November 20, 2024 – Nantucket Cottage Hospital recently competed its 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, detailing the most pressing health concerns facing Nantucket.

The goals of this Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) are to: 1) identify the primary health – related needs that residents of Nantucket face, 2) understand how those needs are currently being addressed, and 3) identify opportunities to address needs in the future.

The CHNA report includes:

• A review of key demographics of the island and health outcomes data for Nantucket residents
• A summary of findings from a community engagement process that included public town halls, surveys, and a robust series of stakeholder interviews.
• A report of social determinant of health outpatient screening actively affecting community members.
• A review of high utilizers of healthcare.

Context

This Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is the first assessment post- COVID pandemic. This is important given how many community health needs were addressed during COVID, which no longer are to the same degree. The CHNA was produced by the Community Benefit Advisory Committee which is a group of Nantucket Cottage Hospital employees, community-based organizations, and community residents. The CHNA aims to identify the most important health needs on island and provide an opportunity to outline sustainable system, environmental, and policy changes to support health improvement in the community. Historically, Nantucket CHNA identified housing instability, financial instability, behavioral health needs, and cancer resources as important health needs. Since the last CHNA, there have been many positive changes on island to address the identified needs. To highlight a few: the expansion of urgent access, NCH sponsored housing development, increased access to oncology, development of the island’s first overnight homeless shelter, and expansion of mental health resources.

Key Findings

This year’s CHNA survey identified the following community health needs perceived by community members: mental health, affordable housing, access to care, and substance use disorder. Routine outpatient screening of social determinants of health currently affecting residents identified housing, food, education, and finances as active social determinants of health (SDOH) affecting community members at the time of their healthcare appointment. Hispanic and Spanish-speaking community members were disproportionately affected by SDOH identified during outpatient health screening.

The complete report can be found here: 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment

November 12, 2024 – Wrapping up its 95th year in business, the Hospital Thrift Shop presented a check this morning to Nantucket Cottage Hospital totaling $625,000.

Hospital President, Amy Lee, commented, “I can’t thank the staff and volunteers of the Thrift Shop enough for their ongoing dedication and hard work. These much-needed funds will go toward new, improved mammography equipment, a new state-of-the-art ultrasound machine, and supplemental funding for employee housing.”

“I would like to thank the entire Thrift Shop team for another exceptional year and this generous donation. Fulfilling our mission to our island community would not be possible without your generous support, and for that we are eternally grateful,” said Craig Muhlhauser, Chair of the NCH Board of Trustees.

The Hospital Thrift Shop has donated more than $8 million to the hospital since its founding in 1929 when a group of dedicated volunteers came together to provide affordable clothes and household goods to the island community. Its first gift to the hospital that year was $603. Many have contributed to this success: residents who donate gently used items, shoppers who get great deals, numerous volunteers who devote substantial time and energy, and a small staff who run the daily operation of this thriving organization. It’s a tradition that continues to generate great returns for the community by providing affordable goods and for the hospital by providing ongoing financial support that will benefit Nantucket patients into the future. The gift of $625,000 matches last year’s record for largest donation in a single year.

Mary Casey, Executive Director, Hospital Thrift Shop
Amy Lee, President, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Craig Muhlhauser, Chair, Board of Trustees, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Jennifer Anderson, Vice President of the Board of Directors, Hospital Thrift Shop

November 1, 2024 – The open enrollment period for the Massachusetts Health Connector, the state-based health insurance marketplace, begins November 1, 2024 and runs through January 23, 2025.

During open enrollment, individuals and families can change their current plan, and those who are uninsured can shop for and enroll in one of the plans offered through the Health Connector.

NCH’s Health Care Advocates are available for assistance with this process. Please call Diane at 508-825-8256 or Andrew at 508-825-8199 to schedule an appointment. To speak directly with the Massachusetts Health Connector, call 877-623-6765.

The Health Connector website, MAhealthconnector.org, is also available to review plans, shop and enroll.

October 17, 2024 – The annual enrollment and change period for Medicare’s Part D prescription drug plans runs from October 17 through December 7, 2024. Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Social Services Department offers phone consultations for assistance with the open enrollment period. Please call 508-825-8196, Monday through Friday, to schedule an appointment (limited appointments available).

Additional assistance is available from the SHINE Program, a State Health Insurance Program that provides free, one-on-one health insurance information, counseling and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries of all ages. Phone appointments for Nantucket residents are available through SHINE by calling 508-375-6762. You can also email SHINE@capecod.gov.

The SHINE Program can assist with questions about the following:

• Medicare
• Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare HMOs, PPOs)
• Insurance Claim Forms
• Medicare Supplements (“Medigap”)
• Medicaid/MassHealth
• Prescription Advantage
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
• One Care Plans
• Health Insurance Options
• Prescription Drug Options
• Long-Term Care Insurance

Some of the services that SHINE counselors provide include:

• Reviewing your current coverage
• Reviewing your eligibility for financial assistance
• Providing health insurance plan comparisons
• Helping prepare health benefit claim forms and applications

SHINE counselors are volunteers trained and certified through the SHINE Program.

(September 2024) – Nantucket Cottage Hospital is administering flu and COVID shots throughout the Fall. Appointments are required and are available to book on the Patient Gateway or by calling 508-825-1000. Vaccines will be administered in the Physician Practices area of the main hospital building at 57 Prospect Street.

A flu vaccine protects you from getting the flu and can also reduce your risk from flu complications. The CDC also recommends you stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines. The updated vaccine protects against the latest virus variants.

Flu and COVID vaccines are also available to patients during a regular primary care visit.