Nantucket Cottage Hospital & Nantucket Community Music Center Collaborate to Bring Live Music to the Island’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
For Nantucketers receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations at the VFW clinic over the past month, the experience has been a mixture of relief and joy. The inoculations have brought a sense of optimism for the future as the island and the country mark a full year living through the pandemic, with hope that it’s nearing an end.
To enhance the festive atmosphere of the VFW vaccination clinic and foster the concept of wellness through whole person care, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has partnered with the Nantucket Community Music Center to bring live music to the clinic.
Performers from the Nantucket Community Music Center, appropriately masked and distanced, will play string instruments and piano for those getting their COVID-19 vaccinations. Following vaccination, each individual is required to stay on-site for a 15-minute observation period to monitor for any adverse reactions, so they will have the opportunity to hear live music from some of the island’s most talented local musicians. The initiative is being generously provided by the Ashley Sanford Music Therapy Program at NCH. (more…)
Dr. Monto explains the COVID-19 Vaccine
Nantucket Cottage Hospital orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rocco Monto offers his insight on the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nantucket New Year’s Baby 2021
We want to share a very warm welcome to Nantucket’s New Year Baby for 2021!
Lillian Cartwright Farrell was born at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Jan. 1, 2021 at 12:44 p.m., weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces, measuring 19 inches, and is the first baby born on the island in 2021.
Lillian is the first child of Megan Soverino and Henry Farrell, of Nantucket. On behalf of everyone at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, congratulations to the family!
Message to the Nantucket Community from Gary Shaw
What a year it has been!
As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share our gratitude to the island community. We have asked so much of you and it has been a challenging year in so many ways, but the spirit and generosity we have witnessed has given us strength and heartened our workforce as we have responded to the pandemic. You have supported us and supported one another through this challenging time.
The prevention guidelines we have asked the community to follow – wearing masks, staying physically distant, refraining from large gatherings and staying home when possible – all of that has made life difficult. It’s not fun to do these things and it takes away from what we enjoy about life and our island. But we understand the importance of implementing these precautions, and we thank all of you for taking it to heart and taking it seriously.
As I look back to the spring of 2020, there were so many occasions when the community was there for its hospital. When we asked for donations of PPE, you were there. When we put out the call for medical providers to join a reserve staff to be ready if necessary, you stepped up. When people needed masks, you got sewing. When businesses needed to adapt to keep customers safe, you did so. Both year-round and seasonal residents of Nantucket came together to make these things happen for NCH and for our community. (more…)
A Fond Farewell to NCH Staff Members
As 2020 comes to a close, we want to recognize the longtime employees who retired from Nantucket Cottage Hospital or left the organization this year and thank them for the many contributions they have made to the health and wellness of our island. Below they share some reflections on their years of service at NCH.
Annie Backus, LPN – Patient Care Tech, Med/Surg
I have worked here at NCH for 46 years! My first and only professional job. I started when I was just 19 years old, fresh out of nursing school. Green as green can be! Most rewarding has been all I have learned since beginning my career on Oct. 21, 1974. All the patients I have cared for, all the lives I have touched and all the people I have met including patients, staff and administration. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the NCH team and all my patients over the years who entrusted me with their care through several generations of families. From bathing the newborn to holding the hand of a dying patient, to monitoring of behavioral health patients and now COVID patients, I have seen and done so much, but now it is time to move into my next chapter. What a journey it has been. See you at the beach! (more…)