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Features Special Coverage

Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury Requires a Coordinated Effort

April 7, 2020April 6, 2020 HCN Staff 384 Views Brain Injury, Coordinated Effort, recovery, trauma

Team Approach By Mark Morris In the U.S., 2.5 million adults and children sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every

Features

What Older Adults Need to Know About Coronavirus

April 7, 2020April 6, 2020 Contributor 296 Views Coronavirus, COVID-19, Need to Know, Older Adults

High-risk Population By Dr. Maura Brennan Millions of older adults are living in isolation at home or in nursing facilities

AlterG is an anti-gravitational treadmill

Features

For Knee and Hip Replacements, Teamwork Is the Key to Success

April 7, 2020April 6, 2020 Contributor 303 Views joints, Knee and Hip Replacements, rehabilitation, teamwork

Joint Effort By Mark Morris In daily life, it’s easy to ignore the important role our knees, hips, and shoulders

Features

Holyoke Medical Center Proposes New Behavioral Health Hospital

March 10, 2020March 12, 2020 HCN Staff 521 Views Holyoke Medical Center, New Behavioral Health Hospital, proposal

Past Capacity By JOSEPH BEDNAR It’s a long-standing problem that’s not improving, Spiros Hatiras says. So Holyoke Medical Center (HMC)

Features

413Cares.org Connects People with Agencies, Answers

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 George OBrien 681 Views 413Cares.org, Agencies, Connects, housing

One-stop Resource By George O’Brien It’s just a few months’ worth of data, but the numbers already tell an important

Features

BHN’s Succession Plan Focuses on Effective Response to Change

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 George OBrien 581 Views Behavioral Health Network, Kathy Wilson, progress, Steve Winn, Succession

Transition Game By George O’Brien When asked how long the current transition in leadership at Behavioral Health Network (BHN) has

Heidi Nortonsmith displays some of the fresh produce

Features

Access to Healthy Food Identified as an Ongoing Challenge in Western Mass.

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 HCN Staff 421 Views Challenge, Healthy Food, hunger, Western Mass.

Crunching the Numbers By Mark Morris It sounds like a contradiction when someone who struggles with obesity still feels hungry

Alexa Mignano says River Valley’s school-based programs are growing

Features

RVCC Fills a Gap with School-based Mental Healthcare

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 HCN Staff 566 Views Mental Healthcare, River Valley Counseling Center, RVCC, School-based

Helping Those Who Need It Most By LAURA GRANT Any conversation around mental health is complicated — doubly so when

Features

Home Care Grapples with the Challenges of an Evolving Sector

February 19, 2020March 19, 2020 Joseph Bednar 385 Views Elderly, home care, Visiting Angels

Shifting the Balance By JOSEPH BEDNAR When Michele Anstett opened a Visiting Angels franchise with her husband in 1999, it

Carmen Rivera says that coming out is often a very difficult experience

Features

Groups Help LGBTQ Community Feel at Ease in Their Own Skin

February 19, 2020March 19, 2020 George OBrien 367 Views community, LGBTQ, Mental Health, wellness

Support System By George O’Brien Carmen Rivera says she came out as a lesbian in the eighth grade. Sort of.

Features

Mercy LIFE Strives to Keep Seniors Engaged and Healthy

February 19, 2020March 19, 2020 Joseph Bednar 342 Views healthy, Mercy LIFE, Seniors

Care Connections By JOSEPH BEDNAR Celina Conway tells the story of a man who arrived at Mercy LIFE after five

Features

New Hearing-aid Technology Improves Quality of Life

February 19, 2020March 19, 2020 HCN Staff 298 Views Hearing-aid, new, Technology

Sound Judgment By Kayla Ebner The girl sits in her classroom and turns up the volume wheel on her hearing

Features

When Is the Best Time to Have Cataract Surgery?

February 19, 2020March 19, 2020 HCN Staff 359 Views Best Time, Cataract, Surgery

Clear-eyed Decisions By MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR In most cases, the timing of cataract surgery depends on your lifestyle, symptoms

Features

Baystate’s Mobile Medical Unit Will Put a Focus on Prevention

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 HCN Staff 1481 Views Baystate, Medical Unit, mobile, Prevention

Where the Rubber Meets the Road By George O’Brien ‘Prevention block parties.’ That’s the phrase Dr. Kevin Hinchey contrived to

Features

Atwood Drive Complex Has Become, Among Other Things, a Healthcare Destination

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 HCN Staff 792 Views Atwood Drive, Complex, Healthcare

Changing the Landscape By George O’Brien Ken Vincunas says he started getting into drone photography years ago — well before

Features

Colleges, Universities Adapt to Changes in the Field of Nursing

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 HCN Staff 1129 Views Colleges, Field, Need, Nursing, Universities

Meeting a Persistent Need By Kayla Ebner Nursing, Lisa Fugiel says, is not a one-size-fits-all discipline. “One of the awesome

Features

Venture Way Collaborative Building to Promote Holistic Approach

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 HCN Staff 872 Views Collaborative, Holistic, Venture Way

An Innovative Model By Joseph Bednar Everyone has a story they tell themselves, Andrea Bordenca says, and hers, growing up,

Features

Springfield Regional Chamber to Host Broad Marijuana Workshop

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 HCN Staff 480 Views Chamber, Marijuana, Springfield, Workshop

Cannabis Among Us By Kayla Ebner There’s still a lot of confusion surrounding the cannabis industry. Despite the fact that

Features

These Volunteers Are Driven

December 17, 2019December 16, 2019 HCN Staff 916 Views American Cancer Society, cancer, Road to Recovery Program

By George O’Brien And the Road to Recovery Program Needs More of Them When asked how he came to participate

Features

Local Universities Step Up to Tackle Drug, Alcohol Disorders

December 17, 2019December 16, 2019 HCN Staff 1058 Views Alcohol, Disorders, Drug, Local Universities

Back on Track Most people are affected by addiction at some point in their lives, whether by having a disorder

Features

OnCall Healthy Living Program Offers Welcoming Environment

December 17, 2019December 16, 2019 HCN Staff 757 Views environment, Healthy Living, OnCall, program

A Warm Handoff By Kayla Ebner Addiction knows no boundaries. This is the main message Jim Carroll, medical director at

Events/Specials Features

2019 Regional Philanthropic Opportunities

December 12, 2019December 16, 2019 HCN Staff 1267 Views Giving Guide 2019, opportunities, philanthropy

View the PDF flipbook HERE Created in partnership with (BusinessWest), the Giving Guide connects nonprofits with the regions health care

Features

Encompass Health’s Stroke Program Touts Individualized Approach

November 19, 2019November 18, 2019 HCN Staff 1142 Views Encompass Health, Ludlow Mass., rehabilitation, Stroke

When Everything Changes By Joseph Bednar John Hunt has been in the rehabilitation field for 30 years, so he’s seen

Features

There’s a Way to Avoid Unnecessary Conflict During a Difficult Time

November 19, 2019November 18, 2019 HCN Staff 668 Views conflict, estate, Planning, Will

Where There’s a Will… By Joseph Bednar Jack Ferriter likes to tell the story of the first will he ever

Events/Specials Features Scenes

Healthcare Heroes 2019 Event

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 HCN Staff 1738 Views 2019, Healthcare Heroes, images, scenes

Scenes from the October 17 Event Nearly 300 people turned out at the Sheraton in Springfield on Oct. 17 to

Features

Stroke Risk Can Be Greatly Lowered Through Lifestyle Changes

November 19, 2019November 18, 2019 HCN Staff 807 Views Lifestyle, modifiable, Stroke Risk

Time to Take Charge By Joseph Bednar As part of the education and health-awareness work she does in the community,

Features

The ABCs of HIPAA

November 19, 2019November 20, 2019 HCN Staff 598 Views Authorizations, Health Insurance, HIPAA, medical records

Having the Proper Authorizations in Place Is a Must By Sarah E. Dolven Consider the following two scenarios: Brenda’s 19-year-old

Features

How — and Why — to Prepare a Healthcare Proxy

November 19, 2019November 18, 2019 HCN Staff 565 Views document, Healthcare Proxy, trust

Critical Decision The healthcare proxy is a simple legal document that allows you to name someone you know and trust

Features

‘What Is Pancreatic Cancer?’

October 10, 2019October 4, 2019 HCN Staff 899 Views Alex Trebek, Pancreatic Cancer, tumors

Jeopardy! Host’s Battle Sheds Some Needed Light on a Killer By GEORGE O’BRIEN Alex Trebek is certainly not the first

Features

Breast Cancer in Men is Rare, but More Deadly

October 10, 2019October 5, 2019 HCN Staff 696 Views Breast Cancer, deadly, Men

Not Just a Women’s Disease If you are a man, you are not exempt from developing breast cancer. This year,

Features

Why Senior-living Communities Need to Become More LGBTQ-welcoming

October 10, 2019October 4, 2019 HCN Staff 882 Views communities, LGBTQ, Senior-living, welcoming

Cultural Shift By JOSEPH BEDNAR The average age of a Christopher Heights resident is somewhere in the 80s, says Teresa

Features

Panel Offers Advice, Resources for Dementia Caregivers

October 10, 2019October 5, 2019 HCN Staff 724 Views caregivers, Dementia, help, resources

Help at a Crossroads Dementia is a growing issue in America — one that causes plenty of anxiety among caregivers

Features

Car Wash Boosts a Battle Against Cancer

October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 HCN Staff 419 Views benefit, car wash, Chris Thibault, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield

During the weekend of Sept. 7-8, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield hosted a car-wash fundraiser benefiting Chris Thibault and his family. Thibault

Features

Overdose Deaths Decline Statewide, but Increase in Western Mass.

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 HCN Staff 720 Views increase, Opioids, Overdose, Western Mass.

Persistent Problem By JOSEPH BEDNAR It’s a disconnect that has many health officials in Western Mass. worried. On one hand,

Features

Physical Therapist April Rex Volunteers at MHA’s Resource Center

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 HCN Staff 755 Views April Rex, MHA, Physical Therapist

Continuing a Commitment to Service By KIMBERLEY LEE April Rex is a U.S. Coast Guard chief boatswain’s mate with more

Features

When Time Is of the Essence

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 HCN Staff 724 Views air ambulance, Life-saving, Shawn Bull

This Life-saving Effort Was an Exercise in Teamwork By Kayla Ebner The last thing Shawn Bull remembers before waking up

Features

Baby Steps

August 13, 2019August 9, 2019 HCN Staff 3733 Views CHD, children, Early Intervention, parents, program

CHD Program Empowers Parents as It Helps Children Grow By Kayla Ebner When looking at 2-year-old Jazeilis “Jazz” Jones, she

Features

Back to School

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 HCN Staff 3593 Views college, Immunizations, plan, School

Don’t Wait — Plan Your Child’s Physical and Immunizations Now According to Dr. J. Michael Klatte, it’s not a good

Features

Closing the Skills Gap

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 HCN Staff 521 Views Bay Path, gap, Skills, Staregic Alliances

Bay Path’s Strategic Alliances Partners with Area Employers By Kayla Ebner The ever-changing workforce environment is a continuous challenge for