Nantucket’s new hospital will bring a new standard of resiliency to the island. The building has been designed and is being constructed to withstand hurricane-force winds in excess of 150 mph. The design of the facility factors in lessons learned from other hospitals that have experienced crippling power outages and other damage during natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

That’s why the new Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s mechanical systems have been installed on the roof, rather than in a basement, to preclude the possibility of a flood knocking out power. New redundancies in the electrical system, including two 500kw generators, will make the building even more resilient. The new hospital will also be certified as a LEED Gold v4 building, a standard that will provide synergies within the building systems, solutions for optimizing performance, and allow NCH to achieve better environmental and economic outcomes from the new facility.

Tropical Storm Jose lashed Nantucket in mid-September 2017, dumping more than six inches of rain, unleashing wind gusts over 60 mph, and cutting off transportation to and from the mainland for nearly four days. For Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the storm was a true test of its emergency preparedness apparatus, as staff members, supplies, and other resources – most notably the availability of Boston MedFlight – were cut off from the island for more than 36 hours. In many ways, it also underscored the need for Nantucket’s new hospital.

At one point during the storm, every inpatient bed in the hospital was full, while the Emergency Department was at capacity. As hospital staff cared for dozens of patients, they also closely monitored the level of critical supplies, as well as the facility’s blood bank, not to mention the integrity of the 1957 roof straining under inches of water being dumped in a short period of time.

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On Dec. 1, Nantucket Cottage Hospital awarded $762,000 in grant funding to 12 non-profit recipients through its Community Health Initiative during a ceremony at the Nantucket Hotel. Thanks to Nantucket Community Television for filming the event!

(December 1, 2017) Nantucket Cottage Hospital is pleased to announce that it has awarded $762,000 in grant funding to 13 non-profit recipients through its Community Health Initiative, which seeks to address the island’s most pressing health issues through collaborative, innovative, and sustainable programs.

The Community Health Initiative grant funds are available through the private donations to Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s capital campaign to build the island’s new hospital. This year’s awards are the first of five grant cycles that will ultimately invest more than $4 million in community health. The hospital sought proposals in four areas: behavioral health; women’s and children’s health; access to healthcare; and access to housing.

These priorities were identified by the island community following a comprehensive process that included public forums, prioritization sessions and input from the hospital’s 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment. The resulting document, the Nantucket Community Health Improvement Plan, is better known as Healthy Nantucket 2020 and served as the roadmap for the Community Health Initiative grant process.

“I want to thank Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s generous donors for making the Community Health Initiative possible,” said Dr. Margot Hartmann, President & CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. (more…)

Leave your signature on a piece of steel that will be part of Nantucket’s new hospital! The steel beam will be placed on the ground outside the entrance of the existing Nantucket Cottage Hospital building beginning on Wednesday, October 4th at 9:00 a.m. through Friday, October 6th at 8:00 a.m. Staff, patients, trustees, donors, and members of the island community are welcome to sign the beam at their convenience during that time.

On Friday, October 6th at 9:00 a.m., staff, trustees and all donors are welcome to join us in the Founders Building parking lot for a “Topping-Off Ceremony” to watch the construction crews place the beam on the new hospital during this exciting construction tradition.

For questions, please contact the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation at (508) 825-8250. Thanks to the entire Nantucket community for supporting the island’s new hospital!

The annual enrollment and change period for Medicare’s Part D Prescription drug plans begins Oct. 15th and runs through December 7th.

To get Medicare prescription drug coverage, you must be enrolled in, or join a plan run by an insurance company or other private company approved by Medicare. Each plan can vary in cost and drugs covered. Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Social Services Department provides one-on-one consultations for those Medicare recipients who wish to enroll or review their current prescription plan. Due to the fact that plans can change yearly, NCH Social Services Manager Peter MacKay advises island residents to look over their plans on an annual basis to ensure it is the best option to meet their needs. (more…)