CHP launches expansion to improve dental care access for MassHealth patients
GREAT BARRINGTON — Community Health Programs (CHP) 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 (about 20 percent of the population) are covered by MassHealth. But dental care for these patients is often a challenge because only a handful of area dental practices accept MassHealth. CHP’s practices in North Adams, Pittsfield, and Great Barrington care for about 4,000 of these patients, but seek to double that number in the coming years.
This year CHP will expand the practices in North Adams and Pittsfield. In early 2023, CHP will open a new dental practice on Depot Street in Adams. Further out, the Great Barrington Family Dental Center will also expand.
CHP’s dental expansion is feasible partly because, on January 1, the state increased MassHealth reimbursements by 65 percent, with certain “add-on” fees. These increased payments are specifically for dental care provided by community health centers like CHP.
Dr. John Brazill, CHP director of dental medicine, said oral health is a factor in overall wellness. “Lack of routine dental care can lead to loss of teeth, poor nutrition, poor self-esteem, and difficulties with employment and social interaction,” he said. “And dental problems can cause crippling pain, which can lead to opioid abuse.”
CHP has received an initial grant of $523,756 from the federal Health Services Resource Administration for the new practice in Adams. CHP will dedicate some of its own funds and additional public and private grants will be tapped over the course of this multi-year project.
CHP is also launching the #CHPSmile Project to help raise community and community contributions.
—A.K.
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Foundations donate $70K for Food Depot; Greylock adds $10K for CHP Family Services
GREAT BARRINGTON — Two family foundations are supporting construction of a new “food depot” at Community Health Programs’ (CHP) Great Barrington campus, which will better accommodate CHP Family Services’ food and nutrition programs.
In addition, a recent $10,000 grant from Greylock Federal Credit Union is boosting CHP’s overall Family Services efforts, which have grown dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its first gift to CHP, the Gilson Family Foundation has contributed $55,000 to the project. The foundation is led by Peter Spina and his sister Michelle Schmidt, natives of Lenox. Longstanding CHP supporters Robin and Elizabeth “Buzz” McGraw of Sheffield have also donated $15,000 through their family foundation, the Donald C. McGraw Foundation, to complete funding for construction.
Michelle Derr, CHP senior vice president of family services, said the new stand-alone food storage facility will have much-needed space for refrigeration and food distribution. “We could never have predicted how COVID-19 would impact families’ need for food assistance,” said Derr. “And this new food depot will free up our very busy Family Services building for people who visit us for other services.”
She added that Greylock’s ongoing and loyal support to CHP, including this most recent $10,000 donation, continues to improve services to families in the community.
CHP will construct the new food depot building at the Stockbridge Road facility this year.
—A.K.
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Berkshires receive $252K to support behavioral health workforce training
PITTSFIELD — MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board received $252,000 in funding for workforce training and support in the behavioral health sector in Berkshire County.
The Berkshire Behavioral Health Partnership was recently formed as part of the Berkshire Healthcare Hub to address the persistent difficulty with hiring and retaining qualified staff in the behavioral health sector. The Partnership is committed to establishing and expanding a comprehensive strategy to address recruitment and retention challenges. Its goal is to support clinical training; establish a pipeline occupational training to encourage and engage new and entry-level workers; and establish a solid network and support system for behavioral health agencies through networking and professional development opportunities.
Working with partners at The Brien Center, ServiceNet, Community Health Programs, Berkshire Health Systems, and Berkshire Community College (BCC), MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board will oversee a series of programs throughout the year. Funds will go towards providing supports to those obtaining licensure at The Brien Center, supporting supervisors who are already overstretched with their daily responsibilities, expanding an entry-level occupational training developed by BCC to encourage pipeline and placement efforts, and building capacity to engage additional partners and promote opportunities in behavioral health in the Berkshires.
This grant is part of the state’s commitment to improving the behavioral health delivery system in Massachusetts while implementing the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. This project is funded by a Behavioral Health Partnership Expansion Grant through the MassHealth Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Statewide Investment Program and RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, Inc., and is administered by the Commonwealth Corporation.
—A.K.
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Berkshire Grown elects new officers, members to board of trustees
GREAT BARRINGTON — At its annual meeting, the Berkshire Grown Board of Trustees approved three new board members and elected officers. Incoming officers are Amy Rudnick, president; Peter Platt, vice president, Tom Curtin, treasurer, Lee Venolia, clerk; and Jake Levin, member-at-large. The organization bade a fond farewell to two longtime Board members: Martin Stosiek of Markristo Farm in Hillsdale, New York, and Hester Velmans of Sheffield.
Joining the board in 2022 are three Berkshire residents:
Katherine (Kat) Hand is co-owner and general manager of Berkshire Cider Project, a craft hard cidery located at Greylock Works in North Adams. Berkshire Cider Project (BCP) is dedicated to local sourcing, supporting Berkshire County agriculture, and celebrating the arts, culture, and natural beauty that makes the Berkshires special. Founded in 2019, BCP is working to grow locally by hiring its first full-time employees and expanding sourcing relationships with local orchards and institutions. Their tasting room will re-open in the spring.
Previous to her life in cider making, Hand held multiple roles in the social impact and sustainability sector. She began as a grants administrator at a small family foundation, then worked in development at the City Parks Foundation. Most recently, she worked as a corporate sustainability professional, crafting sustainability strategy, reporting, and communications for companies such as PepsiCo, Estee Lauder, and HP Inc.
Jim Schultz is the lead farmer at Red Shirt Farm, a diversified, organic, no-till farm in Lanesborough. He studied small-scale, regenerative agriculture at the Sterling Institute, the New Alchemy Institute, and Evergreen State College, and apprenticed on several small farms in New England. He put farming on hold to raise two children with his wife Annie, while teaching, coaching and administrating in the local public schools for 26 years.
Schultz now farms full-time, raising vegetables, pastured pigs, heritage chickens for meat and eggs, and heritage turkeys. He remains passionate about education and hosts four apprentices and the Roots Rising program each year, as well as offering workshops to fellow farmers and the public. Jim is a member of the Northeast Climate Adaptation Fellowship, a collective of farmers, researchers, and technical service providers.
Katy Sparks is the chef and owner of Katy Sparks Culinary Consulting, a full-service culinary and hospitality consulting firm with a focus on healthy, nutrient-dense, and locally-sourced recipe development and sustainable kitchen design. She is an award-winning chef and the author of “Sparks in the Kitchen,” published by Knopf. She spent over 20 years in the New York City food world, climbing the culinary ladder to attain the level of Executive Chef. She recently settled in the southern Berkshires, where she finds daily inspiration from local food makers and growers. Her clients have ranged from food business start-ups to sustainably sourced restaurants and nationally recognized retail food shops. Sparks is regularly featured in the food press and maintains strong ties to the national food media.
—A.K.
