Hospital & Community Spotlight

September 28, 2022
Email Communication to NCH Staff

Dear Colleagues,

More than two years ago, Mass General Brigham introduced its new brand identity to better represent our common purpose – to build an integrated healthcare system with patients at its center. This means that every patient receives a high quality and safe patient experience at an appropriate cost; has access to world-renowned specialists when needed; enjoys an experience that is seamless across the system; and benefits from world leading research and development that is focused on continually advancing healthcare and science.

I am pleased to share with you that Nantucket Cottage Hospital, along with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, is entering to the next phase of the Mass General Brigham brand rollout and at NCH we are launching our new logo today:

With the brand rollout at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, we can enhance our deep connection and relationships to this world class system, resources and capabilities and help our patients better understand how we help to improve their lives. This systemwide collaboration will soon become more visible across our organization, in many ways, though most of the historic NCH exterior signage will remain as is. The entire brand rollout process will take time as we take steps to minimize the cost associated with implementation as we use, the current branded supplies and signage and equipment.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital is a special and unique Nantucket community resource, staffed with resolute, talented healthcare professionals and volunteers committed to improving the lives of patients, families, and this community. The challenges of delivering world-class healthcare thirty miles at sea are very real and remain more challenging than ever. These last few years have been particularly difficult; however, we have learned repeatedly that we can do remarkable things when we work together as a system, supported by our Mass General Brigham colleagues to provide life-changing care and community service on this island. This collaboration and teamwork to deliver with highest quality patient experience closer to home is symbolic of everything Mass General Brigham is striving to achieve through its strategy.

The MGB system strategy is to be recognized as the world leading, integrated healthcare system provider in its served market. With the full range of capabilities, world-class clinicians and staff at our academic medical centers, specialty hospitals, and community hospitals, we will increasingly work as the premier healthcare system that delivers safe, high quality patient care, an unrivaled experience and access to world-renowned experts across the full spectrum of healthcare needs. Continually strengthened by our research, innovation and modern technologies, we will have an even greater impact on our patients, their families and the communities we so proudly serve locally, nationally and globally.

We hope you take pride in being part of Nantucket Cottage Hospital and all that our new Mass General Brigham brand stands for. It is rooted in you and your commitment to our patients, their family and our island community that we so proudly serve.

Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, DNP
Interim President, Nantucket Cottage Hospital

Nantucket Cottage Hospital, a hospital in the Mass General Brigham system, is conducting a community health assessment to explore what matters most to people in Nantucket. The purpose of the survey is to hear directly from community members like you. The results of this survey will be analyzed and shared back with the community and will help us to take action to positively change the factors that influence people’s health.

Please read this important information before you begin the survey.

This survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. If you do not feel comfortable answering a question, you may skip it. Taking this survey will not affect any services that you receive. This survey is anonymous. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Chris Glowacki cglowacki@partners.org

• Click to take the survey in English
• Haga clic para tomar la encuesta en español
• Clique para responder a pesquisa em espanhol

Thank you for your participation.

September 6, 2022 – Amy E. Lee, MBA, MBHA, MJ, FACMPE, will assume the role of President of Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH) effective October 17. After a thorough and inclusive process endorsed by the NCH Board of Trustees, the search committee identified Amy as the ideal candidate to lead this exceptional community hospital into the future. With extensive healthcare experience and proven team-building skills, she will guide NCH’s vision while honoring its unique history and culture.

Amy currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President at Central Maine Medical Group/Central Maine Healthcare, where she is recognized for her leadership abilities and strategic vision, as well as her role as a mentor. Prior to her current role, Amy served as Vice President for Primary Care, Medical Specialties, Physician Residency Programs & Patient Contact Center at Carle Foundation Hospital, a 433-bed hospital in Urbana, Illinois.

Amy earned her Master of Jurisprudence [MJ] in Health Law from Loyola University in Chicago. Additionally, she earned both a Master of Business Administration [MBA] and a Master of Health Care Administration [MBHA] from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Amy also holds multiple professional certifications and has been active on numerous boards.

