News

BHS In the Community

BMC Crane Ambulatory Surgery Center Opens
For Immediate Release Berkshire Medical Center Opens New State-of-the-Art Ambulatory Surgery Center PITTSFIELD, MA – Berkshire Medical Center announces the opening of its new state-of-the-art Ambulatory Surgery Center, featuring increased comfort and privacy for patients and their families, the latest surgical technology and operating rooms designed to meet the current and future needs of physicians and surgical teams and a facility built with Green energy-efficient technologies and construction techniques. The two-story structure, 24 Park Street in Pittsfield, is over 50,000 square feet, and is a $20 million investment by Berkshire Health Systems. The Crane Ambulatory Surgery Center, which replaces the 25-year-old Crane Day Surgery Center, is located on the second floor and new physician office space for Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates is on the first floor. The new Crane Ambulatory Surgery Center, which is three times larger than its predecessor, will provide care for patients in need of day surgery in all specialties, including general surgery and orthopaedic, eye, ear, nose and throat, urologic, gynecologic, plastic and pain management procedures. To ensure the optimal design for patients, the new Crane Center was developed through a comprehensive planning process that included review of and site visits to nationally recognized surgery centers and the involvement of physicians on the BMC medical staff and Crane Center clinicians. The Center is designed to provide the optimal patient experience, with a concentration on patient comfort and privacy in a healing environment that helps to reduce anxiety associated with surgery, with an efficient and state-of-the-art workflow and facility for physicians and staff. The Ambulatory Surgery Center has eight large operating rooms designed to accommodate the surgical team and the modern equipment needed for minimally invasive surgery, and ten dedicated pre-operative bays designed for patient privacy and safety. For recovery, there are 20 bays in two suites to provide the best recovery experience for patients, organized for maximum patient safety while also offering privacy and extra room for family members. Two recovery bays are fully private rooms and can be used for children or special patient privacy needs. The facility also has three interview/consultation rooms for private conversations between the surgeon and patients and families, as needed. The new center will offer expanded services and allow more procedures to be performed in the outpatient setting, which is less intensive and offers greater comfort for patients. The Surgery Center also features separate elevators for patients entering the building and those exiting, as well as a separate exit lobby for patients to use after their procedure for convenience, comfort and privacy. The Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates physician practice is renting the first floor of 24 Park Street. The new office is significantly larger than the previous practice space, growing from 9 to 20 exam rooms, allowing the orthopaedic surgeons to better serve their patients and provide patients with greater and faster access to orthopedic care. The 24 Park Street building was constructed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions to increase the health and well-being of patients, staff and the community. The new Ambulatory Surgery Center and Berkshire Orthopaedics office space is located at the corner of Park and Wahconah Streets in Pittsfield and has convenient patient drop-off and pickup areas at the main entrance, with visitor parking conveniently available in the adjacent BMC parking garage.