BHS Opening Urgent-Care Facility in Lenox

Print Story | Email Story
LENOX, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems is opening a second urgent-care location, with a new facility being developed at 489 Pittsfield Road, in the Center at Lenox. The facility is expected to open this winter.  
 
Berkshire Health Urgent Care in Lenox will provide accessible care for minor illness and injuries, as well as on-site X-ray services and testing for common illnesses. Like its counterpart in Pittsfield, the Lenox site will also provide patients with access to BHS's coordinated system of care and fostering collaboration across each patient's team of providers.
 
"The opening of the Lenox urgent-care facility furthers our expansion of access to care, which also includes our Pittsfield Urgent Care, the reopening of North Adams Regional Hospital and the BHS Nurse Line," said Darlene Rodowicz, BHS president and CEO. "The Berkshire Health Urgent Care in Pittsfield has consistently been praised for its exceptional care and has experienced steadily increasing patient volume, which led us to expand this essential service to the community." 
 
Berkshire Health Urgent Care in Lenox will accept a wide variety of health insurance plans, including private commercial coverage, Medicare and MassHealth through the Berkshire Fallon Health Collaborative, all of which are also accepted at the Pittsfield Berkshire Health Urgent Care location.
 
"BHS has always been dedicated to supporting our community and expanding access to care, and the Lenox Urgent Care is a prime example," said Roberta Gale, BHS vice president of community health. "The majority of our area residents are reliant on government health coverage — Medicare and Medicaid/MassHealth — and it's critical that they have easy access to urgent-care services that do not require high co-pays or uncovered out-of-pocket costs."  
 
Berkshire Health Urgent Care in Pittsfield opened in September 2015, providing care for minor illness and injury to thousands of Berkshire area residents and visitors. Since 2020, the annual visits to the Pittsfield Berkshire Health Urgent Care have more than doubled, from just over 17,000 patient encounters in 2020 to more than 35,000 in 2023.  
 
"We have an outstanding staff at BHS Urgent Care, local providers which the community has trusted for nearly ten years," said Robert Shearer, director of urgent care. "That community commitment will expand to serve those living in and visiting the Lenox area, with a convenient location, dedicated patient parking and access to rapid care for a wide range of injuries and illnesses, plus vaccinations, sports physicals, on-site X-ray and more."
 
The facility will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information, including the opening date, will be forthcoming.

Tags: BHS,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Marchetti: Pittsfield's Toter System Is a Good Change

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti said the city needed to get on board with a new trash system before it was too late.

He shared information and reflections on the process with host Shawn Serre during Monday's episode of "One Pittsfield" on Pittsfield Community Television.

The city's 48-gallon toter system will roll out on Wednesday with the delivery of recycling containers for Friday routes and automated pickup begins two days later.

"I get it, this is changing the way that we've all done things, especially you and I. This is the way we've done things our whole entire life," Marchetti said to Serre.

"In fact, when I was a kid, the garbage man picked up your garbage at the back steps and put the pails back, right? So we don't have that anymore for obvious reasons and I think it's time to find new, innovative ways that have already been created for us to find the cash savings."

He explained that this isn't a new conversation for the city in "any way, shape, or form," since it goes back more than 15 years.

"We know that the cost of collecting trash and disposing of recyclables continue to skyrocket, and we need to find a way to make it through," he said.

"And we've been talking toters for a really long time in the city's history."

In 2018, after a series of community meetings for a toter proposal, former Mayor Linda Tyer trashed the plan that would have utilized 45-gallon containers for trash and 96-gallon containers for single-stream recycling.

She recognized that many still had "unresolved questions and concerns about the plan and its impact on the community."

Three years later, the City Council rejected a pay-as-you-throw proposal brought forward by (then President) Marchetti and Councilor at Large Earl Persip III. The program would have contracted with WasteZero, providing residents with 104 15-gallon bags free each year and any additional bags would be purchased for $1.50 per 30-gallon bag and $0.80 per 15-gallon bag.

Marchetti noted that this was "really not well received."

In June, the council approved draft five-year contracts with Casella Waste Management for the new trash system. It was a victory for the first-term mayor, who was able to push through in six months a new waste pickup model that had eluded his predecessors.

"It's the opportunity for the city to get on board before it's too late to get on board," he said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories