Letter: Berkshire Health Systems Celebrates Employee Month

To the Editor:

Every May, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) celebrates Employee Appreciation Month, recognizing the dedication of our talented team of 4,000-plus employees. United by a shared mission, vision, and set of values, our integrated system provides coordinated care for patients across Berkshire County. This month, I invite you all to join me in thanking the BHS team for their work to advance health and wellness for everyone in our community.

Each facility, department, and individual member of the BHS team plays a unique and valuable role in serving the health and well-being of our region. The team at BMC, our system's community teaching hospital, drives our mission forward by delivering advanced care across a full spectrum of medical specialties, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and surgical facilities. The BMC team proudly serves our community's most advanced healthcare needs, providing everything from orthopedic surgery and cancer care to behavioral health, general surgery, and beyond. Our community teaching hospital receives crucial local support from our Critical Access Hospitals, Fairview Hospital and North Adams Regional Hospital, which offer 24-hour emergency departments and a range of inpatient and outpatient services. Our award-winning teams in North Adams and Great Barrington provide skilled, compassionate care, helping us keep care close to home for our North and South County patients.

The dedicated staff within our hospitals depend on the support of our outpatient services — including clinics, pharmacies, and home care services that deliver crucial screenings, treatments, and education needed to help patients live healthier lives. For instance, the staff at our newly opened Lenox Urgent Care and experienced nurses who answer the Nurse Line deliver convenient care and provide timely support for minor illnesses and injuries, especially when patients' primary care providers aren't immediately available. These are just two of the many outpatient teams that provide timely and routine care to support a healthier region.

No one component of this system could exist without the support and shared mission of our employees. On behalf of the entire BHS leadership team and Board of Trustees, please join us in celebrating these individuals. We are grateful for their unwavering commitment to serving our Berkshire County community.

Darlene Rodowicz
Pittsfield, Mass. 

Berkshire Law Enforcement Officials Endorse Fenton for Governor's Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:11PM / Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Michael Fenton, a Springfield attorney, ran unsuccessfully for the 8th District seat on the council in 2022. He is challenging incumbent Tara Jacobs of North Adams. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ranking Berkshire law enforcement officials are putting their weight behind a Springfield lawyer for Governor's Council in the September Democratic primary over North Adams incumbent Tara Jacobs.

 

The Berkshires' District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, Sheriff Thomas Bowler, and Clerk of Courts Lisa Denault-Viale touted Michael Fenton's experience and approach over Jacobs, who bested him and two other attorneys in 2022.  

 

The Governor's Council advises the governor on matters relating to judicial appointments, treasury warrants, pardons and commutations, and a number of other important executive functions. The winner of the primary will represent the 8th District, which covers more than 100 cities and towns including North Adams, Adams, Pittsfield, Greenfield, Northampton and Springfield, as there is no other candidate on the November ballot.

 

Gathering at Park Square on Wednesday morning, Shugrue said Jacobs does not provide the representation Berkshire County requires and deserves. 

 

"This individual [Fenton] would conduct himself with a great deal of common sense and confidence," Bowler said. 

 

Fenton said there are only 11 Superior Court judges assigned to Western Mass, and that too few of them are from Berkshire County. 

 

"At one time there were four vacancies. That left only seven judges serving the entire 102 cities and towns of the western region. Seven judges serving 102 cities and towns at a time when you add Hampden County, Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee in, at a time when there were over 100 pending murder cases. Seven judges for 100 pending murder cases," he said.