BMC to Host Suicide Prevention Conference In Early October

08:09AM / Friday, August 29, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 2025 annual Berkshire County Suicide Prevention Conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 7, hosted by Berkshire Medical Center, the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program, The Brien Center, Austen Riggs Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Berkshire County.

The event will be held from 8 am to 4:30 pm at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox, and continuing education unit (CEU) applications will be submitted for social workers, licensed mental health counselors, nurses, licensed alcohol and drug counselors and psychologists. Up to 6.5 CEUs will be available.

The theme of this year's event is Turning Awareness into Action: Community Tools and Resources for Suicide Prevention, featuring a keynote panel with panelists from Volunteers in Medicine (ViM) Berkshires, Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention (BCSP), Berkshire Pride, 18 Degrees, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Love of T, and NAMI Berkshire County.

Sessions throughout the day will include:

Local, state & national trends and populations at risk
How to access local resources – keynote panel
Firearms & counseling on access to lethal means
Safety planning & risk assessment
Engaging clinical tools & resources

Early -bird price for participants earning CEUs is $70 and is available until Sept. 1. After that date, the cost for registration and CEUs is $85. Registration with no CEU credit is $20 for early bird before Sept. 1 and $35 thereafter. To register and view the full conference agenda and presenter bios, visit BIT.LY/BCSPCONFERENCE25. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept.30.

Tags: BHS, BMC,

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Pittsfield Committee Recommends Scanlon for City Audit

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:30AM / Thursday, August 06, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After the bid for a new auditing company came back over 30 percent higher, Pittsfield will stick with Scanlon and Associates.

On Tuesday, the Auditing Services Evaluation Committee voted to advance Scanlon to the City Council for an independent audit. CliftonLarsonAllen also responded to the bid, but came in costing $120,000 more.

"I have to go with saving money for the city. I mean, the discrepancy is too much of a difference," committee member Karen Kalinowsky said.

"The city could have use for that difference over the next three years."

This process was prompted by Rule 40 of the council rules and the City Charter, where in any year the City Council votes to hold a procurement process for an independent certified public accountant or firm to audit Pittsfield's books and accounts, the city must, through its Finance Committee with the assistance of the purchasing department, solicit requests for proposals or invitations for bids before June 1.

The council in March recommended that the purchasing agent draft a request for proposals and put it out to bid.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, who has been vocally in favor of the independent audit for years, said the city doesn't have to follow a bidding process for the professional service, "We are doing this so the public knows that we're being professional, and a looking for other options, looking at what the best options are, and comparing them based on what they can offer and what the cost is."

Board member Kathy Amuso said both CLA and Scanlon have equitable reviews with high recommendations. Especially considering the budget crisis Pittsfield is in, she moved to recommend Scanlon to the full council.

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