Respiratory Illness Sparks New Protocols at Massachusetts Hospitals

Massachusetts is a great place to live. Great schools, thriving job markets, and an overall great quality of life.

One of the main reasons the quality of life in Massachusetts consistently ranks so high is the overall health of its residents. From a multitude of options for outdoor recreation to gyms and fitness studios throughout the state, accessible to everyone, Massachusetts residents continue to be some of the healthiest in the country.

In addition to their general health, Massachusetts residents also rate their quality of healthcare as some of the best in the U.S. Recently U.S. News and World Reports ranked Massachusetts as the third best state in the country for healthcare, behind only Hawaii and Rhode Island, taking into consideration both quality and accessibility.

Taking patient safety seriously is a top priority and one Massachusetts hospital is taking protocols to the next level because of an uptick in illness this winter.

According to their website, Berkshire Health Systems a new threat level system rolled out on the second day of 2025 to help protect patients, employees, and visitors.

To help control and reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses in our healthcare facilities and our community, BHS is implementing a three-tiered virus alert level system that establishes how we will manage masking, visitor access, and testing across the health system when we determine that respiratory virus levels are low, moderate, or high. The Virus Alert Level system will go into effect on January 2, 2025.

Berkshire Health Systems has three primary facilities in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, and North Adams Regional Hospital in North Adams. All BHS facilities are currently at a green level.