Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s effort to build a new hospital for the island community passed a significant milestone today as the Massachusetts Public Health Council voted unanimously to approve the Determination of Need application for the new facility.

The approval from the state agency represented the final major regulatory review for the new hospital project, as the plans for the proposed 106,000 square-foot facility received the endorsement of the Nantucket Planning Board and the Historic District Commission over the summer. The hospital is currently seeking the final building permits from the Town of Nantucket’s department of Planning & Land Use Services.

“Today’s approval is the culmination of a tremendous effort by our team to advance the project to this point, and represents a major milestone for our historic campaign,” said Nantucket Cottage Hospital President and CEO Dr. Margot Hartmann. “We are so grateful to the Nantucket community for the heartfelt support of our new hospital.”  

With approvals in-hand, several enabling projects will begin over the next month, including the relocation of the Anderson Building and the Founders Building on the hospital campus to clear the footprint for the new building. Groundbreaking on the new hospital is anticipated in early 2017.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital has received unprecedented support from the island community for the new hospital, including pledges and commitments totaling more than $85 million. With the recent challenge gift of $10 million from Bruce and Elisabeth Percelay, the hospital will expand the capital campaign to go beyond bricks and mortar by completing the campus with additional hospital housing and securing resources for critical programs, services, and hard-to-recruit clinical staff.

When it opens in 2018, the new Nantucket Cottage Hospital will transform the patient experience by enhancing privacy and safety, increasing access to providers, and incorporating new technology throughout the building. It will also create the foundation for the hospital’s future by providing new opportunities to expand services and attract the best clinicians. The new hospital will be constructed at 57 Prospect Street, adjacent to the existing hospital.