Austen Riggs CEO campaigns for stigma-free workplace

Stockbridge — Austen Riggs Center Medical Director and CEO Andrew Gerber has signed the pledge to become one of the CEOs Against Stigma, taking his commitment to mental health for everyone another step further. By signing on to the campaign created by the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Dr. Gerber has demonstrated that a stigma-free work environment for his 142 employees and their families is a priority.
CEOs Against Stigma partners with leaders across Massachusetts to implement top-down changes to create healthier, more productive workplaces where employees feel safe disclosing mental health conditions about themselves or family members. Mental health conditions affect one in five adults and are the number one cause of workplace disability.
CEOs Against Stigma is working to secure the commitment of 250 chief executives and to reach half a million employees. Any Massachusetts company with at least 50 employees can join. For more information, contact NAMI Berkshire County at (413) 443-1666 or namibc@namibc.org.
–E.E.
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Joan B. Hunter joins Berkshire Museum board of trustees
Pittsfield — Joan B. Hunter is the newest member of the Berkshire Museum’s board of trustees. Hunter is a former special education teacher in the Pittsfield School District. While raising a family, she and her husband, James Hunter, owned and operated the House of Walsh in Williamstown. She has been a member of the board of directors at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket since 2001, and served as chair from 2009 to 2014. She has volunteered extensively in the Williamstown community, including serving as co-chair for the capital campaign to build the Milne Public Library. Her past board service includes Williamstown Elementary School, Pine Cobble School, Williamstown Public Library, Child Care of the Berkshires, Williamstown Chamber Concerts, Williamstown Film Festival, and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
–E.E.
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Lee Family Practice to accept new patients
Lee –– Two nurse practitioners and a family medicine physician at Community Health Programs‘ (CHP) Lee Family Practice are accepting new patients and, in the rapidly changing world of primary care medicine, Lee Family Practice patients can now select a nurse-practitioner as a primary care provider.
Family Nurse Practitioner Ann T. Hummel, RN, FNP-BC, and Adult Nurse Practitioner Karyn Farevaag, RN, ANP-BC, are accepting new patients, as is Dr. Robert Holub. Insurance companies typically require patients to name a physician as primary care provider, but now that provider can also be a nurse practitioner.
Holub received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, his medical degree at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, and his residency training at the University of Virginia. He is board-certified in family medicine. He leads Lee Family Practice’s “Reach Out and Read” program and is the medical director for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute‘s summer program. He joined CHP 18 months ago.
Hummel has more than 25 years of critical care, emergency, and transport nursing experience, and has been with CHP for 10 years. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Russell Sage College, and Master of Public Administration and Master of Science in Nursing degrees at Sage. She also served as emergency services director for the Albany Fire Department and as a certified flight nurse on Albany MedFLIGHT. With a particular interest in nutrition and women’s health, she leads First Line Therapy, CHP’s medically supervised weight loss program.
Farevaag has an associate degree in nursing from Berkshire Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak College, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Sage Graduate School. Her experience includes work with cardiac, surgical, neurological, respiratory and psychiatric patients.
–E.E.
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Juice jacking 101
Lakeville, Conn. – It may seem like your smartphone runs out of power just when you need it most, but you might want to think twice about juicing up at a public recharging station: many smartphones are configured to automatically transfer data (or “sync”) whenever they’re plugged directly into USB ports so, potentially, any charging station can use the same conduit to drain your data as it does to top off your charge, a tactic called “juice jacking.” Salisbury Bank has provided an informational article about juice-jacking that includes tips for consumers about how to protect their devices and data.
–E.E.
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Greylock to hold Youth Week
Pittsfield — Greylock Federal Credit Union will hold its Youth Week from Saturday, April 16, through Saturday, April 23, with the theme of “Pump Up Your Savings.” The annual event fosters financial education among young people in Berkshire County through free events and activities designed to enhance money-management and savings skills.
The events are open to eligible Greylock youth members up to 18 years of age (who must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). “Passport to New Adventure” lanyards and free tickets for the week’s events will be available at all Greylock branches beginning Saturday, April 16. A full schedule of events is available online.
–E.E.