For Families: A CHP Spring Resource Fair, with Wingmasters Birds of Prey Demonstration
CHP Family Services will host its Spring Fling resource fair on Saturday, June 3, showcasing family-focused activities, organizations, and programs in the area. The free event, including an education program by Wingmasters—Birds of Prey, is 11 AM-1 PM at 444...
CHP Mobile Health: New Boosters for Adults 65+ and Young Children
For the youngest children and older adults, CHP Mobile Health has newly approved COVID-19 booster shots. For adults 65 and older, CHP’s Mobile Health team provides CDC-approved boosters at least four months after the first booster was received. Most people with...
Open Door Project Streamlines Health Care and Support for Sexual and Domestic Abuse Victims
Some victims of abuse may find it safer and easier to ask for help during a medical visit. Now, CHP Berkshires can connect these patients to domestic and sexual assault experts seamlessly.
CHP Names Senior VP for Operations
Tom Duchesne joins CHP Berkshires as senior vice president of operations, after most recently working for CVS Health in Rhode Island and at hospitals in Rhode Island.
Berkshire Food Safety Net Grows With Two Grants
In rural and under-served corners of the Berkshires, getting fresh local food onto the family tables can be a challenge. Now, two government grants totaling more than $1.4 million are breaking through barriers to rural food access and affordability. Berkshire...
Starting 4/1/23, MassHealth Customers Must Re-enroll to Keep Benefits
MassHealth customers must re-enroll starting April 1, 2023, in order to keep their health benefits.
Beyond Delivery: A Weekly Support Group for New Moms and Babies
For mothers with new babies, CHP Barrington OB/GYN offers “Beyond Delivery,” a weekly group for postpartum support and, if needed, medical care. All mothers and their babies are welcome to join this supportive gathering. [Read about us in Macaroni Kids...
Women in Leadership: Special Needs Family Advocate Named Named ‘Rising Star’
Rania Markham, CHP Family Services care coordinator and a passionate advocate for families of children with disabilities, has been named a “Rising Star” by the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Leadership Award. Markham was among 111 women nominated...
Nutritionist Joins CHP Berkshires
CHP Berkshires welcomes to its nutrition team Michelle R. Sisk, RDN, LDN, CDN. In her new role, Sisk will work primarily as a culinary nutritionist with the CHP Nutrition Club, which provides nutrition services to patients of Berkshire Fallon Health Collaborative (MassHealth). She will counsel patients mainly through telehealth and will also lead culinary nutrition and education programs.
CHP Mobile Health: Offering Workplace Visits for Boosters & Vaccines
Schedule Your CHP Mobile Health Workplace Visit! CHP Mobile Health now offers workplace visits for employers interested in promoting Covid-19 boosters and vaccines. CHP Mobile Health services also include routine health screenings, blood pressure checks, and minor...
Special Kids, Special Diet: A Virtual Nutrition Talk
CHP Family Services and the CHP Nutrition team will host “Special Kids, Special Diet: A Virtual Workshop to Explore Ideas and Speak with a Nutrition Team” on Thursday, January 26. Noon-1:30 PM | Zoom | Registration is required. Register for the...
WEBINAR: Sober Curious? Rethinking Drinking, Building Healthier Habits
CHP and Rural Recovery present “Sober Curious? Rethinking Drinking, Building Healthier Habits,” a free, online conversation for anyone interested in curbing, quitting, or better understanding their own alcohol use. Watch the Webinar with Passcode ^Yfv7EEB...
In the News: Nurse Practitioner Residency Program Breaks New Ground
CHP’s new family nurse practitioner (FNP) residency program is breaking new ground in the field of advanced nursing practice. About half of CHP’s clinicians throughout Berkshire County are nurse practitioners who are playing a growing role in primary care...
IEP 101: Online Workshop for Parents of School Children with Disabilities
CHP Family Services hosts IEP: 101, an online workshop and orientation program for parents of public school children who are entitled to special needs education services, on Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. The meeting will be hosted by Rania Markham and Melanie Wickwire of CHP...
