to achieve this award.
 
"Fairview is honored to receive the Healthgrades award, and we consider the opportunity to service our patients and their families as a privilege," reflects Anthony J. Rinaldi, Jr, Executive Vice President.  "Our organization can achieve no higher form of validation that to be recognized by those we care for."
 
Healthgrades evaluates performance by applying a scoring methodology to ten patient experience measures, using data collected from HCAHPS survey of the hospital's own patients. Survey questions focus on patients' perspectives of their care in the hospital, from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to medication explanations and hospital staff responsiveness to patients' needs. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family and their overall rating of the hospital.
 
"We are fortunate to have such dedicated employees, medical staff, and a management team that first, cares for one another, and collaboratively offer a level of patient-centered care that provides high clinical quality and exceptional patient satisfaction," said Doreen Hutchinson, RN, Vice President of Operations and Patient Care at Fairview.
 
"We applaud all recipients of the Healthgrades 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for putting patient experience front and center within their organizations," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. "We commend these hospitals for their ongoing commitment to prioritizing an exceptional patient experience, while ensuring the health and safety of their patients."
 
Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here. An easy-to-understand overview of Healthgrades' complete patient experience methodology is also available here.

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Berkshire County Getting $4M Toward Housing Improvements

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Housing Secretary Ed Augustus has been a frequent visitor to the Berkshires and says a new rural designation for the Housing Choice Initiative grew out of conversations with small towns.  

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Millions of federal Community Development Block Grant funds are coming to Berkshire County for housing and economic development. 

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said announced $33.5 million in federal CDBG funds, of which $5.45 million will be coming to the county. 

Great Barrington, in conjunction with Egremont and Stockbridge, has been allocated $1.25 million to rehabilitate approximately 14 housing units. 

"We really recognize the importance of having strong local partners who are doing that hard work every day, educating our kids, keeping our neighborhoods safe, investing in the best of what makes our community special, places we make memories, places that drive the economy," said Driscoll at the Housatonic Community Center.

"These dollars in particular can help do all of that, along with helping cure older housing stock and meet the needs of community members who might find a desire to have a new roof or make a housing unit more accessible, but don't always have the resources to do it. These dollars are really special, and we're really grateful." 

The federal fiscal 2025 CDBG awards, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, help small cities and towns undertake projects that benefit low and moderate-income residents.

The more than $33 million will be dispersed to 52 communities across the commonwealth. Hinsdale and Florida will share a total of $950,000 to rehabilitate 11 housing units; Lenox and Sandisfield will share a total of $1,050,000 to rehabilitate 12 housing units, and New Marlborough, Mount Washington, and Otis will see a total of $1,250,000 to rehabilitate 15 housing units. North Adams is getting $950,000 for the second phase of senior center improvements and road repairs.

The funds can be used for projects involving housing rehabilitation, sidewalk and road improvements, planning studies, public facility upgrades, and social services such as food pantries, youth programming, and homelessness prevention. 

Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said this reflects what is possible when federal, state, and local governments work together, and that the public investment shares significance beyond dollars alone. 

"These programs and projects become instruments of stability, equity, and trust. It allows the government to meet real needs, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensure residents can remain safely and securely in their homes. Places where lives are built, memories are formed, and community identity is shaped for generations to come," she said. 

"Investments like CDBG reduce uncertainties for families, provide reassurance for seniors, and create pathways for households to remain rooted in the communities they contribute to every day. When individuals and families are supported in this way, they are better positioned to thrive, and when people thrive, communities grow stronger, more resilient, and more connected." 

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