County Plans For Regional Health BoardBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
04:02AM / Friday, January 07, 2011 | |
 Members of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission review local health statistics as the group will apply for a grant to form a regional Board of Health. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After two years of research and meetings, representatives from 10 small towns are hoping to establish a countywide health coalition.
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission agreed on Thursday to submit a planning grant proposal on behalf of the towns to form a regional board. The larger entity would improve the county's chance of reeling in grant money to combat health problems.
According to Sandra Martin, senior emergency planner with the Berkshire County Boards of Health Association, the plan is to strengthen the boards of health by creating a large governoring body to administer countywide programs.
Currently, towns have their own boards that assist each other but an official body would help pool the resources together. The Boards of Health Association helps collaboration between local boards but for the most part, the towns are on their own.
"It'll make a stronger public health system in Berkshire County," Martin said on Thursday. "By working together, we can be more efficient."
The state does not fund individual health boards but rather provides competitive grants, she said. Smaller towns struggle to secure that funding because of a lack of manpower, time and money. Many town's boards are volunteers who meet infrequently, she said. A regional board would also ease the financial burden of operation costs to the smaller boards, she said.
"It'll take five years to build and modify it," Martin said. "This partnership would be available to everybody."
Once created, all towns involved with the larger board will have representatives and voting rights regarding which grants the region should chase. However, the group is only at a starting point. The planning grant will help create a legal agreement between the towns and develop a financial representation. After that, the governing body would be created.
The planning grant that BRPC is submitting would put the group in line for a larger grant of up to $150,000 that will be available in the fall for implementation, she said.
The entire state has been moving toward regionalization in recent years, she said.
"This is just a small planning grant but it isn't the only one," Martin said. "Everything just takes more pinpoint work."
Martin also provided a data sheet comparing the county to neighbors and statewide. The Berkshires are ranked 11 out of 14 counties in the state in health outcomes, according to 2010 County Health Rankings data. Some health issues that the Berkshires are above state averages are premature death, cancer death, teen birth rate, infant mortality rate, smoking rate, fall-related injuries and diabetes, according to the data Martin collected.
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