CHP Offering Bivalent Vaccines to Youngest Children
Community Health Programs is offering the updated bivalent Covid-19 vaccines to young children aged 6 months through age 4, now that the CDC has approved dosages for this age group. “We strongly urge parents to have their young children vaccinated to help prevent or...
BHS and CHP Urge Parents to Protect Children from RSV Virus and Other Respiratory Illnesses
Berkshire Health Systems and Community Health Programs strongly urge parents to take preventive measures to protect their children against seasonal respiratory illnesses, particularly the surging respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). With flu season emerging and...
CHP Names Two Associate Medical Directors
Dawn Kohanski, FNP-BC, of CHP North Adams Family Medical, and Laura Need, MD, of CHP Berkshire Pediatrics, have joined Andrew Beckwith, CMO, to comprise the newly reorganized medical leadership at the countywide health care network. Ms. Kohanski is a seasoned nurse...
CHP Names Dr. Andrew Beckwith as Chief Medical Officer
Andrew Beckwith, M.D., has been named chief medical officer (CMO) at Community Health Programs. Dr. Beckwith, who is an obstetrician-gynecologist at CHP Barrington OB/GYN, will continue seeing patients while overseeing the CHP medical staff throughout Berkshire...
Making a Difference: Care Coordinator Kornelia Krzyzanowska
At CHP, sometimes, our work isn’t done when the exam is over. Some patients need extra support to achieve better health and wellness. As Care Coordinator at CHP Great Barrington Health Center, Kornelia Krzyzanowska, RN, BSN, is focused on making sure children in...
Donor Spotlight: Matt and Missy Scarafoni
When Matt and Missy Scarafoni consider their community giving, they ask, “What organizations make a wide impact on our Berkshire community? Who is leveling the playing field between those who have more and those who have less?” CHP is on their “A list.” “A lot of...
Mission Moment: Families Like Ours
By: Rania Markham When my kids were 18 months and three months old, our family signed up for CHP ParentChild+, a home mentoring program for families with young children soon heading to preschool or kindergarten. Each week, a family mentor came to our home to...
A Message from Interim CEO, Rick Gregg: Bringing a Unique Perspective to CHP
When I was asked in June to become the interim CEO of Community Health Programs, I believed I might bring a unique perspective to overseeing the CHP healthcare networks and family services. As a patient of Lee Family Practice for more than 25 years, I’ve benefitted...
CHP’s New Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program Tracks a Growing Trend in Advanced Nursing Practice
Community Health Programs is now home to a new family nurse practitioner (FNP) residency program, an intensive year-long experience that formalizes post-graduate clinical opportunities for advanced practice nursing graduates. The FNP residency is funded in part by a...
CHP Family Services Welcomes Author Kate Swenson for 12/7/22 Virtual Event, ‘The Secret World of Autism’
CHP Family Services will welcome author Kate Swenson for a virtual event, ‘The Secret World of Autism,’ on Wednesday, December 7 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. [ Click here to watch a video of this event. ] Parent and advocate Kate Swenson, author of the 2022 book...
Family Nurse Practitioner Joins North Adams Family Medicine
Dawn Kohanski, family nurse practitioner, has joined the primary care team at CHP North Adams Family Medicine. Most recently, she was a hospitalist practitioner at Berkshire Medical Center, where she coordinated adult acute care in the hospital setting. She also...
CHP Mobile Health Team Welcomes New Nurse Practitioner
Sophie Jannen, family nurse practitioner, has joined the CHP Mobile Health Unit team. Most recently, Jannen worked as a family nurse practitioner at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Express Care. As a registered nurse, she also worked at the Berkshire Medical...
CHP Health Insurance Team is Accepting Appointments for Open Enrollment Assistance
It’s time to renew health insurance coverage for 2023, and the Community Health Programs insurance team is available to help Berkshire region residents with updating their MA Health Connector insurance plan. The Open Enrollment period runs from Nov. 1,...
