CHP Names Chief Medical Officer for Countywide Healthcare Network

08:48AM / Tuesday, November 22, 2022Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Andrew Beckwith, M.D., has been named chief medical officer (CMO) at Community Health Programs.

Beckwith, who is an obstetrician-gynecologist at CHP Barrington OB/GYN, will continue seeing patients while overseeing the CHP medical staff throughout Berkshire County.

"Dr. Beckwith has served as the interim CMO at CHP for several months, and his leadership and management skills have confirmed that he is the ideal physician to lead our medical staff," said Rick Gregg, interim CEO at CHP. "We believe it's essential to have a practicing physician guiding our medical staff and operations, and Dr. Beckwith knows first-hand about our community's health care needs."

Beckwith, who joined CHP in 2018, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Penn., where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

He completed his residency at Brigham & Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was a co-administrative chief resident. He also served as Division Chief of OB-GYN at Berkshire Medical Center. He previously practiced with Berkshire OB/GYN in Pittsfield.

At Barrington OB/GYN, Dr. Beckwith works with other physicians, certified nurse-midwives, a family nurse practitioner, and a support team, caring for women at all stages of their lifespan.

"I look forward to working closely with my colleagues throughout CHP and across the county to achieve the goals of CHP's mission to improve the health of the people throughout the Berkshires by delivering exceptional, compassionate health care," said Beckwith. "These are challenging times in health care, but our excellent clinicians at CHP are meeting these challenges every day."

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Butternut Fire Expands to Sheffield, Covering 1,100 Acres

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:56PM / Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The fire expanded during to the night to cover more than 1,100 acres.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Butternut Fire has expanded tenfold, now covering almost 1,100 acres of forest and spreading to Sheffield.

Just before noon on Wednesday, the town reported that the wildfire near Brush Hill Road off East Mountain had unexpected growth overnight. It spread over 100 acres on Tuesday and on Wednesday, was estimated to cover slightly less than 1,100 acres.

The town remains in a state of emergency, as declared by the Select Board on Tuesday, but first responders assure that Great Barrington is not in danger.

Around 2 p.m., the Great Barrington Fire Department reported via Facebook that "significant fire" was extinguished by using a Blackhawk helicopter to drop 600 gallons of water. Water is now being pulled from Three Mile Pond in Sheffield.

The blaze is being referred to as the Butternut Fire due to its proximity to Ski Butternut, which has confirmed there is no damage to the ski area.

"At this time the fire is more than a quarter of a mile from the nearest structures and there are not any immediate threats to the public. There have NOT been any evacuation orders at this time. We have strategically placed structural fire crews in the areas where there is the POTENTIAL for us to operate in a protection mode to protect homes and property," the town's press release reads.

"In the event of a need for an evacuation order, residents will be notified through Code RED along with in-person door-to-door notifications of the affected area — an information post will be shared on how to sign up if you are already not signed up."

The fire was first reported Monday evening and by 9 p.m., firefighters were pulled from the mountain because of the hazardous conditions. On Tuesday morning, neighboring departments were called in to help contain the blaze.

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