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PITTSFIELD — With an acute shortage of primary-care physicians in Northern Berkshire County, the rising cost of healthcare for consumers, and a growing need for immediate care and added convenience, Berkshire Health Systems has opened a walk-in facility in Williamstown. North County BHS Walk-In Care opened this week inside Williamstown Medical Associates, 197 Adams Road, Williamstown.
This is the second walk-in care facility operated by Berkshire Health Systems, with the first opening in April 2015 in Pittsfield. North County BHS Walk-In Care is designed to provide local residents and visitors with easy, convenient access to professional healthcare for the treatment of minor illness and injury. It will be staffed by a BHS nurse practitioner and will serve people age 2 older, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
North County BHS Walk-In Care will provide care for a wide range of minor illness and injury, including allergies, congestion, cold and cough, earaches and ear infections, flu-like symptoms, muscle aches and pains, motion sickness, pinkeye or styes, respiratory infection, sinus infection, sore throat or strep throat, urinary tract infections, and more.
The facility has several payment options, including self-pay, and accepts insurance for those covered by plans that contract with Berkshire Health Systems. As part of Berkshire Health Systems, North County BHS Walk-In Care can ensure that the patient’s health record reflects their visit and refer them back to their primary-care physician for follow-up care if necessary, or to other medical specialists.
People who visit North County BHS Walk-In Care will be seen by a nurse practitioner skilled in treating common conditions. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced degrees, training, and experience who are certified to assess patients, make diagnoses, prescribe medications, and refer patients for additional care. Nurse practitioners have been providing primary care to patients for more than a half-century.
Sarah Kangas, DNP, will be providing care at the Williamstown site. Kangas received both her nursing degree and a doctorate in nursing practice with a family-practice specialty from UMass. She is board-certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a family nurse practitioner and has specialty experience in pediatrics, adolescent medicine, and women’s health. She previously worked as a nurse in neurology and neurosurgery at Albany Medical Center.