Functional Medicine Physician Joins CHP in Great Barrington
Cornelia F. Lenherr, M.D., has joined the CHP Health Center in Great Barrington as a family medicine physician. With a certification in functional medicine, Lenherr most recently worked at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, where her patient care incorporated medicine, nutrition,...
RSV in Young Children: Tips, Info and Prevention for Parents and Caregivers
With cases of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection) on the rise here and elsewhere, CHP Berkshire Pediatrics offers some tips and advice for parents and caregivers of young children who may catch this particular cold.
Community Health Programs Names Thomas Walbridge as Executive Vice President. Walbridge to Continue as Chief Financial Officer.
Thomas Walbridge, Executive Vice President and CFO of CHP. Community Health Programs has named Thomas Walbridge as executive vice president of the countywide healthcare network. Walbridge will also continue in his role as chief financial officer. Walbridge...
BookMarc Creative of Pittsfield Wins National Award for Community Health Programs’ New Website
Community Health Programs’ new website, chpberkshires.org, has won an award in the GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards competition in the health and wellness design category.
Lee Family Practice Under Construction Sept. 28-Oct. 11
Construction to expand and improve the Lee Family Practice facility will require temporary closure of the practice, Sept. 27-Oct. 11. During this time, the office will be closed for patient visits, but staff will continue to care for patients in the CHP Mobile Health...
CHP Names Nutritionist Devyn Renzi to Care Team
Devyn Renzi—the newest member of CHP’s nutrition team. Devyn Renzi, CNS, LDN, has joined the CHP nutrition team and is now seeing patients at CHP practices in CHP Neighborhood Center, Lee Family Practice, and Barrington OB/GYN. She is also available via...
CHP Annual Board Reorganization
The CHP Board welcomes new member Erik Bruun, elects Brian Drake as board president and Celia Clancy as vice president in the annual board reorganization.
Children’s Attic is Back! Consignment Sale runs September 10 & 11
After a 3-year hiatus, Berkshire County’s original tent sale of children’s clothing and accessories is back! The Children’s Attic Consignment Sale returns Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11, and sellers are invited to sign up to participate. “Now is the time to sign...
IEP Training 101: CHP Hosts Online 8/10 Training for Parents of Special Needs Children
Special education planning may be confusing or overwhelming for parents of public school children with special needs. To help these parents, CHP Family Services offers a free online workshop, “IEP Training 101,” on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 6:30 PM. To...
CHP Rolling Out Covid Vaccines for Young Children
Community Health Programs is now offering Covid-19 pediatric vaccines for children between 6 months through age 4. These vaccines have been clinically tested and approved for use in young children to prevent serious illness and hospitalization from Covid-19. Full...
@CHPSmile: GB Family Dental Temporarily Relocating Some Appointments
Thursday and Friday appointments temporarily relocating to Pittsfield. As part of CHP’s dental expansion project, CHP Great Barrington Family Dental Center is being temporarily reconfigured, and some patients’ appointments will be impacted. As of July 1, the...CEO Lia Spiliotes Stepping Down After 7 Years Growing CHP
Community Health Programs CEO Lia Spiliotes, who has led CHP since 2015 in its doubling of CHP patient numbers and expansion of health and family services in the Berkshires, has announced she is stepping down from CHP. In a statement to staff and colleagues, Spiliotes said she intends to refocus on family health priorities in Boston and New York. She stated she is also turning her professional attention to broader advocacy efforts around public and economic policy related to community health. […]
Community Clinician of the Year: Dr. Lara Setti Honored by Berkshire District Medical Society
Dr. Lara Setti has been selected as the Berkshire District Medical Society’s 2022 Community Clinician of the Year, an award recognizing her professionalism and contributions as a physician. Dr. Setti is a board-certified family physician with Community Health Programs...Lee Family Practice Welcomes New FNP
Family Nurse Practitioner Terrance “TC” Clarke has joined CHP Lee Family Practice. He will provide primary care for adults, and he has a special interest in caring for patients who may be struggling with substance use disorders. Clarke earned his master’s...CHP Names New Dentists in Pittsfield, North Adams
