10 / 5 / 2018

NCH Chief Nurse: I’m Voting No on Question 1

You have probably begun to see television advertisements and heard the debate surrounding the upcoming Ballot Question 1 that proposes to regulate nurse staffing ratios at all Massachusetts hospitals. This Ballot Question will be decided on Election Day, Nov. 6th.

We all want good nurse staffing and, quite frankly, good staffing for all our departments, but we do not need the government telling us what to do. We want that autonomy and flexibility to make these decisions on our own, not a one-size-fits-all mandate that would devastate health care in Massachusetts, especially our tiny hospital.   I want you to know why Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH) has joined more than 95 other hospitals and over 200 professional organizations, businesses, and chambers of commerce around the state in opposing this ballot initiative (see listing at end). (more…)

10 / 4 / 2018

Dr. Margot Hartmann: Why I’m Voting No on Question 1

Among the important choices we face on Election Day, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6th, is ballot question 1, which would regulate nurse staffing ratios at Massachusetts hospitals.

As President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH), I will be voting no on ballot question 1, and I urge you to join me in opposing this initiative that would have a significant negative impact on community hospitals like NCH. Here’s why.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital is among the smallest hospitals in the state. With the island’s remote geography and acute housing crisis, we already face significant staffing challenges that require our hospital to be creative and flexible in meeting the needs of our patients. I’m happy to say today that the unique staffing model we have developed and implemented at NCH in recent years has resulted in better patient outcomes, shorter wait times, higher patient satisfaction, and fewer patient transports off-island.

Ballot question 1 threatens this model, and would impose rigid government mandates on our hospital that would override the local decision-making of our nurse managers and physicians about how to best care for patients. The creativity and flexibility that are necessary to run a hospital 30 miles at sea would be outlawed under ballot question 1, and NCH would be forced to follow a one-size-fits-all mandate that requires small hospitals like us to staff at the same level as Boston teaching hospitals that have up to 1,000 beds and much more complex patients. Small community hospitals like NCH would have to follow these regulations at all times or suffer severe financial penalties – as much as $25,000 per occurrence – that would further threaten our organization.

With our high fixed costs and low patient volume during the offseason, Nantucket Cottage Hospital already operates on a razor thin margin and relies upon the generous donations from the island community to sustain us throughout the year. The Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) estimates the passage of ballot question 1 would result in $2.6 million in additional expenses to NCH, an unsustainable amount that would result in program cuts.   (more…)

9 / 19 / 2018

Sarah Chotkowski Named NCH Social Services Manager

Sarah Chotkowski, LICSW, has been named Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s new manager of social services following the retirement of Peter MacKay.

As an independent clinical social worker, Chotkowski is fully licensed to provide clinical services and has a background in practice management, outpatient therapy, and emergency crisis intervention.

Chotkowski has been an island resident for the past four years working in various roles at Fairwinds – Nantucket’s Counseling Center, most recently as the organization’s coordinator of clinical operations. She has previously collaborated with Nantucket Cottage Hospital staff as part of the mobile crisis team.

“In many ways it feels like I am ‘rejoining’ the hospital team, and I could not be happier,” Chotkowski said. (more…)

8 / 22 / 2018

NCH in Popular Science Magazine

“It may look like its humble neighbors, but the hospital is built to meet the comprehensive building code of Miami-Dade County, one of the most hurricane-battered regions of the world. There is no basement. Walls are double-hulled; many low-level surfaces cast from concrete; and windows are designated blast-resistant and designed to resist strong winds and swirling debris. And, wherever possible, there is redundancy.”

Nantucket Cottage Hospital is featured in Popular Science magazine with a focus on the hurricane resiliency of the new hospital. Read the full story by clicking here.

8 / 20 / 2018

Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s 107th Annual Meeting

 

Nantucket Cottage Hospital held its 107th Annual Meeting on Friday, Aug. 17th and welcomed new members to its Board of Trustees, thanked outgoing members for their service, and honored its volunteers and leaders.

Chairman Kevin Hickey welcomed the new members of the Board of Trustees, including Joseph M. Garasic, MD, Gerry Keneally, and Ian Loring. Hickey also thanked the outgoing members of the Board, including Erwin L. Greenberg, Philip A. Nardone, Jr., and Laura Reynolds.

Hickey and NCH Public Information Officer Jason Graziadei updated attendees on the state of the organization, the status of the new hospital, and other major projects on the horizon. Courtney O’Neill, executive director of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation, presented the hospital’s annual leadership awards. (more…)