People in northern Berkshire County plan to sign a letter urging Massachusetts to provide public access to a report that could determine what healthcare in the region looks like six months after the closure of North Adams Regional Hospital.After the closure, the state brought on consultants Stroudwater Associates to determine the region’s healthcare needs and how best to meet them. The report is expected to be released in the coming weeks. David Schildmeier of the Massachusetts Nurses Association says the letter will be sent to Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz.
“Asking him to make sure that that report gets circulated very soon and gets circulated before any decisions are made, well ahead of that, so that the community has an opportunity to have input,” said Schildmeier.
Berkshire Medical Center expects to finalize a deal to buy the shuttered hospital in the next few weeks and is operating an emergency center at the site. Polanowicz is scheduled to be at North Adams City Hall Wednesday morning to open a worker assistance center for the 530 people who lost their jobs in March.