Two dentists have joined Community Health Programs dental practices in Pittsfield and North Adams. Dr. Ankineedu Babu Dasari is a dentist at CHP North Adams Family Dental, where he sees patients of all ages. A graduate of Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences in...Donor Spotlight: Ward’s Nursery Family
There’s a special family behind Ward’s Nursery – the Ward family, of course – and they are among CHP’s treasured financial supporters in the community. Greg, Eva and Sam Ward are regulars on the CHP donor rolls because they believe in CHP’s promise of accessible...Safe Haven: Local motel partners with CHP
Kashmira Madhuwala’s immigrant experience brought her from her home in Gujarat, India to a series of stops in Chicago and Northern Berkshire. Finally, in2012 she took a job in Great Barrington, at a motel owned by her uncle. Soon, she met and married Krunal, and they...CHP Seeks Designer/Contractor for $70K ‘Food Depot’ to Support Food Security Programs
With $70,000 in grant funding in hand, Community Health Programs has plans for a new ‘food depot” to support its food security programs based on Great Barrington. But CHP’s comparatively modest 900-square-foot food distribution building is competing with more...Many patients arrive with hidden trauma. As health care clinicians, it’s our job to do no more harm.
By Molly Rivest, DNP, FNP Read in The Berkshire Eagle Read in Commonwealth Magazine I am a former captain in the U.S. Air Force, where I worked as both a research physicist and as an advocate for sexual assault victims in the military. Today, I am a nurse practitioner...CHP Names Behavioral Health Director
Sherri-Lee Ryanmann has been named as Community Health Programs’ director of behavioral health. A licensed independent clinical social worker, Ms. Ryanmann earned her master’s in social work from the State University of New York/Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public...New Funding Helps Complete Phase 1 of CHP Dental Expansion Project
With the addition of clinical space in North Adams, Community Health Programs has completed the first phase of its countywide dental expansion project, and design work is now under way for a new dental practice facility in Adams. These steps are part of CHP’s...CHP Names New Board Members: Arlene Schiff and Katherine Westgate
The Community Health Programs board of trustees has named two new members: Arlene D. Schiff and Katherine Westgate. A resident of Lenox, Schiff is the national director of LIFE & LEGACY® a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which assists organizations in...CHP Hosts IEP Training on April 6 for Parents of Children with Special Needs
For parents of children who receive special needs instruction in public schools, working with schools to build a unique education plan for their child can be overwhelming. Community Health Programs hope to help parents understand the process with a free, virtual...CHP Names New Clinicians in Pittsfield, Great Barrington
Community Health Programs has named three new clinicians to CHP practices in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Susan Ray-Lamond, M.D., has joined CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield. A longtime pediatrician in the Hampshire County area, she owned and operated her...Dentist Joins CHP Neighborhood Dental
Community Health Programs has named Dr. Alexandre Dias to the CHP dental team. He will be based at CHP Neighborhood Dental Center in Pittsfield. Dr. Dias’ appointment reflects CHP’s plan to expand its dental health network in Berkshire County, in order to...CHP Berkshire Pediatrics Honored by Health Quality Group
CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield has been selected to receive a 2021 Massachusetts Health Quality Partner (MHQP) Experience Award. Berkshire Pediatrics received the award in the category of patient-provider communications. MHQP introduced this award program in...Intuitive Eating: Guidance from
By Annie Schwartz, MS, RDN, LDN Typically, New Year’s resolutions revolve around a renewed resolve to embark on a new diet or exercise regimen, but as the reality of our busy lives sets in, our resolve inevitably breaks down over time, and we’re back to our old...SAD? CHP Nutrition Tips for Seasonal Affective Disorder
By Chrissy Garner MS, CNS, LDN, CPT The “winter blues,” also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a type of depression that’s related to changing seasons and longer nights. Typically, symptoms begin to worsen around the fall and peak during the winter....CHP Launches Dental Practice Expansion
Community Health Programs is launching a $6 million, multi-year expansion of its dental care services, in order to serve more area residents who rely on MassHealth (Medicaid) coverage to pay for their oral health care. Just over 25,000 Berkshire County residents...
