To our expectant mothers on Nantucket,

As we have seen the first confirmed cases of coronavirus on Nantucket, we write to update you on the ongoing changes at Nantucket Cottage Hospital that are being implemented to keep you, your baby, and the Birthplace staff as safe and healthy as possible.

The Birthplace at NCH is one of the most secure and isolated areas of the hospital. Under our rigorous infection control protocols, everyone who enters the hospital is screened for any viral symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, or shortness of breath).  Moreover, the Birthplace is a locked unit for the safety and security of our patients and their babies, and only a very limited number of staff members have access to the unit. 

The visitor policy at NCH has been modified to prohibit most visitors to patients in the hospital with a few exceptions, including obstetrical patients. Women giving birth at NCH are permitted to have one adult visitor, provided the person has no viral symptoms. The one adult visitor must be the same person throughout your entire admission at NCH. As your due date approaches, the NCH Birthplace staff will be available to discuss the current details of this policy with you.

(March 10, 2020) In light of the growing concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), Nantucket Cottage Hospital has made the difficult decision to cancel the Be Well Kids Health Fair on March 22.

This decision was made following guidance received over the weekend from emergency preparedness and clinical leaders at Partners Healthcare regarding the hosting of events or conferences of any size in the hospital in light of the growing number of COVID cases in Massachusetts. While there are currently no cases on Nantucket, we are cancelling the health fair in accordance with that guidance to mitigate the potential risk of such large gatherings.

We want to thank the volunteers of the NCH Pediatric Patient & Family Advisory Council for all the work they have done over the last six months to prepare for the health fair, along with NCH staff members and our community partners who were planning to participate. We anticipate bringing the event back to the hospital as soon as it is reasonable and safe to do so.

While this was a difficult decision, we feel strongly that it is an appropriate precaution to protect the health of our community, patients and visitors.

(February 28, 2020) Gifted vocalist Marc Martel will bring the music of legendary rock band Queen to Nantucket this summer as he joins the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra as the special musical guest for the 24th annual Boston Pops on Nantucket concert to benefit Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Tickets are available at NantucketHospital.org/Pops

Martel’s incredible talents were showcased in the Oscar-winning film “Bohemian Rhapsody” as he was chosen to be one of the voices of Freddie Mercury for the Queen biopic. Martel was previously tapped by original Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor to front their official tribute, The Queen Extravaganza, before setting out on his own in 2017 with The Ultimate Queen Celebration. His viral YouTube videos have generated millions of views, and Martel has appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” singing the Queen classic “Somebody to Love.”

Nantucket Cottage Hospital is not only an integral part of the island community, but it is an equally integral part of our family as well. As a family of six, we have frequented the ER for stitches, fevers and other mishaps that accompany a family with four boys, always receiving attentive and comprehensive care. But the hospital hasn’t just been there for our family during tragic events or unfortunate circumstances. It has served as the “home away from home” where we gave birth and welcomed three of our four children into the world, most recently our son Charles on January 10, 2020. It is these life changing moments for which we feel forever connected and grateful to our community hospital.

While nothing can fully prepare a family for the life changing experience that bringing a new baby into the world will be, the process can be a positive one or not. Our experience, most recently, was nothing short of perfect.

We had a pretty good idea of what to expect, this being our third child in three years. What we could not have planned for however, was the tremendous care our family received by the nursing staff and just how much they would contribute to our overall experience.

We arrived on a Friday morning and were warmly welcomed. It felt as though the whole nursing staff was anticipating our arrival, ready and eager to get the process started. How grateful we were to have such individualized attention, knowing that is not the norm in most all other hospitals. They embraced our desire for a holistic, natural birth. Whether through maintaining the set environment through dimmed lighting and quiet music, or providing birthing balls at various stages or encouraging walking the halls and trying new laboring positions. They respected our wishes the entire way.

– Kathleen and Isaiah Stover with their kids Gabe, J.J., Xander and Finn

(January 29, 2020) Nantucket Cottage Hospital is pleased to announce that Michelle and Bob Atchinson will serve as the event chairs for the 2020 Boston Pops on Nantucket concert set for August 8th.

The Atchinsons, summer residents of the island who have been coming to Nantucket for 30 years, will oversee the signature event of the summer with a dedicated group of hospital staff and volunteers, producer Jon Rosbrook and Aisling Glynn’s ACKtivities, as well as vendors and special guests. The annual concert is the largest single fundraiser for Nantucket Cottage Hospital that brings thousands of people together at Jetties Beach. All of the net proceeds generated during the event stay on Nantucket to sustain the hospital’s general operations and its year-round commitment to the health and wellbeing of the island community.

“Bob and I are honored to take on this role in support of Nantucket Cottage Hospital and are excited to work with the many volunteers who make the Pops a special event for the community,” Michelle Atchinson said. “We look forward to doing our part to steward this great tradition and ensure that it continues to provide critical support for our island hospital.”

The concert in August 2020 will mark the 24th year for the Boston Pops on Nantucket event.