Hospital & Community Spotlight

Today we reported 46 new cases of COVID-19 among patients tested at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital drive-through evaluation site on Monday and Tuesday. This is by far the largest number of new cases we have reported over a two-day span. A total of 81 new cases have been identified over the past week, and the seven-day positivity rate for the island is now at 7.6 percent.

This represents a significant spike in transmission of the virus on Nantucket, and we must take this situation extremely seriously. Nantucket Cottage Hospital is working actively with the Nantucket Health Department and hospital staff involved with contact tracing and case investigation to learn more about these new cases, and identify and quarantine any other residents who may have been exposed to them. We urge anyone who is contacted for case investigation to cooperate fully with contact tracing efforts and request that you adhere to quarantine requirements if you have been identified as having been exposed.

We implore the community to remain vigilant and take precautions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on the island, including wearing masks, physical distancing, refraining from gathering in large groups, and hand hygiene.

Vaccines for COVID-19 are on the horizon and new therapeutics are rolling out, but the country and Nantucket are still experiencing significant transmission of the virus. We ask everyone in the community to take personal responsibility and utilize the simple preventative measures we know will work to keep the island safe.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital announced this week that it has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Nantucket Interfaith Council for the creation of an endowed Emergency Medical Travel Fund to assist low-income island residents in accessing medical services that require off-island travel. The grant is one of the largest distributed to date through the hospital’s Community Health Initiative, which seeks to address the island’s most pressing health issues through collaborative, innovative, and sustainable programs.  The Community Health Initiative grant funds are available through the private donations to Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s capital campaign for the island’s new hospital. As a state-approved capital project, the hospital is required to invest 5 percent of the total project cost in improving community health outside the walls of the hospital.

For patients in need of highly specialized medical care off-island, the additional burden of travel expenses can create a significant hardship and present a barrier to care for many Nantucket residents. The $500,000 grant to the Nantucket Interfaith Council, which operates Nantucket Food, Fuel, & Rental Assistance, will establish an endowed fund with the Community Foundation for Nantucket that will provide funds to applicants who meet certain income requirements to cover the costs associated with off-island travel for medical care. Access to care was one of the four priority health needs areas identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan known as Healthy Nantucket 2020 which was drafted in 2017 and has served as a roadmap to guide the investment of the hospital’s Community Health Initiative funds. (more…)

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, new cases of COVID-19 are increasing around the country and on Nantucket. Vaccines are on the horizon and advances in new therapeutics are rolling out, but the country is still experiencing significant transmission of the virus, with COVID-19 hospitalizations at record highs. Gathering and eating together with family on Thanksgiving are among our most enjoyable traditions, but the ongoing pandemic requires our vigilance with respect to precautions and mitigation to keep the island community safe. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health are recommending that people only celebrate Thanksgiving this year with other people in their household. (more…)

Barbara N. Malone, MD, a fellowship trained pediatric ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon, has joined the Nantucket Cottage Hospital medical staff. Dr. Malone will be seeing patients up to 18 years of age with ENT concerns, offering clinical appointments by referral as well as surgical procedures as deemed appropriate at NCH. This will include treating patients for such issues as ear infections and hearing problems, nose and throat infections, nosebleeds or nasal injuries, difficulty breathing and snoring, and other problems of the head and neck in children.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to join the medical community at NCH,” Dr. Malone said. “I hope to deliver ENT specialty care to the kids on island and keep them here as much as possible.” (more…)