Open Enrollment Ends Jan. 23; CHP Available to Assist
The deadline for enrollment in state-subsidized ACA health insurance plans is Jan. 23, and the Community Health Program enrollment team is available to assist customers with the enrollment process. Unlike in previous years, the Open Enrollment period will not be...CHP Names Director of Dental Medicine
Community Health Programs has named John W. Brazill, D.M.D. as director of dental medicine. Dr. Brazill will oversee CHP’s dental practices in North Adams, Pittsfield and Great Barrington. He will also see patients at CHP North Adams Family Dental. A dentist for more...
Donor Spotlight: Foundations of Support
Peter Spina of Denver and sister Michelle Schmidt of Boston. Both grew up in Lenox, and their family foundation is a generous CHP contributor. Peter Spina and his sister Michelle Schmidt have left the Berkshires to live in Denver (Peter) and the Boston area...
Mission Moment: Dental Health for a New Family in Town
In mid-2020, a Boston area family relocated to the Southern Berkshires, where they found a rare affordable apartment. At the time, schools were closed to in-person learning, and the family—with five children—had no local connections or support network. Then, through...
Physician Joins CHP Berkshire Pediatrics
Dr. Laura Need has joined the pediatric care team at CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Wellesley College, Dr. Need practiced at Yogman Pediatric Associates P.C./Mount Auburn Pediatrics in Cambridge before moving to the...
CHP Offers 11/18 Developmental Screening for Young Children
CHP Family Services invites parents with young children to participate in the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, a free developmental screening tool for children up to age 6. The ASQ will be offered Nov. 18, 10:30-noon at the Stockbridge Library. To register, email...
Get Covered, Stay Covered: CHP is Ready to Assist ACA Consumers During Open Enrollment, Nov. 1-Jan. 23
Beginning Nov. 1, the Open Enrollment season begins for Massachusetts residents covered by ACA health insurance plans. The Community Health Programs insurance enrollment team is available to assist consumers with questions, plan changes or new enrollments. Open...RFP: Community Health Programs Mobile Health Unit
Purpose Community Health Programs (CHP) requests proposals from qualified contractors for the design, construction, staff training and delivery of one (1) new Mobile Health Unit (MHU). CHP intends to award a one-time contract to the Contractor whose proposal is...
Salisbury Bank Contributes $10,000 to CHP for Nutrition, Emergency Assistance
Salisbury Bank has donated $10,000 to support Community Health Programs’ food distribution programs and to bolster CHP’s funds for families and individuals facing financial emergencies. CHP Senior Vice President for Family Services Michelle Derr said, “This gift from...
Dentist Joins Great Barrington Family Dental
CHP welcomes Dr. Taphaphene Young to the dental team at Great Barrington Family Dental, where she is caring for patients of all ages. Dr. Young received her doctorate of dental medicine from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, a...
CHP Names August 2021 Employee of the Month: Heidi Fabiano, HR Administrator at CHP Administrative Offices
Community Health Programs has named Heidi Fabiano, HR Administrator at CHP Administrative Offices, as its August 2021 employee of the month! Heidi clearly has a vision to standardize operations for staff, administration and employees. She clearly...In the News: Farm to ‘Able’
Farm to ‘Able’: CHP Nutrition Club provides access to local people with an eye toward pregnant, new moms and people with diabetes Berkshire Eagle, Sept. 1, 2021, by Francesca Paris Read online or below “At CHP in Great Barrington, qualifying clients...CHP Hosts ‘All Vaccine’ Clinic 8/28 at Great Barrington Health Center
Community Health Programs hosts an “all vaccine” clinic on Saturday, Aug. 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Great Barrington Health Center, 444 Stockbridge Road. This clinic will offer Covid-19 vaccines for anyone, free of charge. For existing CHP patients from any of our CHP...
