GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The CHP Berkshires Mobile Health Team is bringing more health care and food security to Berkshires with the addition of two new mobile health vehicles.
A third, a mobile dental clinic, is on the way.
These new rolling health care vehicles and their clinical staff were introduced on Thursday, Aug. 10, 5-7 p.m., at the Southern Berkshire Chamber After Hours Event at Crissey Farm, hosted by CHP Berkshires. Guests toured the vans, talked with staff, and learned about the importance of mobile health.
This year, CHP's old 2002 mobile health van was finally retired. In 2019, CHP partnered with Berkshire-Fallon (the Berkshires' MassHealth program) to bring a large mobile health van.
These additional new vehicles are owned by CHP, and they are smaller and more agile for out-of-the-way destinations and winter roads.
CHP's mobile health units are among 5,000 on the road throughout the U.S. CHP has been on the road since 1975 caring for adults and children in more remote regions of the Berkshires. In the spring, CHP's Mobile Health team received a leadership award from the Massachusetts Nonprofit Association.
The three new mobile units were funded with federal and state grants; the new "mobile farm stand" van operates in partnership with Berkshire Bounty, the state Department of Agriculture and MassHealth.
"Our Mobile Health units are essentially one of CHP's many practice locations – but they go places where people work, play and gather," said Michelle Derr, CHP's senior VP of Family Services and Mobile Health. "The logistics are complex, but we have just the right mix of staff to make an impact on wheels."
For this program, MassHealth pays Berkshire region farmers to grow food; CHP collects and delivers the bounty each week to its five practice lobbies between North Adams and Great Barrington. Patients are free to grab a bag of fresh food, no questions asked, when they show up for a medical or dental appointment.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, CHP's mobile health operation was on the road continuously with vaccines, boosters and other health services. This work of providing vaccines, boosters and other preventive care will carry on, along with minor sick visits.
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Bill Murray To Visit Triplex Cinema
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema announced that actor Bill Murray will visit the Triplex for a special 20th anniversary screening of Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 pm.
Murray, star of the film and longtime Anderson collaborator, will be on hand for the screening and a conversation about the film, and his career, with Triplex Creative Director Ben Elliott.
"This is beyond exciting, the uniquely talented Bill Murray coming to the Triplex with 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'," Triplex Board of Directors President Nicki Wilson said. "We could not be more enthused and his role as Steve Zissou is one of his best and one of our favorites."
Tickets for the event are available at the Triplex website and are $75 for members and $100 for non-members. Memberships are available for purchase on the Triplex website.
According to a press release:
Released in 2004, "Life Aquatic," an adventure comedy-drama, was written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. The film also stars Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum. Murray plays Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer who sets out with his crew to exact revenge on the jaguar shark that ate his partner Esteban. Filmed in and around Rome, Naples and the Amalfi Coast, "Life Aquatic" has garnered a cult following since its initial release twenty years ago this December.
In 1977 Bill Murray was a featured cast member of Saturday Night Live (1977-1980). Soon after he appeared in a series of films including "Meatballs," "Caddyshack," "Stripes," "Ghostbusters," "What About Bob," and one of his best known roles, "Groundhog Day." During this period he also had a number of supporting roles including the films "Tootsie," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Ed Wood" and "Kingpin." In 1998 he collaborated with director Wes Anderson on the film "Rushmore," which was followed by other Anderson films including "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Darjeeling Limited," " Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Moonrise Kingdom," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "The French Dispatch."
In 2003 Murray starred in Sofia Coppola's film "Lost in Translation" for which he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He has won Emmy awards for writing on Saturday Night Live and for the HBO miniseries "Olive Kitteridge."
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