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 Raymond P. Brien
June 21, 2002
Raymond P. Brien, 61, of Loumar Drive, president and chief executive officer of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of the Berkshires, died Friday at Berkshire Medical Center after being stricken.
A social worker, Mr. Brien was associated for more than 20 years with the state Department of Mental Health, which he left about 20 years ago with the title of associate commissioner. A strong believer in providing mental health care in community settings rather than in hospitals, Mr. Brien was instrumental in implementing a landmark consent decree that provided for the closing of the state's mental hospitals.
Born in Chicopee on Feb. 11, 1941, son of Ernest and Alexine Devost Brien, he graduated from Assumption Preparatory School in 1958. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Assumption College in 1964 and was trained as a social worker at Columbia University, receiving certification from the university's doctoral program in 1974. He was a licensed social worker.
Mr. Brien, who pronounced his surname "breen," served as a consultant to state and national mental health authorities on the structure of reimbursement and managed care for mental health. He received numerous professional awards and was formally recognized for his community service, receiving the Francis X. Doyle Award in 2001 from Berkshire Health Systems. He was a member of the board of trustees of BHS.
A member of the board of directors of the Pittsfield Boys' and Girls' Club's youth hockey program, Mr. Brien also served as a youth soccer coach at the Pittsfield YMCA. He was an active volunteer for the Berkshire United Way and was a team captain in St. Mark's Church Future of Hope campaign. An ardent supporter of cancer research, he was a team captain for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
Mr. Brien also was a member of the board of directors of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corps. of Massachusetts, a member of the Western Massachusetts Human Services Council and a member of the Western Massachusetts Human Services Forum. He taught psychology at American International College in the late 1970s and at Berkshire Community College in the 1980s.
He leaves his wife, the former Patricia E. Kolano; three sons, Dr. Thomas P. Brien of Signal Mountain, Tenn., and David P. Brien and Jeffrey P. Brien, both of Pittsfield; a sister, Jeanine Laporte of Southwick, and four grandsons. A sister, Germaine Brien, died in 1997.
The funeral will be Wednesday at 8:45 from Dery Funeral Home, 54 Bradford St., Pittsfield, followed by a concelebrated Liturgy of Christian Burial at St. Mark's Church, 400 West St., Pittsfield, at 10. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, June 25, from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1111 Elm St., West Springfield, MA 01089, or to the American Cancer Society, 53 Capital Ave., West Springfield, MA 01189.
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