Page 56 - Healthcare News August 2021

Monson Savings Pledges $100,000 to Food Bank of Western Mass.
MONSON — Monson Savings Bank announced it will donate $100,000 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to support people who struggle with food insecurity.
Monson Savings Bank President and CEO Dan Moriarty recently attended the Food Bank’s capital-campaign kickoff at the Chicopee Moose Lodge, where he joined Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Erica Flores, president of the Food Bank’s board of directors, to present the donation.
Monson Savings Bank was a major charitable donor to the Food Bank’s capital campaign, which is focused on gathering funding for
the new Chicopee facility that will serve as its future headquarters. The Food Bank is aiming to raise $22 million to help fund the new head- quarters, set to open in 2023. It has surpassed the halfway mark, raising $12 million so far. Monson Savings Bank’s $100,000 contribution to
the project helps the Food Bank reach its goal of providing essential services in an area that is most accessible to those facing food insecurity.
“Monson Savings Bank is a proud supporter of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. It is with great pride and happiness that we make this donation to help fund their new facility,” Moriarty said. “The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is a pillar in our communities. They help so many of our neighbors, giving them access to a basic need by providing them with meals. The new facility will help them
to expand their reach and better serve those who rely upon them for survival.”
From left: Erica Flores, president of the Food Bank’s board of directors; Andrew More- house, executive director of the Food Bank; and Dan Moriarty, Monson Savings Bank president and CEO.
Medical, Sports Bodies Urge COVID-19 Vaccination for Young Athletes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twelve na- tional medical and athletics organizations have released a statement urging vaccina- tion of young athletes against COVID-19. They include the American Academy
of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the American College of Emergency Phy- sicians, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the American Ortho- paedic Society for Sports Medicine, the
American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the National Athletic Trainers’ Assoc., the National Federation of State High School Associations, the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc., and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
“We, the undersigned organizations, believe all athletes who do not have contraindications should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eli- gible,” the statement reads. “Vaccination prevents widespread disease, hospitaliza- tions, and deaths due to COVID-19 and
will help keep students in the classroom, athletes in the game, and athletic teams on the field, while protecting our communi- ties.
“It is important for athletes to begin their vaccination now, since it takes several weeks to reach full immunity.
An annual well visit or sports physical provides an excellent opportunity to talk with your physician or athletic care team about the vaccine and to begin the series. We urge all medical providers to ask about COVID-19 vaccine at all sports physicals.
“We will be releasing updated prepar- ticipation evaluation forms and guidance for medical providers in early August,” the statement continues. “We encourage all youth sports and state athletic associations to work in their communities, with local medical providers and state, tribal, local, or territorial health departments, to assist with providing educational opportuni- ties about the vaccine to their members, coaches, parents, and athletes and to make necessary arrangements for athletes to be vaccinated.”
Partner Consulting Joins Pixel Health Family of Companies
HOLYOKE — Partner Consulting has been acquired by Massachusetts-based Pixel Health as part of the company’s con- tinued expansion of its national healthcare technology ecosystem. Headquartered
in Middlefield, Conn., Partner joins VertitechIT (infrastructure design and implementation), Nectar (digital health strategy consulting), baytechIT (man- aged services), Liberty Fox Technologies (software-application development) and akiro (healthcare financial and business- advisory services) as part of the Pixel Health brand.
Turning ordinary phone systems into
a unified communications tool with bottom-line impact on productivity and collaboration has been the hallmark of Partner Consulting for more than two decades. With experience in assessment, design, implementation, and management of unified communications, mobility, contact-center, and telecom expense- management methodologies, Partner consultants work with healthcare systems, Fortune 500 businesses, utility companies, and state governments in the sourcing and management of telecommunications and
mobility platforms.
“Improving unified communications is
of primary concern for major health sys- tems nationwide,” Pixel Health President Brad Mondschein said. “Partner Con- sulting’s expertise fits perfectly with our growth plans and our intention to become an all-inclusive provider of technology advice, workflow and process design, and infrastructure-implementation services in the healthcare industry.”
Partner Consulting will continue to service healthcare and enterprise clients from its Connecticut headquarters. Pixel
Health is based in Western Mass., with consulting offices in Philadelphia and central Pennsylvania, Vermont, Florida, Tennessee, and Washington.
“The Pixel Health message is all about taking a comprehensive view of where IT and people come together,” Partner Consulting President Barry O’Brien said. “We’ve collaborated with Pixel Health companies for many years at Baystate Health, Lancaster General, and Temple University Health System, to name a few. Now, we can formalize the partnership.”
56 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM AUGUST 2021