Wednesday, March 26, 2014
This is a troubling week in Northern Berkshire County. The announcement by the Northern Berkshire Healthcare board that it intends to close North Adams Regional Hospital and other NBH affiliates has left our community reeling. We at MountainOne, headquartered here in North Adams, feel the impact acutely.
Our primary concern today is for the patients, care providers, and staff affected by the closure decision. Our MountainOne family is directly interwoven with the health care community. Our hearts, minds, hands, and resources are extended to those who will be critically in search of pathways forward from this unwanted outcome.
MountainOne’s board and management are actively assessing the multiple strains that this development will bring. We are engaging our staff, community leaders, and elected representatives to objectively weigh the facts and determine courses of action that we may pursue or facilitate. We are prepared to join other interested parties to address proactively and collectively the near-term consequences and longer term solutions to the health care needs of our communities. With so many vital organizations making up the fabric of our region, we are realistically hopeful that there will be suitable medical facilities serving our population.
We believe it is important for all of us with a stake in the ultimate quality of life here to exercise thoughtful and constructive deliberation in the days and weeks to come. We find ourselves in a situation charged with emotion that arises from legitimate fears. Maintaining a steady focus on helpful progress should be our aim. The problems upon us this week have not surfaced suddenly. Overcoming the hole will involve no sudden fix. We are equipped to do our part, and are proud to call North Adams our permanent home.
Thomas S. Leavitt