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Wound Healing Center of the Berkshires at North Adams Regional Hospital received a plaque from Healogics for being the 2012 Zone 1 Center of the Year.

NARH's Wound Center Named Zone 1 Center of the Year

By John DurkaniBerkshires Staff
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Healogics Regional Director of Clinical Operations Merriann DeTeso, left, Eric Unser, area vice president of Healogics and North Adams Regional Hospital CEO Tim Jones were on hand for the award presentation.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Healogics presented its Center of the Year Award to the Wound Healing Center of the Berkshires at North Adams Regional Hospital on Wednesday morning.

The wound center was ranked first out of 85 hospitals in Zone 1, with locations ranging from Maine in the Northeast to Ohio in Midwest. Healogics is a national company that partners with hospitals like NARH to provide wound therapy.
 
The center holds a 100 percent customer satisfaction rate, according to Press Ganey, a health care consulting firm,  and a heal rate of 98 percent. The median days to heal is 30 days or less.
 
"Since we've been open we accomplished a lot," said Ruth Lennon, the clinical manager at the hospital's wound center.
 
The wound center opened in October 2009. It provides access to advanced therapy for various ulcers, nonhealing surgical wound infections and more through the use of hyperbaric chamber treatments.
 
Since opening, it has provided 150,000 minutes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and seen 14,000 wound-care visits.
 
The staff is made up of Medical Director Dr. Fred Landes and Drs. George Csank, Jean Culver, Anibal Fernando Ponce and Oscar Rodriguez. They are supported by Lennon, hyperbaric oxygen technicians Gladys Conklin and Mary Bryant, case managers Joan Sadlow and Robin Lemay, and office coordinator Wendy Kelly.
 
On hand for the brief presentation was Merriann DeTeso, regional director of clinical operations; Eric Unser, area vice president of Healogics; Kelly Morse, the center's program director; Jennifer Rush, senior vice president of patient care at NARH, Kelly and Lennon.
 
This award comes just under a month after the center was named a "center of distinction," a title reserved for centers that meet several criteria, including high healing rates and patient satisfaction.

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McCann Nursing Graduates Urged to Be 'Positive Influence' on Health System

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

See more photos from the pinning ceremony here
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School celebrated the graduation Tuesday of 17 new nurses from its licensed practical nursing program. 
 
"I can say, without reservation, that I am incredibly proud of each and every one of these individuals before you," Christa Berthiaume, program coordinator and doctor of nursing practice, said to family and friends in the school gym. "This class has come together as family to support each other, grow, learn, laugh, and even cry together. 
 
"Thank you for joining us this evening as we celebrate this accomplishment in their lives and thank you for providing the support and guidance that has fostered the success of these amazing people."
 
When they interviewed for the program last January, Berthiaume said she told the program would be hard but that they wouldn't understand until they had gone through it. 
 
She asked them to think back of their first day —what they could do then and what they can do now. 
 
"Throughout this year, we have seen so much growth in each of you. Whether it was overcoming the fear of a certain procedure, going to a clinical site that you were not exactly looking forward to, improving your critical thinking and clinical judgment, and yes, even your nursing-test-taking skills," she said. "The growth is immeasurable."
 
The 10-month, 1,155-hour program began in January and included clinical rotations on evenings and weekends. Many of the graduates were assured of jobs after taking their licensing exam as they were sponsored by entities such as Berkshire Health Systems and Integris Healthcare, which covered costs and paid them a salary.
 
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