To the editor:
I have been a practicing physician in Great Barrington for 30 years. I take care of all kinds of people from every part of our community. I have very purposefully remained non-political. I stay out of political fights. And as Dr. Boutin’s recent piece shows, our housing crisis is not a political issue. It is, among other things, a healthcare crisis. I applaud Dr. Boutin for speaking up. I can assure you: She and her practice are not alone. Far from it.
I am part of an increasingly rare breed: a primary care physician. There are many challenges to doing primary care. Some come with the territory. But more and more, the greatest challenge to doing primary care in Berkshire County, especially in South County, is the lack of workforce housing. I can’t hire the support staff I need—there is no affordable place for them to live. I can’t retain the support staff I have—they can’t afford to stay where they are. We have literally had a nurse practitioner leave our practice to find a more reasonable place to live, and we have lost multiple support staff for the same reason. And there aren’t enough other medical specialty practices in the area, in part because other physicians can’t get the support staff they need, because… well, you know by now.
The housing crisis in Berkshire County is exacerbating a shortage of healthcare providers and support staff. Beyond that, the housing crisis is a personal health problem for many of my patients and their families. A patient without adequate housing, or who is forced to choose between paying rent or for food or medications, is prone to more medical problems than an adequately housed patient. The public health literature on this is clear. But I don’t need that literature to know about this problem—I see it all the time.
This housing crisis demands action by all of us. Even those of us who stay away from overtly political issues must get involved. We must support all of those decision-makers who are doing what is necessary to create more housing for our workforce—and to require prompt action by those who are not. The status quo is not sustainable. If we don’t act now, the medical infrastructure for life in Berkshire County will further erode beyond what we can tolerate.
Eric Bush
Egremont
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