National Nurses United

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 MASSACHUSETTS T here is a hairpin turn along a steep stretch of the Mohawk Trail. It over- looks North Adams, at the center of Northern Berkshire County, where the elderly population is growing quickly and the rates of asthma, cancer, heart disease, and other disabilities far exceed the state average. The region's 37,000 residents constitute a "medically vulnerable population," as an independent report put it last year. Many residents live in isolated areas, between and among mountains, and have limited access to public transportation. For a community that recently lost its full-service hospital, it is a recipe for disaster. "Somebody is going to die trying to get to the hospital 40-odd minutes away in the middle of night, maybe in the middle of the winter, and that's not acceptable for any community in the United States," North Adams mayoral candidate Eric Rudd said recently. "That's it. There's no more argument about it. The only question is how forceful are we going to be to make it happen?" Rudd was speaking Sept. 15 at "Healthcare & the Road to a Healthy Economy," a mayoral candidates forum organized by the North County Cares Coalition. With assistance from the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the coalition has been fighting for the restoration of inpatient beds at the former North Adams Regional Hospital since it abruptly closed on March 28, 2014. Ahead of a primary election on Sept. 22, three mayoral candidates spoke at the American Legion Hall in North Adams. They answered questions about the future of healthcare and the economy in Northern Berkshire County and the closure of NARH. MNA staff helped organize the event, including attending strategy meetings, producing a video, providing printed mate- rials, and generating media attention. The forum was packed with residents and received extensive media coverage. It also forced the candidates to take a public stand on returning NARH to a full-service hospital. Rudd and former mayor John Barrett, III pledged support, while incum- bent Richard Alcombright defended new owner Berkshire Health Systems, which refuses to restore beds. Barrett, who took the top spot on primary day, said during the forum he would have handled the hospital's woes much differently. "It would have never closed down the way it did," Barrett said. "It left this region in a peril…The way that it happened was unac- ceptable and I think that it hurt in a lot of ways at a time that North Adams and the people working there didn't need it." Eighteen months ago, the MNA mobilized nurses and residents to protest the closure, which violated a state law the MNA had helped pass 18 years earlier. Their efforts forced state officials to restore satellite emergency service. MNA staff continues to work with coalition members on upcoming community events, media strategy, a public outreach campaign, social media, and website production. Most recently, the coalition has demand- ed its voice be heard more publicly. In response to a negative editorial by the Berk- shire Eagle, co-chair Jim Lipa penned a passionate and fact-based letter to the editor that was published Sept. 22. "Healthcare is a basic human right. The challenge we face is how to deliver quality healthcare in an environment where profits are more important than people," Lipa wrote. "The population of North County will only get smaller the longer we go without a real hospital. It will become increasingly difficult to attract new businesses and qualified employees for the few companies still here when they learn that no real healthcare is available without a perilous ride in the winter to the nearest hospital." —Joe Markman Restoring hospital at center of mayoral candidates forum Northern Massachusetts county desperately needs healthcare services

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