Page 47 - BusinessWest August 3, 2020

Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Tapped for WSU Parenzo Hall Renovation
WESTFIELD — Westfield State University, in part- nership with the Massachusetts Division of Capital Assets Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), announced the selection of Holyoke-based Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc. to serve as construction man- ager for the university’s $40 million Parenzo Hall ren- ovation project. The construction manager selection committee — consisting of three DCAMM represen- tatives, architect James Loftus of Miller Dyer Spears of Boston, and David Riggles, associate director for Projects and Space Management at Westfield State — received 12 responses to DCAMM’s request for qualifications and eight final proposals for the proj- ect. The final construction-manager selection was made based on the firm’s qualifications, experience, past performances, and reviews of performance records in comparison to the others. The university plans to transform the 64-year-old Parenzo Hall — the oldest building on campus — into a state-of-the- art hub for student success and development. Reno- vations will include the creation of two new centers — the Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE) and the CoLab (collaboration laboratory). The renovation of swing space to relocate current Parenzo Hall tenants is underway and expected
to be completed this winter. Groundbreaking for Parenzo’s reconstruction is anticipated in summer 2021. The renovation is expected to take approxi- mately two years. The CoLab will leverage technol- ogy to serve as a nexus for innovative collaboration in Western Mass., partnering with K-12 school dis- tricts, community colleges, and industry partners. It will teach students and community partners how to productively engage in online and hybrid environ- ments that increase flexibility for students, facilitate co-enrollment, expand course choices, and provide a bridge to employment. The CoLab will work with community colleges to ease the transfer process by offering financially supported hybrid-style programs and boot camps. It will work with chambers of com- merce and economic-development boards to broker relationships, inform curriculum, and secure sup- port. The CSSE will address the university’s goals of increasing retention and graduation rates, as well
as reducing achievement gaps and the continu-
ing decline in the number of working-age adults.
In addition, it will increase student preparation for advanced learning and support exploration of career pathways in elementary and high schools to prepare
People
paign, more than 200 heroes were nominated through an online
submission process explaining why they should be chosen. A new hero was selected each week and awarded a $250 gift card to the local business of their choice. In addition, a donation to a COVID-19 relief organizations was made in their name. The chosen Community Heroes include Noelle Grace Efantis, registered nurse at Baystate Wing Hospital; Michelle and Jay Demore of Demore’s Automotive Center; Paula Perrier, director of Child Development Ser- vices at the YMCA Tri-Community Child Develop- ment Center; Benjamin Mead, operations manager of Environmental Services at St. Francis Hospital; Alan Tracy, Pioneer Valley USO director at Westover Air Reserve Base; and the directors and transit care specialist at Beers & Story Funeral Home of Palmer. Country Bank continues to be one of the many busi- nesses supporting its communities throughout the pandemic. The bank has made $450,000 in donations
them for on-the-job training. New and in-demand certificate programs and advanced study options will be offered to its business partners, utilizing tech- nology. The Commonwealth is helping to finance the project via a $21.25 million spending bill that was signed by Gov. Charlie Baker during a July 2018 visit to campus.
Baystate Health, Kindred Healthcare to Partner on Behavioral-health Hospital
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health and Kindred Healthcare, LLC announced plans to form a joint venture that will build and operate a $43 million, state-of-the-art behavioral-health hospital in West- ern Mass. The 120-bed facility will address the shortage of behavioral-health beds in the region, increasing patient access to Bay-
state Health’s specialty inpatient
behavioral healthcare for adults
(including geriatrics), adoles-
cents, and children by more
than 50%. Kindred will manage
day-to-day operations of the hospital, and Baystate Health psychiatrists and advanced practitioners
will provide care under the medical leadership of
Dr. Barry Sarvet, chair of Psychiatry at Baystate Health. The hospital will be designed specifically for behavioral-health services to foster a better healing environment for patients. The hospital will feature distinct units to meet patients’ varying treatment needs and is expected to employ more than 200 direct caregivers and ancillary staff. Baystate had planned last year to partner with US HealthVest,
LLC on a $30 million behavioral-health hospital,
but ended that relationship in November follow-
ing news reports alleging substandard care at other HealthVest facilities, and began searching for a new partner. Baystate Health remains interested in a centrally located Holyoke location and is in discus- sions with the city of Holyoke regarding the potential acquisition and development of a property on Lower Westfield Road. It is anticipated that, from the time the site is secured, it will be at least two years before the new hospital is operational, pending regulatory and other approvals. Until the new hospital is com- pleted, Baystate will continue to operate its inpatient behavioral-health units at its community hospitals — Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Noble Hospital, and Baystate Wing Hospital. Upon comple- tion of the new facility, those units will be closed.
to local COVID-19 relief efforts and continues to look for ways to give back in a meaningful way during these challenging times.
•••••
Adam Berman, president
of JGS Lifecare, announced that Mary-Anne Schelb has rejoined the JGS Lifecare team as director of Business Devel- opment for the Western Mass. market. Prior to returning to JGS Lifecare, Schelb led mar- keting operations at Encom- pass Health Rehabilitation
Hospital in Ludlow. In her prior role at JGS Lifecare
as director of Sales and Community Relations, she developed strategic partnerships and spearheaded the efforts that succeeded in making Longmeadow
a dementia-friendly community. Prior to that, she headed up sales, marketing, and community relations
Emergency-care services will continue to be pro- vided at all Baystate Health hospitals, and the treat- ment of medically complex patients will continue at Baystate Medical Center in its Adult Psychiatric Treatment Unit.
Elms College Receives Grant to Fund Experiential Learning
CHICOPEE — Elms College announced it has been awarded a $240,000 grant from the Davis Educa- tional Foundation (DEF) in support of its Experi- ential Learning Mastering Success (ELMS) – Real World Ready! learning initiative. The grant will be dispersed over the next three years. The overall goal of the ELMS – Real World Ready! learning initiative is to provide at least one high-impact experiential
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learning opportunity to every student during their college career. Experiential learning is one of the five pillars of the college’s 2020-23 strategic plan. Stu- dents can participate in internships, research, study- abroad trips, and service learning opportunities. The first-year disbursement of the grant will support hiring a director of Experiential Learning, providing professional development for faculty and staff, and broadening of the college’s third annual Innovation Challenge (IC). The IC is a three-day event in which students work in teams and explore the intersection of social relationships, business economics, pub-
lic education, and social justice. Over the past two years, Elms students have developed creative ideas to alleviate homelessness and address bullying. The upcoming Innovation Challenge in the fall 2020 semester will expand participation from 60 students to the entire first-year class. The ELMS – Real World Ready! learning initiative and the DEF grant build on the philanthropic scholarship funding currently available to students through the donor-funded Keating Schneider Experiential Learning Fund and the Elms Advantage Internship program.
Notebook
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at Monastery Heights Assisted Living in West Spring- field. Schelb is very active in numerous community organizations. She is a Rotarian, a board member of the East of the River Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the West of the River Chamber of Com- merce, the Retirement Marketing Directors Assoc., the Western Massachusetts Eldercare Profession-
als Assoc., the Women Business Owners Alliance,
the Western Mass. Elder Care Conference steering committee, and the Tri-County Partnership, just to name a few. She began her career with an accounting certification from St. John’s School of Business and worked in the mainstream until continuing onto a more wellness-based path as a Holistic Health Practi- tioner, holding master/teacher certifications from the International Center for Reiki Training. She is also a certified cranial sacral therapist in Profound Neutral from the Neurovascular Institute.
Company Notebook
MARY-ANNE SCHELB
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AUGUST 3, 2020 47