New Plastic Surgeon at Berkshire Medical Center

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Dr. Rodrigo Santamarina, MD
PITTSFIELD - Berkshire Health Systems announces the appointment of Rodrigo Santamarina, MD, a fellowship trained specialist in plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery, to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center. Dr. Santamarina, a highly regarded former Chief Resident in General Surgery at BMC returns to the Berkshires as part of a collaboration between Berkshire Health Systems and University of Massachusetts Memorial Healthcare, where Dr. Santamarina serves on the full time faculty in the Division of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Santamarina's appointment to the BMC staff helps in Berkshire Health Systems' efforts to improve access to care for patients in need of complex plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery. Due to this collaboration, Dr. Santamarina is able to accept most insurance plans and also uninsured patients in need of reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Santamarina received his medical degree from Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala City and completed a research fellowship in plastic surgery at Esthetique Internationale, the center for cosmetic plastic surgery enhancement, in collaboration with Oscar Ramirez, MD from Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his residency training in General Surgery at Berkshire Medical Center in 2003-2004. He also completed a fellowship in Hand Surgery and full training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

In addition to his specialization in hand surgery and providing general reconstructive surgery services, Dr. Santamarina has clinical interest in Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Surgery, Endoscopic Facial Plastic Surgery, breast reconstruction/ reduction/augmentation, body contour surgery, Cosmetic Surgery and Rhinoplasty and facial implants.

For an appointment with Dr. Santamarina, ask your primary care physician for a referral or call his office at 413-499-0431.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Finance Makes Reserve Fund Transfers

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee made two reserve fund transfers last Wednesday night. 
 
The reserve fund balance is currently $60,000. This is the first reserve fund transfer the town has made this fiscal year, committee clerk Karen Schmidt said. 
 
A transfer to the vocational education tuition account for $16,000 was approved. The original appropriation was $605,020 and the present balance is $4,527. 
 
It had been previously demonstrated that setting the budget for this account can be challenging due to the uncertainty about how many students will choose to attend vocational education programs.
 
The vocational education account was reduced by $90,000 during a September special town meeting; however, a spot opened up at a vocational program, so a student decided to transfer after the start of the second quarter. 
 
A transfer for the employee fringe benefits account was approved for $10,000. The original appropriation was $64,180. 
 
The present balance is $4,412.77 and is not sufficient to cover the vacation payouts and sick buy backs of the six employees who left this year. 
 
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