BHS Hospitals Recognized For Their Commitment to Providing High-Quality Cardiovascular Care

Staff Reports04:31PM / Tuesday, August 25, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital and North Adams Regional Hospital have received 18 American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

In 2026, Berkshire Medical Center received five awards, Fairview Hospital had six awards, and North Adams Regional Hospital was recognized with seven awards.

BMC, Fairview and North Adams Regional also received the 2026 Get With The Guidelines Commitment to Quality Award, provided to an elite group of hospitals having reached an achievement level in three or more Get With The Guidelines programs, stated a press release.

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart?Association's?2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Studies show patients can experience better outcomes when care teams consistently follow evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest science-backed guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, Berkshire Health Systems' hospitals qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of cardiovascular care.

"Berkshire Health Systems is committed to delivering high-quality care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely, appropriate care for heart attacks and strokes," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "Get With The Guidelines programs help our teams put proven science into practice every day, supporting better outcomes so more people in the Berkshires can live longer, healthier lives."

This year, BHS received these achievement awards:

Berkshire Medical Center

Get With The Guidelines - CAD STEMI Referring Gold
Get With The Guidelines - CAD NSTEMI Bronze
Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus
Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus, with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll
Get With The Guidelines – Commitment to Quality

Fairview Hospital

Get With The Guidelines - CAD Bronze Referring
Get With The Guidelines - CAD Rural STEMI Gold
Get With The Guidelines - CAD Rural NSTE-ACS Silver
Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Rural Gold
Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Rural Silver
Get With The Guidelines – Commitment to Quality

North Adams Regional Hospital

Get With The Guidelines - CAD NSTEMI-ACS Silver
Get With The Guidelines - CAD NSTEMI Bronze
Get With The Guidelines - CAD STEMI Referring Bronze
Get With The Guidelines - CAD Rural STEMI Gold
Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Rural Silver
Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Rural Silver
Get With The Guidelines – Commitment to Quality

Tags: BHS, BMC, Fairview Hospital,

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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