Nutritionist Joins CHP at Lee, Great Barrington Practices
Community Health Programs has named Annie Schwartz, MS, RDN, LDN, to its nutrition team. She is seeing clients at CHP Lee Family Practice and Great Barrington Health Center. She has a particular interest in working with people seeking to resolve disordered...
Donor Spotlight: Jack Polizzi of T.P. Saddleblanket
Years ago, the T.P. Saddleblanket shop in Great Barrington hired a young woman, an immigrant from Hong Kong, as a tailor and pattern maker. She was excellent at her job, but English was not her first language. When she needed dental care, she was unsure how to...
CEO Message: On Track at Family Services
Friends, This summer, we have some important reasons to celebrate, and to thank you for your ongoing financial support for CHP. CHP is on track for in-person services for some of our most important clientele: children and families. Our Family Services facility in...
Patient Appreciation: Emerging from Covid-19 with a CHP Tag Team
The isolation of Covid-19 was hard on Isabelle Conlon. An engineering student at Northeastern University in Boston, she headed home in the spring as the pandemic set in, to live with her parents in Lenox. She was safe at home with family, but still, Covid tripped an...
CHP On the Road: The Essence of Community Health
CHP has been a rolling health care operation since 1975. We haven’t run out of gas yet. By Kathleen Floyd, FNP If our community had been faced with a Covid-19 crisis in the 1970s, local community health leaders would have been the first to mobilize. They would have...Employee of the Month: Amanda Gaudette, Lead Medical Assistant at CHP Pittsfield Neighborhood Health Center
Community Health Programs has named Amanda Gaudette, Lead Medical Assistant at CHP Pittsfield Neighborhood Health Center, as its July 2021 employee of the month. When it comes to dedication to her job, there is no one like Amanda. Her supervisor states that she comes...
CHP Names Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner to Berkshire Pediatrics
CHP Berkshire Pediatrics has named a psychiatric nurse practitioner to the Pittsfield practice, reflecting an expansion of CHP’s behavioral health services for children. Kimberly Loring, PMHNP-BC, has worked most recently as a psychiatric nurse practitioner at the...Employee of the Year: Marina Barahona, Practice Manager in Great Barrington
Community Health Programs has named Marina Barahona, practice manager at CHP Great Barrington Health Center, as its 2021 employee of the year. Marina joined CHP in 2014 as a receptionist. In 2019 she was named practice manager, and now oversees operations at the Great...
Psychotherapist Joins CHP Lee Family Practice
Rachel Duvall, LICSW, has been named to Community Health Programs’ behavioral health team. She will be based at CHP Lee Family Practice. Most recently employed as a psychotherapist/social worker with Counseling Center in the Berkshires in Pittsfield, Duvall provides...
Dr. Yaman Kana Named CHP Associate Dental Director
Dr. Yaman Kana has been named associate dental director at Community Health Programs. Kana will continue to practice dentistry as he assists with oversight of CHP’s dental practices in Pittsfield, Great Barrington and North Adams. He earned his doctor of dental...
In the News: Boston Globe Features CHP Mobile Health Unit
The Boston Globe prominently featured the outreach work of CHP Mobile Health Unit prominently in its June 12 edition, in a story covering vaccine incentives and efforts to get doses to those who need them, but have trouble getting them. With a Globe subscription, the...
Donor Spotlight: Rick Gregg
Rick Gregg’s commitment to Community Health Programs stretches back 25 years, when he became a patient of Lee Family Practice. Back then, before the independent practice merged with CHP, its doctors were caring for patients and running the business. This type of...
CEO Message: There is power in numbers when we all step up.
