Bruce A. Percelay has been presented with the 2020 Jack Connors, Jr. Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. The award, named in honor of Mass General Brigham Chair Emeritus Jack Connors, is given each year to two honorees for their contributions to Mass General Brigham hospitals.

Percelay received his award representing the community and specialty hospitals in recognition of his support, advocacy and philanthropic leadership throughout the $120 million capital campaign to build the new Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH). The hospital’s main building is now known as the Percelay Pavilion in honor of his efforts.

In presenting the award, Scott M. Sperling, the Chairman of Mass General Brigham, praised Percelay’s “singular relentless efforts” in leading Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s historic capital campaign for a new hospital and hospital housing.

Gary A. Shaw, the President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage added, “this award is truly deserved, and we at NCH are gratified that our colleagues at Mass General Brigham recognized the extraordinary efforts and sterling leadership that Bruce contributes to the hospital.”

Percelay is chairman and founder of The Mount Vernon Company, a real estate investment and development firm based in Massachusetts. The thirty-year-old firm owns and manages over 2,000 apartments, five hotels and a range of commercial properties in Eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Percelay is the chairman of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, has served as chair of Habitat for Humanity and The Make-A-Wish Foundation and has served on the board of The Rappaport Institute at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He has been recognized in the United States Congressional Record for his contributions to life in Massachusetts.

In addition to his support for NCH, Percelay has been actively involved in Nantucket in a number of ways, including the building of the Nantucket Whaling Museum, co-founding member of the Great Harbor Yacht Club and the publisher of Nantucket Magazine, the leading publication on the island.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital wants to hear from our Spanish speaking and Portuguese speaking community members.

Hospital de Nantucket quiere escuchar a los miembros de nuestra comunidad hispanohablante.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital quer ouvir a opinião dos membros da nossa comunidade de língua portuguesa.

• Haga clic aquí para realizar nuestra encuesta confidencial
• Clique aqui para responder à nossa pesquisa de forma confidencial

Beginning on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, “Stop the Spread” elective testing for asymptomatic patients (no symptoms and no known contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case as defined by the CDC), will be by appointment only. 75 appointments are available per day, Monday through Saturday. Appointments must be scheduled 2 days in advance and are available up to 6 days in advance. View and schedule an appointment for elective testing by clicking here.

COVID-19 Testing Hours as of April 28, 2021

COVID-19 testing hours for those with symptoms & close contacts

• Drive-through, first come, first served
• Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Location: Drive-through evaluation site at 57 Prospect Street

COVID-19 elective testing for persons without COVID-19 symptoms or close contact – “Stop the Spread”

• By appointment only – click here
• Appointments available Monday – Friday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Appointments available Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Location: Drive-through evaluation site at 57 Prospect Street
• Beginning Wednesday, April 28 asymptomatic tests will not be given without an appointment.

(March 31, 2021) Good morning, I am writing to build awareness of announcements Roberto Santamaria and I have made in the last few days on radio, TV, and in print to alert Nantucketers to the presence of the B117 Covid 19 variant on the Island and a corresponding surg in cases we are seeing at the Cottage Hospital. As I look out a second floor NCH window at our symptomatic drive through testing station I see a return of vehicles that only a month ago had dwindled to nothing. Correspondingly, we are also seeing a sharp rise at our asymptomatic “VFW “Stop the Spread” testing station. Just yesterday we reported 20 new Covid 19 cases, today we reported 8, and our 7 day positivity rate is now 9.5% and climbing. As a community we should all be very concerned. Yet again, our country and our Island, stand in the crosshairs of another wave of Covid 19. I am truly saddened and very concerned.

Today I am not writing to point out the obvious or make points regarding why we are once again facing this scourge. We all know why this is happening, we all know this is a completely preventable situation, we all know the simple measures that need to be vigorously continued until we vaccinate the majority of our Nation.

As an American I grew up with the principles of working hard, helping each other, sharing, giving back to my community, caring about others welfare. More simply stated, as a community it is now time to lean very very very hard into beating COVID once again. To do so my ask is that we recommit to known interventions. They are:

As an individual: Wearing masks properly, social distancing, hand washing, quarantining as recommended, adhering to post-test guidance and if contacted cooperate with contact tracers to the fullest.

As a business: To ensure that you do not put your business at risk we highly recommend that you require staff that have travelled off island or are newly arrived from elsewhere to quarantine in isolation for 72 hours. Then, if they do not have symptoms, and before allowing work, have them get tested at the stop-the-spread test site. This is particularly important for employees who will be living in densely populated employee housing. Make sure that your staff adhere to all COVID guidelines including masks on jobsites and in shared vehicles.

Working together on Nantucket Hope and Optimism for a great season is real!

Best, Gary

Gary A. Shaw, President and CEO

(March 25, 2021) In collaboration with longtime island pharmacist Allan Bell, Nantucket Cottage Hospital will be opening a new community pharmacy on Vesper Lane, just across the street from the hospital, to provide patients with greater convenience and continuity of care while sustaining an important community resource.

The new pharmacy will be located at what was known as the hospital’s Founders Building at 10 Vesper Lane and will be owned and operated by Nantucket Cottage Hospital. It will be open to anyone needing prescription pharmaceuticals. Concurrently, Bell intends to close the prescription department of his existing Island Pharmacy business on Pleasant Street, while continuing to fill prescriptions at his Nantucket Pharmacy operation on Main Street.

The new venture began when Bell approached the hospital last year regarding a potential relationship. While he had been pursued by numerous chains and other off-island interests over the years regarding his pharmacy operations, Bell chose to reach out to NCH because of its deep roots on Nantucket and understanding of the needs of island patients. Allan Bell said, “I have been caring for Islanders’ prescription needs for over 43 years and am so grateful to the Nantucket community for this time. I am excited to see the prescription department moving to the NCH campus. There will be continuity, as I begin to step away from Island Pharmacy after 32 years. I thank all of those at NCH and MGB that helped put this partnership together and allowing me to continue serving the community at Nantucket Pharmacy.”

For patients, the new pharmacy will provide one-stop-shopping for their medical visits, allowing them to leave the hospital campus following an appointment with prescribed medications in hand. Prices will be in line with those at other retail pharmacies, and patients should expect to see no change in their share of financial responsibility for medications based on their insurance coverage. At the outset, the new pharmacy will offer prescription drugs only, but its offerings and services could grow over time. Gary A. Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital said, “We at NCH appreciate Allan bringing us this opportunity to ensure that his and our patients can continue to get their prescriptions filled at a convenient mid-island location close to the hospital.”