(November 2021) When Abby and Bob Alario decided to start a family, they wanted their medical care delivered with compassion, kindness, and a sense of community. After careful planning and consideration, they knew the best place to meet their needs was Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

“We had lots of friends and family members that have had babies in major cities and realized a lot of hospitals treat labor and delivery like a factory line and don’t provide dedicated care,” said Bob. “We wanted something more, and we are so grateful we chose Nantucket Cottage Hospital.”

As it turns out, Abby’s delivery was more complicated than anyone expected. After 10 hours in labor, Abby was rushed to the operating room for an emergency c-section, where Jack Sampson Alario was safely delivered. (more…)

(October 15, 2021) The annual enrollment and change period for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans is now open and runs through December 7.

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 varies in cost and coverage.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Social Services Department provides free one-on-one consultations for those Medicare recipients who wish to enroll or review their current prescription plan. Please call 508-825-8196 to make an appointment. Appointments are available through December 7.

Since plans can change yearly, NCH Social Services Manager Sarah Chotkowski advises island residents to look over their plans on an annual basis to ensure it is the best option to meet their needs.

(July 22, 2021) – In response to a regional surge of COVID-19 cases, Nantucket Cottage Hospital is expanding its COVID-19 testing services for symptomatic patients or those potentially exposed to COVID-19 on Nantucket, beginning Friday, July 23rd, 2021.

Testing will be offered in the Anderson Building, across the parking lot from the main Nantucket Cottage Hospital building. Patients are asked to wait in their vehicles until they are called to enter in through the side of the building, following the signs from the parking lot. To schedule an appointment, members of the public exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or who been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual should call (508) 825-1000 and request COVID-19 testing. Phone lines are open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., tests on Saturday should be scheduled during the Monday – Friday business hours, and the testing center is closed on Sundays.

“Nantucket Cottage Hospital will continue to respond and adapt to the needs of the community as this situation develops,” said James Lanza, Public Information Officer for the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “The most important steps individuals can take to safeguard their own health, and the health of others in the community is still to get vaccinated, consider wearing a mask in crowded and public areas, and to follow CDC guidelines as they evolve.”

A statement from Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital:

(June 10, 2021) This year was to have been the 25^th anniversary of The Boston Pops on Nantucket in support of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. While we hoped to bring this event back to Nantucket this summer, after consulting with the Town we have made the difficult decision to postpone celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the Pops to 2022.  All of the Island’s resources are stretched while we are re-adjusting to a post-COVID world.  It has been a difficult 15 months for NCH and the loss of financial support from the Pops presents another real challenge.  We are grateful for the support of our donors during this time.  We look forward to bringing The Pops back to Nantucket on August 13, 2022, better than ever.

(May 4, 2021) A major community-wide effort to address inadequacies in the delivery and coordination of behavioral health and substance misuse services on Nantucket got underway today. A new steering committee made up of leadership from the island’s major health and human service organizations, local government and public safety met today and endorsed the first phase of a plan to evaluate the current state of service availability on the island.

The evaluation will be coordinated by Government Performance Solutions, Inc. (GPS), a Denver, CO consulting firm with extensive experience in the facilitation of community-wide collaborations to address Behavioral Health systems. This phase of the project is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for Nantucket (CFN) to a new Behavioral Health Initiative Fund. CFN Executive Director, Margaretta Andrews said “CFN is excited to award this grant and to see the leaders of all of these organizations move quickly to push this critical initiative forward. Despite all best efforts, the current system of care is fragmented, and people fall through the cracks.”

Representatives from CFN, Fairwinds, NAMI Cape Cod and the Islands and Nantucket Cottage Hospital make up the advisory board of the Behavioral Health Initiative Fund; they recommended proceeding with this assessment. Work on the evaluation will begin immediately and will run through the summer.

The evaluation will include extensive interviews, focus groups and data mining across a broad swath of service organizations, community groups, and constituents on the island. This work will ultimately result in a detailed current-state analysis in early fall. The next phase of the project is envisioned to chart a course forward including the development of a strategic initiative roadmap. Steering Committee member Dawn Hill Holdgate said, “we are not working towards a final solution yet, but beginning the critical identification of barriers and gaps and building consensus for a community supported vision of the future of behavioral healthcare on Nantucket.”

The steering committee will continue to meet throughout the project to review progress and make recommendations. Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital offered that “no single entity can solve this problem; it will take alignment, collaboration, and integration to make a difference.”

The 15-member steering committee includes:

• Margaretta Andrews, Executive Director, Community Foundation for Nantucket
• Jennifer Frazee, Executive Director, A Safe Place
• Libby Gibson, Town Manager, Town of Nantucket
• Chris Glowacki, Vice President of Strategy and Community Development, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
• Dr. Beth Hallett, Superintendent, Nantucket Public Schools
• Dawn Hill Holdgate, Chair, Nantucket Select Board
• Michael Kellerman, Executive Director (Interim), Fairwinds
• Jackie Lane, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness Cape Cod and the Islands
• Dr. Tim Lepore, Addiction Solutions of Nantucket
• Holly McGowan, Community Member
• Jim Perelman, Sheriff, Nantucket County Sheriff’s Department
• William Pittman, Chief of Police, Nantucket Police Department
• Kevin Ralph, Chief Development and Community Relations Officer, Gosnold Inc.
• Gary Shaw, President and CEO, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
• Father Max Wolf, Rector, St. Paul’s Church