What a year it has been! As we reconnect with family and friends, we are all humbled by how Covid-19 has changed our experience and response to serious, contagious disease, and how as a region, we truly support each other in time of need. At CHP, we are so grateful...ParentChild+ Program: Strengthening Local Families
When Jackie Schultz and Jared Brunner and their kids moved to the area several years ago, they had no connections. They lived in an isolated town, cut off from neighbors and other parents. The couple worked opposite job shifts to care for the children, including an...In the News: ‘Berkshire vaccines go mobile’
The following article and slideshow appear in The Berkshire Eagle. By Francesca Paris Photography by Stephanie Zollshan Four minutes before the start of a pop-up vaccine clinic in a Great Barrington parking lot, Community Health Programs staff huddle inside the bright...
Op-Ed: ‘Why we can be confident in fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccines’
On the spectator sidelines of the complex 2020 horse race for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, medical professionals, immunologists, researchers and medical historians are more than impressed. Never has a life-saving vaccine passed so quickly from development...
Grants Help Area Residents Facing Economic Challenges
A series of new grants is bulking up CHP Family Services’ coffers to help area residents facing harsh financial challenges, including troubles caused by Covid-19. Awards from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, the Food...
Nutrition News: Understanding Insulin
Do you understand insulin and what does it do to the body? If you don’t have diabetes, insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels. After you eat, carbohydrates break down into glucose, a sugar that is the body’s primary source of energy, and glucose then...
ACA Open Enrollment Extended Through 5/23; CHP Can Help
With the state’s extension of the Open Enrollment period for health insurance sign-up until May 23, Community Health Programs’ insurance counselors remain in high gear to help with applications to the MA Health Connector program. Since the annual Open Enrollment...
Mission Moment: Helping a Family Stay Insured
Since relocating from North Carolina to Dalton 10 years ago, Mecca Brophy and her family have faced some challenges with job security and health insurance. Through a food bank referral, Mecca found her way to CHP, where health insurance experts assist people in...
Donor Spotlight: Adrian Van Zon is Stocking Up on Generosity
Adrian Van Zon remembers when Community Health Programs was in its early years as Children’s Health Programs, in the 1970s and 80s. He was an early supporter of CHP’s work caring for children, and he was inspired by its visionary early founders. “It was such a useful...
Our 2021 Plan: Hope and Recovery
Friends, On a February day, we can cut branches from a forsythia bush, bring them indoors to a water vase, and watch them blossom into a spray of yellow and the promise of a new season. This month offers another reason for hope: the promise of a shot in the arm. It...
On the Air: Dr. Stephen Alsdorf on WAMC’s Medical Monday
WAMC’s Medical Monday program featured CHP’s Dr. Stephen Alsdorf on Feb. 1. With program host Ray Graf, Dr. Alsdorf fielded call-in questions for about an hour, on topics ranging from healthy lifestyle habits to Covid-19 vaccines, Covid recovery and much...
Pediatrician Joins CHP Berkshire Pediatrics
Keturah Baker, M.D., has joined the pediatric team at CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield. She completed her pediatric residency in 2020 at Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, where she was pediatric chief resident and earned distinction as Resident of the Year. She...
Chez Nous Community Night Supports CHP Jan. 28-29 with Takeout Proceeds
Chez Nous bistro’s Community Night, on Jan. 28-29, will support Community Health Programs with 20 percent of takeout order proceeds. Orders must be placed in advance, and can be picked up between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. both nights. Chez Nous owners and chefs Rachel...
Dentist Joins CHP Family Dental Center in Great Barrington
Lina El-Kashef, D.D.S, has joined the dental medicine team at CHP Family Dental Center in Great Barrington. A 2019 graduate of the Texas A & M College of Dentistry, she most recently worked in private dental practices in Texas before relocating to the Northeast...
CHP Now Leads Berkshire Baby Box Program
The volunteer founder and president of the Berkshire Baby Box program has passed off her successful new-parent outreach program to Community Health Programs, as of Jan. 1. The transition comes after distribution of more than 1,000 baby boxes to Berkshire families over...
Open Enrollment Season: Tips for Staying Insured in 2021
If you don’t have health insurance through your job, Open Enrollment season is just for you. If you need to renew an existing plan, Open Enrollment season applies to you as well. CHP can help. To help understand your 2021 ACA insurance options, listen to William...