On Wednesday, August 24th, 2022, Board of Trustees Chair, Craig Muhlhauser, welcomed members of the community to Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s 111th Annual Meeting at The Nantucket Hotel. This was the first in-person NCH Annual Meeting since the summer of 2019. In his remarks Mr. Muhlhauser described a vision for the post COVID-19 future of the hospital that includes an emphasis on community engagement and talent development. Jeanette Ives-Erickson, RN, DNP, Interim President, also spoke about the team and shared excerpts of positive feedback from the public. The Annual Meeting was the first opportunity for many in the community to meet Dr. Barbara Malone since she was named Chief Medical Officer at NCH. Dr. Malone spoke about the record volume that NCH has seen this summer and the adjustments that have enabled the hospital to handle it. The Annual Meeting marked the end of board terms for trustees Stephen Karp and Sally Mason Boemer. Tim Mullen and Betsy Wright were named as new board members and previous trustee Jeanine Borthwick, who co-chaired the capital campaign for the new building, will rejoin the board.

A highlight of every Annual Meeting is the recognition of community members who have had a positive impact on the hospital and the heath of the community. This year NCH presented two Sandy Craig Leadership Awards. The award this year went to retiring Fire Chief Stephen Murphy and to outgoing NCH trustee Stephen Karp. The 2022 Myrt Eldridge Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Jeanine Borthwick who architected the “Acks of Love” employee appreciation program in early 2022. The Phil Murray Business Award was presented to Hy-Line Cruises who transported over 50,000 COVID-19 test samples to the mainland free of charge over the course of the pandemic. The Bruce A. Percelay Philanthropy Award was presented to Kim and Alan Hartman who co-chaired the NCH Annual Fund for the past two years. This year’s Seinfeld/Hartmann Prize for Compassionate Care winner is Bonnie Fitz-Gibbon, the Palliative Care Counselor at PASCON.

 August 10, 2022 – Today, the American Academy of Nursing announced that Jeanette Ives Erickson RN, DNP, NEA-BC, FAAN is a recipient of its Living Legend Award.

The Living Legend designation from the American Academy of Nursing is bestowed upon a very small number of nurses in recognition of the multiple contributions these individuals have made to the nursing profession and to society. Moreover, this award recognizes the continuing impact of these contributions on the accessibility of health care services in the United States and throughout the world.

“Nursing is the journey of a lifetime, and I am humbled to receive this recognition. I started my career as a critical care nurse, and I had the great honor of serving as Chief Nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. Today, I am fortunate to be back with the Nantucket community,” said Ives Erickson. “Nurses have the opportunity to influence almost every aspect of health care, from restoring patients back to health, being an educator, researcher, mentor, or policy maker. I have worked with so many nurses who I have incredible respect for, including the nurse leaders who nominated me for this recognition, and they are all living legends in their own right.”

Each Living Legend must be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) for at least 15 years. While over 2,000 nurses have achieved the FAAN designation, only a few dozen have been named Living Legends since the inception of the award in 1995.

“Nantucket is instilled with hardworking people who deserve to have the best health care available to them right here at home,” said Ives Erickson. “Knowing how wonderful and dedicated the people here are made coming out of retirement easy. When I look at who else has been recognized as a living legend, they are icons in nursing. Even with this award, it’s hard to see myself as anything but just a local girl, here to support my community.”

Ives Erickson is Chief Nurse Emerita at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), an Instructor at Harvard Medical School, and a Professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions. While she had planned to officially retire, in March of this year Ives Erickson came out of retirement to accept the position as Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s interim president and CEO. For Ives Erickson, it will mark her second stint in this position. She previously served in that role for six months following the departure of Margot Hartmann in August 2019.

“Throughout her career, Jeanette has made countless, extraordinary contributions to the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, including serving as a role model for so many of us. Her compassion, caring attitude, self-sacrifice and focus on providing quality care for everyone is exemplary. The impact and legacy she has on this island and with the Hospital and Community will be everlasting. Jeanette is so very well deserving of this recognition, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to celebrate her in this manner,” says Craig Muhlhauser, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Nantucket Cottage Hospital. (more…)