As I was driving to the Minneapolis airport last week to return to Nantucket, I could see a car burning on a freeway entry ramp and smoke rising from the downtown area as a result of the unrest following the tragic and needless death of George Floyd.

What I saw passing through Minneapolis and in the news images of protests from across the country over the past week have been stark reminders of how much work is left to be done to confront and eliminate racism and support marginalized people in our society. Medical organizations across the country, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians, have recognized that racism is a public health issue.

I echo the recent sentiments shared by Anne Klibanski, President and CEO of Mass General Brigham, and Peter Slavin, President and CEO of Massachusetts General Hospital on these issues. I want Nantucket Cottage Hospital to join with our colleagues across the system in examining the challenges of systemic racism in our own health system, and to lead by example and actions. I agree wholeheartedly that we can confront racism only when our colleagues and patients of color feel fully seen, heard and appreciated for the value that they bring every single day to Nantucket Cottage Hospital.  We are part of a healthcare system that is committed to ending suffering, but it’s important that we recognize that we can and must do more to ensure equity in providing care to all residents of the island community. (more…)

Key Takeaways

• Ask loved ones about their appetites, sleep patterns and moods to find red flags
• Find creative ways to connect while still being physically apart
• Arrange a few unprompted acts of kindness

The geriatric population, those who are 65 years and older, has been widely noted as among the most at risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19. Physical distancing has been the critical measure in the prevention and spread of infection within this age group.

However, while the physical health of the geriatric population has certainly been a topic of discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic, how has this period of isolation impacted the mental well-being of these individuals?

“Loneliness amongst the older population will be a much more insidious cause of casualty than we previously realized,” says Matthew L Russell, MD, a geriatrician and palliative care specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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This attestation form is applicable to acute care hospitals and must be completed prior to performing Phase 2 services and procedures as defined in Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Reopen Approach for Acute Care Hospitals guidance Phase 2: Cautious Guidance. 

For more information:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Reopening website

We screen to protect you, your families, and our staff

• We screen all employees daily for symptoms. Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or other infectious illness is not permitted to work until they are evaluated.
• We screen visitors and encourage the use of our pre-screen tool to our facilities for symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
• We test and screen patients for COVID-19.
  • Admitted patients to our hospitals are tested for COVID-19 before admission. Patients are tested again over of the course of their admission.
  • Admitted patients are screened daily for symptoms.
  • Patients visiting our facilities are screened for symptoms.
  • When providing care in the home, we screen patients for symptoms before the visit.

We clean our hands and spaces and make it easy for you to do the same

• We have hand sanitizer stations throughout our facilities so patients, visitors, and staff can clean their hands easily and frequently.
• We follow CDC recommendations for cleaning of our facilities.

We protect everyone in our environment

• We require everyone — employees, patients, and visitors — at our facilities to wear a facility-issued facemask.
• We wear masks when providing care in the home.
• All Mass General Brigham employees are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and influenza.