Nantucket Cottage Hospital recently competed its 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment, detailing the most pressing health concerns facing Nantucket.

Since 2019, NCH has engaged the Nantucket community in an attempt to gain insight into the underlying health needs of the community. With the COVID-19 Pandemic reaching the shores of Nantucket during the middle of this engagement, the community had an increased interest and awareness of many of the needs that had been exacerbated by the pandemic. The result of this increased awareness and interest resulted in some new findings on top of many of the longstanding needs of Nantucket.

This CHNA marks the first-time food insecurity was highlighted by the community as a potential need, and a newfound awareness of racial inequities’ impact on health helped to create a more robust and inclusive understanding of community health needs.

While many issues emerged throughout the community engagement period, four stood out as the most consistently concerning and pressing, lack of affordable housing, the need for increased mental health care, the high demand for cancer care and substance use disorders.

The complete report can be found here: 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment 

(November 4, 2021) – Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is now available to children over the age of 5, at no cost to the patient, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Nantucket Cottage Hospital will be offering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines from 2:00pm to 5:00pm every Monday beginning on the 15^th of November, by appointment only.

Once a parent or guardian signs up their child for the first dose, they will automatically be signed up for a second dose three weeks later. Due to the limited availability of appointments, it is critical that patients understand that they must be available for both the first and second dose at the time of booking.

November 15 – Pfizer 1st Dose à December 6 – Pfizer 2nd Dose

November 22 – Pfizer 1st Dose à December 13 – Pfizer 2nd Dose

November 29 – Pfizer 1st Dose à December 20 – Pfizer 2nd Dose

Appointments for pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations can be made at https://covidvaccine.massgeneralbrigham.org/