(February 1, 2024) – Nantucket Cottage Hospital is delighted to announce that local resident Steven Kohler, MD, joined NCH in January 2024 as Medical Director of Urgent Access. A graduate of Temple Medical School, Dr. Kohler’s background includes a transitional internship and Internal Medicine Residency at Cambridge Hospital, a Harvard Medical School program, as well as an Emergency Medicine Residency at University Hospital, Jacksonville, University of Florida.

Dr. Kohler brings a wealth of experience to his new role having served as an Emergency Medicine Physician at Cape Cod Hospital since 1996. He has lived on Nantucket fulltime since then and has been doing the “reverse commute” to Cape Cod during that time. While at Cape Cod Hospital he has experienced over 125,000 emergency room and urgent care patient encounters.

Dr. Kohler commented, “I am looking forward to expanding urgent access on the island. We hope to include expanding the urgent care to non-appointment-based encounters, as well as simple procedures such as laceration care.”

Amy Lee, President, and COO of NCH, remarked, “We took the feedback regarding Urgent Access from the community very seriously and are investing in the expansion of services. We are excited that Dr. Kohler will provide his expertise to this critical role.”

Urgent Access is for minor injuries or illnesses like tick bites, rashes, sprains, coughs, colds, sore throats, fevers, and eye infections. Urgent Access care is available to everyone – not just existing Nantucket Cottage Hospital patients. However, to be treated at the Urgent Access Clinic, patients will need to be registered with Mass General Brigham. Those who have received care at Nantucket Cottage Hospital in the past are already registered. All others should call 866-211-6588 to register.

Patients may make an Urgent Access appointment by accessing MGB’s online Patient Gateway or by calling 508-825-1000.

October 2023 – Nantucket Cottage Hospital is hosting COVID vaccine clinics for adults, 19-years-old and up. Appointments are required and are available to book on the Patient Gateway or by calling 508-825-1000. COVID vaccines will be administered in the Anderson Building on the hospital campus at 57 Prospect Street.

• Saturday, October 28, 2023
• Tuesday, October 31, 2023
• Thursday, November 2, 2023
• Tuesday, November 7, 2023
• Thursday, November 9, 2023
• Wednesday, November 15, 2023
• Thursday, November 16, 2023
• Friday, November 24, 2023 (for all ages – clinic located in Physician Practices in main hospital, not Anderson Building)

Additional clinic dates will be added to meet demand. Both COVID and flu vaccines are also available to patients during a regular primary care visit.

For flu shot clinic dates, click here.

October 2023 – Nantucket Cottage Hospital is offering limited phone consultations for Open Enrollment Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) assistance. Please call 508-825-8196, Monday – Friday, to schedule an appointment between October 17th and December 7th.

Additional assistance is available from the SHINE Program, a State Health Insurance Program that provides free, one-on-one health insurance information, counseling and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries of all ages. Phone appointments for Nantucket residents are available through SHINE by calling 508-375-6762. You can also email SHINE@capecod.gov.

The SHINE Program can assist with questions about the following:

• Medicare
• Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare HMOs, PPOs)
• Insurance Claim Forms
• Medicare Supplements (“Medigap”)
• Medicaid/MassHealth
• Prescription Advantage
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
• One Care Plans
• Health Insurance Options
• Prescription Drug Options
• Long-Term Care Insurance

Some of the services that SHINE counselors provide include:

• Reviewing your current coverage
• Reviewing your eligibility for financial assistance
• Providing health insurance plan comparisons
• Helping prepare health benefit claim forms and applications

Counselors are volunteers trained and certified through the SHINE Program.

(September 2023) Nantucket Cottage Hospital is hosting flu vaccine clinics this fall. Appointments are required and are available to book on the Patient Gateway or by calling 508-825-1000. Flu shots will be administered in the Anderson Building on the hospital campus at 57 Prospect Street.

• Monday, September 18, 2023
• Wednesday, September 20, 2023
• Saturday, September 23, 2023
• Tuesday, September 26, 2023
• Thursday, September 28, 2023
• Saturday, September 30, 2023 during Island Health Fair at 57 Prospect Street, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (no appointments required during Health Fair)
• Tuesday, October 10, 2023
• Thursday, October 12, 2023
• Tuesday, October 24, 2023
• Tuesday, November 7, 2023
• Thursday, November 9, 2023
• Wednesday, November 15, 2023
• Thursday, November 16, 2023
• Friday, November 24, 2023 (for all ages – clinic located in Physician Practices in main hospital, not Anderson Building)
• Thursday, December 28, 2023 (for all ages – clinic located in Physician Practices in main hospital, not Anderson Building)

Additional clinic dates will be added to meet demand. Both COVID and flu vaccines are also available to patients during a regular primary care visit.

For COVID vaccine clinic dates, click here.

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year, and the Centers for Disease Control recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.

July 17, 2023 – Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s sixth annual Women+Wellness event on Monday, July 17th featured renowned cardiac expert Colleen M. Harrington, MD, as our featured speaker. Dr. Harrington discussed various topics related to cardiac health for people of all ages, including preventative measures and the gender-specific risk factors for heart diseases. Primary Care Practitioners from Nantucket Cottage Hospital joined the conversation to share valuable information about on-island resources for cardiac screening, services, and care. Click below to watch the full event.

Thank You to Our 2023 Sponsors:

• Heart Sponsors: Jeanine Borthwick | Michael and Meryl Bralower | Maureen Hackett | Lisa Clarey-Lawler
• Soul Sponsors: Carole Beller | Amanda Dearborn | The Inquirer and Mirror
• Care Sponsors: Camille Branca | Cathy Bortz | Anita Cosgrove | Dawn Didden | Caron Dockerty | Meg Dwyer | Robin Hammer | Joan Hill | Minou Palandjian | Maria Roach | Hinda Snyder | John and Marianne Stanton | Alison Townsend | Leslie Wytrzes
• Mindful Sponsors: Kim Hartman | Ginny Ripp | Nancy Vittorini | Kim Younes
• Peace Sponsors: Jane Condon | Jennifer Pincince | Lisa Soeder