NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — State Health & Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah toured North Adams Regional Hospital's inpatient ward on 2 North and its emergency department with Berkshire Health Systems President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz and the emergency department. 

 

The secretary was in the Pioneer Valley and Berkshires this week for "food-focused" listening sessions, including in Pittsfield and North Adams, but found time to ask questions of officials at the critical access hospital and with mental health-care providers at the Brien Center in North Adams. He was accompanied by state Reps. John Barrett III, Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Leigh Davis. 

 

The reopening of the in-patient beds last year at the hospital filled a substantial health-care gap in North County. The hospital closed in 2014 when its parent organization declared bankruptcy; Berkshire Health Systems stepped in to purchase its assets, gradually reopen some of its services and, finally, received the designation of critical access last year to allow for inpatient beds. 

 

"We have 24/7 coverage, position coverage available for our patients that are admitted," explained Jennifer Bach-Guss, associate nursing director. "We have observation patients in patient and swing [units], which is a rehab-type level that is available for patients who live in rural areas, so they don't have to go to nursing home facilities when it's not appropriate."

 

Patients in the swing units are kept to around three or four, and they may stay for a couple of weeks. They need to show improvement, and the hospital works out a discharge plan. Physical and occupational therapy is available for swing patients and the hospital has a geriatric certification in the Emergency Department, so therapists can do evaluations with patients struggling with mobility and walking and make referrals.  

 

"The patients that are going to nursing home or acute rehab have a little bit different than need," she said. "And I'm hoping that as time goes on, the nursing homes and rehab facilities see that we're not so much of a threat. It's a very specific type of patient that we're looking to keep here."

 

The critical access designation puts a cap of four days on average, so some observational patients may stay seven days and others two, as long as the average is four.