Category: General News
Call for Reserve Staff at NCH
Nantucket Cottage Hospital is calling on any active or retired healthcare professionals on the island to sign up to be part of a reserve staff of clinicians if the need arises during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
We are seeking any retired or active physicians, nurses, techs, or anyone who has a medical background to let us know if they are on-island and willing to help NCH if called upon.
We are able to do emergency credentialing at NCH as the state of Massachusetts has relaxed the rules around this process.
Please contact us at 508-825-8118 or e-mail sarhodes@partners.org if you are willing be part of our reserve staff during this challenging time. Thank you.
As a note to our regular employees who may be experiencing a reduction in work right now due to the deferral of certain elective procedures and visits, the hospital’s first priority is to find opportunities for you to be reassigned elsewhere in the hospital and to keep as many regular staff members employed as possible. If all regular (non-reserve) employees are reassigned and the hospital still has a need for staffing, the reserve staff would be available only as a last resort.
Second confirmed case of COVID-19 on Nantucket
![](https://nantuckethospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NCH-COVID19-1024x439.jpg?x72521)
(March 24,
2020) Nantucket Cottage Hospital has received confirmation of a
positive case of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the island, the second confirmed
case for Nantucket. The patient is isolated at home and monitoring their
symptoms with our clinicians.
The patient
was screened at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Saturday, March 21, and the test
result was reported positive early Tuesday morning, March 24.
The patient
will remain quarantined at home while we monitor their symptoms, and NCH
together with the Town of Nantucket Health Department has initiated the process
of tracing the patient’s contact with other individuals as well as NCH staff.
No further patient details will be shared by NCH.
“We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this virus in the community, so we continue to urge Nantucket residents to follow all aspects of the town’s stay at home order, practice social distancing, limit trips to the grocery store, as well as vigilant hand-washing and hygiene measures,” said Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “The actions all of us take now and in the days and weeks ahead will determine whether we are able to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on our island and avoid a surge of cases that could overwhelm our hospital. Our team at NCH is doing everything we can to care for our island during this challenging time, but we will need the help and support of every member of our community to limit the potential spread of this virus.”
(more…)OPEN CALL FOR RESERVE PHYSICIANS AT NCH
Nantucket Cottage Hospital is calling on active or retired physicians to sign up to be part of a reserve staff if the need arises during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
If you are a retired or active physician and are currently on-island, please let us know if you are willing to help NCH if called upon. We are able to do emergency credentialing and licensing as the state of Massachusetts has relaxed the rules around this process.
Please contact us at 508-825-8118 or e-mail sarhodes@partners.org if you are willing be part of our reserve staff during this challenging time. Thank you.
How To Make a Face Mask
We are welcoming donations of homemade fabric masks from our community as we continue our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most hospitals are facing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) right now, and other medical facilities have put out similar calls for help in recent days.
According to the CDC, fabric masks are a crisis response option when other supplies have been exhausted. We have implemented stringent conservation measures to sustain our existing supply of PPE and currently have adequate supplies, but want to mobilize the support of our community now to prevent any possibility of running low or running out. Donations can be made daily at the NCH loading dock, behind the hospital off Vesper Lane, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
(more…)First confirmed case of COVID-19 on island
![](https://nantuckethospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NCH-COVID19-2-1024x439.jpg?x72521)
(March 22, 2020) Nantucket Cottage Hospital has received confirmation of the first positive case of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the island. The patient is isolated at home and monitoring their symptoms with our clinicians.
The patient was screened at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Friday, March 20, and the test result was reported positive on Sunday, March 22, less than 48 hours later.
The patient
will remain quarantined at home while we monitor their symptoms, and NCH
together with the Town of Nantucket Health Department has initiated the process
of tracing the patient’s contact with other individuals as well as NCH staff. Due
to HIPAA regulations no further patient details will be shared by NCH.
“Nantucket Cottage Hospital is
taking every necessary precaution to keep our patients and the island community
safe,” said Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “We ask
that community members continue to educate themselves about this unfolding
situation, take it extremely seriously, and abide by all necessary safety
measures including staying home, social distancing, hand-washing, and hygiene. We
continue to urge all Nantucket residents to act with an abundance of caution, and
stay home whenever possible to limit the spread of this virus. Our team at NCH
is doing everything we can to care for our island during this challenging time,
but we will need the help and support of every member of our community to limit
the potential spread of this virus.”
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, sore throat, coughing, muscle aches, and shortness of breath, please call ahead to NCH to receive instructions about how to arrive. The drive-through evaluation site at the main entrance of Nantucket Cottage Hospital is open daily, and this service is intended for patients experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness. It is not a voluntary testing site, and if you are well, please do not come and ask to be tested. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911.