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Maribeth Pomerantz, Certified Nurse Midwife and Adam Gicewicz, MD
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Ellen Beckwith, RN, Frank Bentz, and Richard “Ricky” Cyrulik
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Noel Henebury, Yvette Losaw, RN, and Gwen McCarroll.
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Randy Wallingford, RN

BHS Honors Nine Employees with CARE Awards and Providers of the Year Recognition

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As part of Employee Appreciation Month in May, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) recognized seven employees with annual CARE Awards and two Providers of the Year honors. 
 
CARE Awards celebrate the health system's core values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence, and employees who were honored work across the system at Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital, North Adams Regional Hospital, and BMC and Fairview Provider Practices.
 
Providers of the Year Honors
Providers of the Year were Maribeth Pomerantz, Certified Nurse Midwife at Berkshire OBGYN of BMC, and Adam Gicewicz, MD, a pediatrician at Berkshire Health Pediatrics.
 
Pomerantz was recognized for the personalized care she provides to expectant mothers. Her co-workers said, "There are many examples of her commitment to individual patients. She doesn't hesitate to add them to her schedule so that they can have a timely visit. She truly goes over the top in support of her patients and their families."
 
Dr. Gicewicz was cited for his ability to "ease the natural anxiety that any child must have when going to the doctor. One thing Dr. Gicewicz does is wear a multitude of different colored sneakers, and all the children love this. He understands all the different age groups associated with our practice and can relate to them on a level that is comfortable for them, making their visit that much better for both patient and parents."
 
CARE Award Winners
Ellen Beckwith, RN, is a Charge Nurse at Fairview Hospital and she was lauded by colleagues, who said, "Ellen consistently demonstrates exceptional compassion and dedication in patient care. I have had the privilege to witness Ellen having a profound impact on patients and colleagues. Ellen possesses the unique ability to provide not only outstanding clinical care but also emotional support that truly makes a difference in the lives of patients and their families."
 
Frank Bentz is the Environmental Services Supervisor at the Hillcrest Campus of BMC. His team said, "With an extraordinary 36-year career in Environmental Services, Frank has exemplified what it means to be a committed, ethical, dependable, and hardworking team member. Frank is someone you would want in your foxhole. Throughout his long tenure at BHS, Frank has consistently upheld the highest standards of cleanliness, customer service, and safety."
 
Richard "Ricky" Cyrulik, Environmental Services Specialist, North Adams Regional Hospital, "is a seasoned team member in the EVS department at NARH who has exemplified extraordinary contributions to the team. He is consistently willing to help out anywhere in the hospital. Ricky always responds as quickly as he can with a positive attitude. Ricky was assigned to the emergency department and after one week of being there I heard from multiple staff members that they are so appreciative that he is there."
 
Noel Henebury, Recruiter, BHS Human Resources, was honored for how she interacts with those she is recruiting. "Noel is also highly invested in the people she encounters in our Talent Acquisition Program. She attends every RN pinning ceremony and when her new hires start, she makes it a point to meet with them when they are filling out paperwork and meets them at their orientation. Her enthusiasm for her tasks goes beyond a focus on those she is recruiting. She truly feels that recruiters change people's lives by hiring them to work here."
 
Yvette Losaw, RN, 5 West Surgical/Ortho, Berkshire Medical Center, was recognized for her patient-centered care. "She takes charge in difficult situations in a calm, confident manner, with just the right amount of humor. Yvette advocates for her patients to make sure that they get the care that they need. She has outstanding clinical skills. I would want her to be my nurse or my loved one's nurse, if we ever needed one."
 
Gwen McCarroll, Information Technology Engineer, BHS Information Technology, recognized for being "hardworking, collaborative, supportive and a team player. She can decipher report request needs with ease and patience. She continues to work tirelessly to ensure that users have what they need, and data is accurate."
 
Randy Wallingford, RN, Behavioral Health, Berkshire Medical Center, was honored for his compassionate approach to his patients. "It is unfathomable to attempt to consider the number of lives Randy has touched, the number of souls he has had a hand in healing through the years. His commitment to inclusive and excellent patient care, and to treating everyone around him with kindness and respect has been remarkably enduring and inspiring."

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Toys for Tots Bringing Presents to Thousands of Kids This Year

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Volunteers organize toys by age and gender in the House of Corrections storage facility. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Plenty of toys are on their way to children this holiday season thanks to Toys for Tots.

Christopher Keegan has coordinated the local toy drive for the Berkshire Chapter of the Marine Corps Reserve since 2015 and said he has seen the need rise every year, last year helping more than 6,000 kids.

"This is 11 years I've been doing it, and the need has gone up every year. It's gone up every year, and I anticipate it going up even more this year," Keegan said.

On Thursday, the Berkshire County House of Corrections storage facility was overflowing with toys making it the county's very own Santa's workshop. 

Keegan said Berkshire County always shows up with toys or donations. 

"This county is outstanding when it comes to charity. They rally around stuff. They're very giving, they're very generous, and they've been tremendous in this effort, the toys for pride effort, since I've been doing it, our goal is to honor every request, and we've always reached that goal," he said.

Keegan's team is about 20 to 25 volunteers who sort out toys based on age and gender. This week, the crew started collecting from the 230 or so boxes set out around the county on Oct. 1.

"The two age groups that are probably more difficult — there's a newborn to 2s, boys and girls, and 11 to 14, boys and girls. Those are the two challenging ages where we need to focus our attention on a little bit more," he said.

Toys For Tots has about 30 participating schools and agencies that sign up families and individuals who need help putting gifts under the tree. Keegan takes requests right up until the last minute on Christmas.

"We can go out shopping for Christmas. I had sent my daughter out Christmas Eve morning. Hey, we need X amount of toys and stuff, but the requests are still rolling in from individuals, and I don't say no, we'll make it work however we can," he said.

Community members help to raise money or bring in unopened and unused toys. Capeless Elementary student Thomas St. John recently raised $1,000 selling hot chocolate and used the money to buy toys for the drive.

"It's amazing how much it's grown and how broad it is, how many people who were involved," Keegan said.

On Saturday, Live 95.9 personalities Bryan Slater and Marjo Catalano of "Slater and Marjo in the Morning" will host a Toys for Tots challenge at The Hot Dog Ranch and Proprietor's Lodge. Keegan said they have been very supportive of the drive and that they were able to collect more than 3,000 toys for the drive last year.

Volunteer Debbie Melle has been volunteering with Toys for Tots in the county for about five years and said people really showed up to give this year.

"I absolutely love it. It's what we always say. It's organized chaos, but it's rewarding. And what I actually this year, I'm so surprised, because the amount that the community has given us, and you can see that when you see these pictures, that you've taken, this is probably the most toys we've ever gotten," she said. "So I don't know if people just feel like this is a time to give and they're just going above and beyond, but I'm blown away. This year we can barely walk down the aisles for how much, how many toys are here. It's wonderful."

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