North Adams Regional Hospital Community Open House

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass — As the opening date for the new North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) nears, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) will hold a community open house to show off the new inpatient unit that will care for patients requiring hospital stays.
 
The open house will be held on Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 7 pm, starting in the lobby of the new North Adams Regional Hospital.
 
"This open house will allow the North Berkshire community to explore the newly reopened hospital's state-of-the-art facility, meet its dedicated team, and discover the variety of healthcare services that have been specifically designed to keep their care closer to home," said Darlene Rodowicz, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "We are very proud of the entire NARH team, which has worked tirelessly to complete the complex application and approval process, regulatory surveys and certifications, and the building renovations in order to expand inpatient access in North Berkshire."
 
BHS officials will be on hand to conduct tours of the new rooms, recently renovated to accommodate the up to 18 inpatients at the Critical Access Hospital, which will formally open in mid-March, almost 10 years to the date when the former NARH closed.
 
"As a native of North Adams, it is my honor to lead a team of healthcare providers and support staff committed to making the new North Adams Regional Hospital a gold standard of patient care," said Laurie Lamarre, Vice President of NARH. "We look forward to welcoming the community – our neighbors, friends, family and coworkers – to the new North Adams Regional, the cornerstone of a healthier future for North Berkshire."
 
The community open house will feature light refreshments in addition to the tours. For more information, visit www.berkshirehealthsystems.org/narh

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MCLA Class of 2024 Told 'This Is Your Time'

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Commencement speaker Shannon Holsey shares some advice from her father: 'My dad always said if you're not hitting a few guardrails, you're not going fast enough.' See more photos here.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts awarded 175 degree and certificates at the college's 125th commencement ceremonies on Saturday. 
 
Keynote speaker Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, said past graduations have occurred during periods of peace with little fanfare. But not so for the class of 2024. 
 
"Your class has come of an age and a moment of great conflict in our nation and for the world," she said. "A rare inflection in points in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to its renewed promise. That we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of the new age. It's a privilege and responsibility afforded a few to a few generations. And for that task that you're now called to fulfill is huge."
 
Holsey told the class not to wait to share their opinions or ideas or to shape the world. Punctuated by applause at several points, the Native American leader said this is a world that "aches under the weight of violence, instability and threats to global order" and invests more in wars and weapons than education and health care. 
 
She referenced the experience of her own nation, dispossessed from the very land that she stood on and reduced from thousands to hundreds as they were forced to move farther west.
 
"This day of all days, is one of my birthright and seems most fitting that this place is a perfect space to celebrate and honor my ancestors who sacrificed so much to be here," Holsey said. Past leaders had seen education as a countercheck for "adapting and understanding a complex system that wasn't necessarily designed for indigenous people."
 
"I have learned that diversity in human experience gives rise to diversity in thought, which creates distinct ideas and methods of problem solving. The power of differences can make us smarter and more creative. If we accept the differences are OK," she said. "The world doesn't need more people trying to fit in like a cookie-cutter sameness."
 
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