Category: General News
106th Nantucket Cottage Hospital Annual Meeting
Nantucket Cottage Hospital emergency department nurse Dani Brunelle was named the first recipient of the Seinfeld/Hartmann Prize for Compassionate Medical Care during the hospital’s 106th Annual Meeting on Friday.
In recognition that compassionate care is a key hospital goal and a distinct privilege, NCH established this new annual prize in 2017 to honor a staff member for extraordinarily compassionate care. The Seinfeld/Hartmann Prize for Compassionate Medical Care will pay lasting tribute to a physician, nurse or any other hospital staff member who throughout his or her professional career demonstrates an outstanding level of compassion and care in their role at NCH. Dani was nominated by her peers based on the award criteria including: respect; integrity; empathy; communication; altruism; service; excellence; and professionalism. (more…)
World-class cancer care has never been closer
In April 2015, Jeannie Critchley was coming to the end of another school year and looking ahead to summer on Nantucket. But Critchley, who has been a teacher at Nantucket Elementary School for nearly 30 years, was about to receive some health news that would change her life.
After a routine mammogram at Nantucket Cottage Hospital and follow-up tests, Critchley was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. After the initial shock and deluge of information about her condition, Critchley and her physicians agreed on a plan that included two surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation.
It was daunting to say the least. “The fear factor, the worry, and wondering what will this be like, it was pretty intense,” Critchley said. “I had ideas in my head from TV and movies about what it would be like, and it was really intimidating and scary.” After a gauntlet of surgery and radiation over the following year, Critchley was relieved to discover that she could do her chemotherapy and many of her oncology consults right here on the island thanks to Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s partnership with the Mass General Cancer Center.
“I had been thinking about the travel, the time, and the physical toll it takes to go back and forth with the boat ride and traffic and the whole thing,” she said. “So that was the best piece of information, that I would be able to do my treatment here.” (more…)
A Night of Stories: Tales From the Cottage Hospital Nurses
The first in a series of oral history events about the hospital took place on June 27th at the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum. “A Night of Stories: Tales From the Cottage Hospital Nurses” featured six current and former NCH nurses telling the heartwarming, hilarious, and eccentric stories of delivering care on an island 30 miles out to sea.
Women + Wellness Event Featured in the Inquirer & Mirror
(July 20, 2017) Getting medical information just in the knick of time only goes so far in keeping on the population on the island healthy. Outside of an annual checkup, most people don’t worry about connecting with medical resources when they and their families are well. A new series of health talks is directed towards connecting women on the island with those resources before a medical crisis hits.
Read the full story by clicking here
NCH Staffer Takes Action in Aftermath of Ferry Accident
When the Steamship Authority’s Iyanough ferry crashed into a jetty at the entrance to Hyannis Harbor on the evening of June 16, the impact left 15 people injured.
Stranded on the rocks, the victims of the crash did not have immediate access to medical care. But one of the passengers happened to be Nate Woodason, a patient care tech in the Nantucket Cottage Hospital emergency department.
“Initially I was in shock, he said. “But I’m CPR certified, and working in the emergency department, so I thought I should do this and jump in.”
Although he was slightly injured himself, Woodason sprang into action and began making rounds on the boat to identify passengers who had been hurt. (more…)