Just steps away from North Street, the main thoroughfare that runs through the urban hub of Berkshire County, sit the offices of Tapestry Health on the fourth floor of 53 Eagle Street.
“Tapestry is a sexual and reproductive health clinic," said Health Services Manager Katrina Mattson. "Our headquarter, our regional offices are in Springfield, but we provide sexual and reproductive health under the Title 10 grant here in Pittsfield and North Adams.”
Tapestry held its grand opening for its new downtown location this week after spending decades on Wendell Ave just southeast of Pittsfield’s core.
“We want to be in the middle of Pittsfield, in the middle of downtown, be able to service people," Mattson continued. "We're right on a bus line, people can walk to us. The high schoolers can still walk to us, which is really good.”
The Eagle Street office suite offers Tapestry more room to carry out its clinical work and includes two large exam rooms, counseling offices, and a laboratory testing space.
“We use our department and public health funds for people that are under insured, want confidential services, or don't have insurance at all," Mattson told WAMC. "And then we do things on a sliding fee scale, which means that they don't have to go the pharmacy to get the medication. So, if we're treating something or providing birth control, we can do that here, and we keep all of our meds here for that.”
Ashara Lindemann is the clinic’s HIV manager. Her job includes helping people get certified so they can receive medication for low or no cost. That involves working closely with people – and staying in touch.
“Sometimes, we lose contact with people because we serve a very diverse population, people who struggle with homelessness, drug addiction," she told WAMC. "So, we have a very unique client base, but for the most part, my work here is just making sure that those clients have what they need when they need it, and always being ready and available to assist with them when they're ready, because sometimes people fall out of compliance for a ton of reasons. We always let them know that we're here when they're ready to continue the services.”
Lindemann says the transition from the basement offices on Wendell to the airy, natural light-drenched space on Eagle Street is more than just an aesthetic improvement.
“People coming in for whatever it may be, like abortion care, even screening- Just being in the place we were before, kind of set the tone like something eerie was going on," she explained. "And I feel that people might have felt- Not that we didn't have a lot of clients, but just the fact that we have windows and sunlight, it's like, we're not hidden somewhere. We're not behind some dumpster [in an] alley, you know what I mean? And that's kind of like the vibe of like being downstairs in a dark, gloomy place.”
Counselor Sarah Gilman works directly with patients to help connect them with Tapestry’s care.
“There's not a lot of places like Tapestry who do the same work as us in this area, so I found that we have a really good standing with a lot of the underserved, underprivileged people in this community," she told WAMC. "So, I think it's very important that Tapestry does and continues the work that we're doing, because everyone should feel safe when they get healthcare, and a lot of places don't make people feel safe, so they can come to us and feel comfortable to be able to discuss their concerns and feel heard.”
When other Berkshire healthcare offices can’t accommodate people in need of support, Tapestry can help fill critical gaps.
“Lack of appointments through Berkshire OBGYN and things like that," Gilman explained. "They have a lot of clients that they see as well, and I feel like they just don't have enough time during the day to see all those people. So, it's nice having extra appointments for specific, like, birth control or STI testing, stuff like that, being able to have the walk-in options so you can just walk in, get some testing done and go. You don't have to wait three, four weeks for an appointment with your OBGYN, you can just come here and we'll get you in and out like that.”
Asked to identify a misconception about Tapestry’s work, Gilman stresses that the clinic’s offerings aren’t centered solely around providing abortion care.
“We support everybody's decisions, and we're here to help you make the decision that's best for you," she said. "We're not going to push you towards something that you might necessarily not want to do. If you've come in and you say, I'm not comfortable with this, we don't force you to do that. We want you to be as comfortable as possible here.”
With the grand opening in the past, Mattson says Tapestry’s mission is set to continue at its new Eagle Street digs high above the sidewalk.
“Commitment to the work, to providing services, reproductive health services to people with dignity and respect," she told WAMC. "And I think moving to this location – you know, like the Jeffersons, we've moved on up – but it does feel like this is a message to people that we're here. It's unsettling times, but we're still here, and we still are committed to providing those services. And we want to share this with people.”
