The purpose of the Berkshire Opioid Addiction Prevention Collaborative (BOAPC) is to implement local policy, practice, systems, and/or environmental changes to prevent the misuse and abuse of opioids and to prevent and reduce unintentional deaths and non-fatal hospital events associated with opioid poisonings throughout the 32 municipalities in Berkshire County.

The mission of the Berkshire Public Health Alliance (BPHA) is to promote, preserve and enhance Berkshire County’s public health by meeting community needs, improving capabilities and providing equitable access to affordable public health services

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission acts as a fiduciary agent for emergency planning and response activities.

Berkshire Public Health Alliance staff will work on FDA Food Standards 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, & 9.

Berkshire Public Health Alliance will hire a part-time Food Program Coordinator to maintain and work on FDA Food Standards 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, & 9.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) staff will continue to provide services to Berkshire County Boards of Health Association (BCBOHA) programs such as Septic Installer Certification Courses, Chokesaver to restaurants, and other programs/services as needed or requested by the Berkshire County Boards of Health and the BCBOHA Executive Committee.

This BE3C project is basing its collaborative work on the shared belief that when we as a community prioritize the health and wellbeing of Women and Girls of Color, that the wellbeing of all people will improve. With this knowledge, the BE3C partners, aided by BOAPC and WOCHE, will build a new way of doing substance misuse prevention planning: By creating a culturally-responsive, safe space where community members can come together to share knowledge, stories, and experiences, build new relationships, and create tools to address the identified needs of Girls of Color ages 5-11 in the community of Pittsfield.

This grant is designed to encourage municipalities to share public health services and build toward a more comprehensive set of shared public health services. It will allow the Berkshire Public Health Alliance to hire a full-time Public Health Nurse, an Administrative Manager and at least a part-time Inspector.

This grant will support the County Health Initiative (CHI) in developing and implementing a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for Berkshire County.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and Partners will participate in technical assistance meetings with Northampton Health Department to engage in capacity building, infrastructure, education co-learning, and program development.

Berkshire Public Health Alliance staff will assist the Town of Sheffield in completing a re-assessment of all nine FDA Retail Program Standards and developing a work-plan for any missing elements.

This grant will allow the Berkshire Public Health Alliance to hire an epidemiologist and 1.7 Community Health Workers (CHW) to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing and other associated tasks.

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission in coordination with the Western Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps Advisory Group (MAG) serves as the fiduciary for the Berkshire Medical Reserve Corps (BMRC). The Berkshire MRC's mission is to build resilient and healthy communities by recruiting, training and deploying MRC volunteers.

Fairview Hospital, under an agreement with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), acting as fiscal host for Berkshire County Boards of Health Association (BCBOHA) acting as the Berkshire County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coalition will administer the Franklin County Medical Reserve Corps, as well as the Berkshire County Medical Reserve Corps.

This project is focused on the rural municipalities in central Berkshire County (Windsor, Washington, Dalton, Becket, Richmond, Lanesborough, Peru, and Hinsdale). The initial phase of this project will focus on meeting the immediate needs surrounding the response to COVID-19 possibly including assessment, COVID-19 education and outreach, information dissemination, supporting current and future vaccination needs, and implementing other state resources. The second phase will focus on supporting resiliency and addressing the factors that created poor outcomes during the pandemic, with a focus on a specific project or projects that aim to eliminate or reduce a barrier or factor.

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), through the Berkshire Public Health Alliance is coordinating the Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative. The purpose of the Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative (BOAPC) is to implement local policy, practice, systems, and/or environmental changes to prevent the misuse and abuse of opioids and to prevent and reduce unintentional deaths and non-fatal hospital events associated with opioid poisonings throughout the 32 municipalities in Berkshire County.

This grant supports post-overdose engagement pilots in Northern Berkshire and Pittsfield, as well as comprehensive harm reduction policy work county-wide.

These project funds are provided through the Massachusetts Healthy Community Fund and are committed to removing barriers to health, incuding structural and institutional racism, poverty and other power inbalances, through community-centered policies, systems and environmental changes approaches. The Pittsfield Grey to Green Project will engage the community and prioritize green planning in a social and racial justice context. Partners include Habitat for Humanity and Working Cities, 18 Degrees and the City of Pittsfield.

The Pittsfield Youth Prevention Connection (PYPC) planning initiative will build on current regional prevention, community engagement and capacity work to develop such a coalition, to perform assessment activities, identify capacity building or infrastructure development priorities, and planning for future implementation, increasing readiness and capacity to apply all five steps of SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework and put into place a comprehensive set of evidence-based prevention programs and policies.

This funding is to support public health activities related to the prevention and treatment of hepatitis C. BOAPC will reconvene the county-wide heaptitis C working group, work with clinical partners to engage more physicians/clinical partners in providing treatement for hepatitis c, and will take part/help facilitate 2 webinars related to the HCV care contiunuum and health equity (as it relates to HCV). An additional focus this year is making connections between the Berkshire County House of Correction and clinical partners.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) acts as the fiduciary agent for the Berkshire Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coalition. Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding supports local Boards of Health in Berkshire County to prepare for emergencies and disasters from a public health perspective. Berkshire County Boards of Health Association (BCBOHA) acts as the emergency preparedness coalition for Berkshire County.

This contract from the PHIWM covers limited time spent by BRPC full time staff on the Racial Equity Capacity Building assessment and training program facilitated by the Women of Color Health Equity Collective (WOCHEC).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is providing funding to the Berkshire Public Health Alliance to develop a five-year strategic plan on improving food safety in Berkshire County, improving the Board of Health Online Permitting program, training on food safety inspectors.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is serving as the fiduciary agent to the Berkshire Public Health Alliance to implement a regional Public Health Inspection Program in selected Alliance towns.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is serving as the fiduciary agent to the Berkshire Public Health Alliance to implement a regional Public Health Nursing Program in selected Alliance towns.