Saturday, August 8th at 7:00 p.m.

We’ve been working hard to create a free, celebratory broadcast of the Boston Pops for Nantucket to celebrate Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the heroes among us within our island community. We hope you’ve marked your calendars for this special program.

Ways to Watch:

• Watch for free on local Nantucket Community Television Comcast Channel 18
• Stream for free on NCTV18’s Website
• Listen for free on 97.7 ACK-FM

(June 10, 2020) Nantucket Cottage Hospital is making the medical care you need this summer accessible, convenient, and most of all, safe by implementing the following plan for non-emergency care beginning June 15th. Our foremost priority is the health and safety of our patients, so these initiatives will allow us to reduce the potential for transmission of the coronavirus within our facility and provide you with excellent care, safely.

Same-Day Appointments
Patients with common conditions and ailments that are non-life-threatening should call 508-825-1000 to schedule a same-day medical appointment. Staff will determine whether patients should be seen through a virtual visit or whether an in-person appointment is necessary. To keep patients and staff safe by reducing the number of individuals in our waiting area, NCH is not offering the walk-in care service this summer. Please do not arrive without calling ahead for a same-day appointment. Patients with same-day appointments will be seen at the physicians practice inside the main hospital, not at the Anderson Building. The entrance to the physicians practice will be reopened to patients on June 15.

Hours of operation for same-day appointments:

• Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

COVID-19 Testing for Symptomatic Patients & Close Contacts
Testing criteria for COVID-19 now include all patients with at least one of the following signs or symptoms consistent with a viral respiratory syndrome: subjective/documented fever; new sore throat; new cough; new runny nose/nasal congestion; new shortness of breath; new muscle aches; anosmia (new loss of sense of smell); or typical symptoms concerning for COVID-19 (e.g. COVID toes). Close contacts of patients with COVID-19 without symptoms also meet criteria to be tested. If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms,  please come to drive-thru evaluation and testing site at the hospital’s main entrance portico. There is no need to call ahead, and the costs of testing for symptomatic patients and close contacts are completely covered whether patients have insurance or not.

Hours of operation for COVID-19 testing:

• Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday – Sunday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

(May 11, 2020) Today was supposed to be Opening Day 2020 at the Hospital Thrift Shop, but there is no line on India Street today! It’s a sad day and we are missing the opening day tradition and seeing all of you. A special shoutout to all our loyal volunteers, shoppers, and donors. Although Opening Day 2020 had to be postponed, stay tuned for updates. After 90 years in business, the Hospital Thrift Shop will adapt and will continue to serve the Nantucket community moving forward. With your patience and support, we are looking forward to our 91st year in business. Keep up-to-date with the Thrift Shop by visiting HospitalThriftShop.org

(April 22, 2020) The Boston Pops on Nantucket is a beloved tradition for the island community that brings so many people together and is a critical source of support for Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

After careful consideration and with public health as our top priority, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has made the decision that we will not be able to gather on Jetties Beach for the 2020 Boston Pops on Nantucket as originally planned this August due to the precautions like physical distancing that are imperative to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

So while we already know this year will not look like the Pops concerts of years past, it’s important that we don’t give up on this wonderful event. Extraordinary times offer us an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate the heart of Nantucket.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital will reimagine the Boston Pops on Nantucket in 2020 and deliver a special experience that celebrates the hospital, our brave healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers across the island. The event will still bring our community and the hospital’s steadfast supporters together virtually, in way that complies with the best practices we have learned for keeping our island healthy.

“In keeping with the tradition of the Boston Pops on Nantucket, our objective for this year’s reimagined event is to make the evening accessible and fun for all islanders in appreciation for the caring and concern the whole community demonstrated in protecting and helping our neighbors,” said Courtney O’Neill, Vice President of Community Relations and Development at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital will share these plans with the community as soon as possible, and will provide further details as we secure commitments from the talent that will be involved and structure a truly enjoyable experience for all islanders.

More than ever, the hospital needs to rally the support of the community to help fund its operations, so we are asking our supporters to continue their generous commitments and to consider participating as sponsors of this reimagined special event. The funds raised will allow us to continue to respond to this unparalleled challenge in the most effective way possible, and help our hospital emerge with the financial foundation and professional staffing capability we need to continue to provide excellent care for all.

Experienced hospital CEO, former U.S. Navy Lt. Commander to Lead Island’s Largest Private Employer

(December 6, 2019) The Nantucket Cottage Hospital Board of Trustees has named Gary Shaw President and Chief Executive Officer of Nantucket Cottage Hospital following a nationwide search. Shaw brings more than two decades of experience leading hospitals and healthcare organizations from Delaware to Alaska, as well as 20 years of service in the U.S. Navy’s Medical Service Corps, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He will join Nantucket Cottage Hospital in his new role on Monday, Dec. 9th.

“Gary is the right person to lead Nantucket Cottage Hospital into this new era with the island’s new healthcare facility, and every member of the search committee and the Board feels confident that his experience and skillset are well-matched to meet the challenges of our remote island hospital,” said Kevin Hickey, President of the NCH Board of Trustees. “Gary’s leadership style and track record of accomplishments, both in the Navy and as a healthcare executive, stood out to us during the search process and we look forward to introducing him to NCH staff and the island community.”

Shaw most recently served as President of Cambridge Medical Center in Minnesota, an 86-bed facility that is part of the Allina Health not-for-profit healthcare system. At Cambridge Medical Center, he was responsible for a number of systemwide improvement initiatives in quality and patient care and led the development of a new $9 million outpatient clinic. Prior to that, Shaw was the hospital administrator of the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska, a 158-bed regional referral center and teaching hospital for the Alaska Native and American Indian populations.

“My wife Trisha and I are very excited to be returning to our New England roots, joining the Nantucket community, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be invited to work with the wide array of highly skilled team members at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. I am truly humbled.”

Shaw enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1977, progressing from Hospital Corpsman to Lieutenant Commander of the Navy’s Medical Service Corps over the span of two decades. He served during four wars and his last overseas assignment was as a Navy Environmental health advisor (Public Health) to the United Nations during the Bosnian war.

Shaw and his wife Trisha have two grown children. The Shaws will relocate from Minnesota to Nantucket in the coming months.

“Gary’s experience in healthcare organizations that serve remote and rural areas and being an active member of those communities is one of his many attributes that we believe will benefit Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the island,” said Jack Burke, Vice President of the NCH Board of Trustees and the chair of the hospital search committee. “Of the many potential candidates we interviewed during this search process, Gary was the clear, unanimous choice of the committee given his background, leadership qualities and extensive accomplishments as a healthcare executive.”

Shaw succeeds Dr. Margot Hartmann, who had served as Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s President and CEO since 2010 and stepped down from that role in September 2019. Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, DNP, has served the hospital as interim President and CEO since Dr. Hartmann’s departure, and will continue to assist NCH in a consulting role.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Shaw received a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare/Business Administration, followed by a Master of Science degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. He holds an Executive Professional Coaching Certificate from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.