Letter: Berkshire Health Systems Celebrates Employee Month

Letter to the Editor06:00PM / Tuesday, May 20, 2025Print Story | Email Story

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.

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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