General Surgeon Brett Matthews Joins North Adams Regional Hospital

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) announced the appointment of Brett Matthews, DO, a board certified and fellowship trained surgeon, to the medical staffs of North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) and Berkshire Medical Center and the provider staff of Berkshire Surgical Services. 
 
Matthews is accepting new patients in need of general surgery and surgical endoscopy services. He serves North and Central Berkshire patients at the Berkshire Surgical offices in Pittsfield and North Adams.   
 
Matthews has been practicing general and minimally invasive surgery for the past eight years and came to the Berkshires from Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport. He specializes in: laparoscopic and open hernia repair, laparoscopic foregut surgery, such as hiatal hernia or anti-reflux procedures, minimally invasive surgery on the small bowel, colon, adrenal and spleen surgery, upper and lower endoscopy, enteral and vascular access, mediports, and office excision for abscesses, skin and subcutaneous lesions.   
 
Matthews is not new to the Berkshires, as after receiving his medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine he completed his general surgery residency training at Berkshire Medical Center. He also completed a surgical residency at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu and a fellowship in upper GI endoscopy, advanced laparoscopy and bariatric surgery at the University of Massachusetts.   
 
"We welcome Dr. Matthews back to the Berkshires, providing minimally invasive care for surgical patients across the region," said Laurie Lamarre, BHS Vice President and NARH Chief Operating Officer. "NARH and BMC are committed to expanding access to specialty care for our community and Dr. Matthews brings a wide array of surgical skills to our hospitals."  
 
"I began my surgical training here in the Berkshires and am honored and excited to return and give back to the community that helped me become the surgeon I am today," he said. 
 
Matthews enjoys spending time outside running, swimming, golfing, skiing and hiking.   
 
For an appointment with Matthews, ask your primary care provider for a referral or call Berkshire Surgical Services at North Adams, 413-664-5411 or Berkshire Surgical Services’ Pittsfield office, 413-447-6420.  

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North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.
 
"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."
 
As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.
 
During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.
 
"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."
 
Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.
 
"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."
 
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