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2015 Partners In Excellence Awards

(April 15, 2015) Nantucket Cottage Hospital honored the recipients of the annual Partners in Excellence awards, which recognize superlative performance throughout the Partners HealthCare system, during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon in the Founders Building.

This year’s individual award winners were Annette Adams, the NCH day charge nurse, and Kim Patten, the nurse manager for the NCH medical-surgical department. The team award went to Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy Associates of NCH, including: Kelly Facteau, manager, Pedro Amaral, Janice Dougherty, Jameson Heise, Julia Heise, Elizabeth Larrabee, Jaimee Lavin, Taneisha Lewis, Karin MacLellan, Olga, Malahova, Louis Sager.

The awards were presented Tuesday by NCH President and CEO Dr. Margot Hartmann, and NCH Trustee Stephen C. Anderson.

Individuals and teams may be nominated for an award in the following categories:

• Quality treatment and service

• Leadership and innovation

• Teamwork

• Operational efficiency

• Outstanding community contributions

• Sustainability

Read their full nominations from co-workers below:

Annette Adams

“Annette has been the Day Charge nurse for 3 years and we would be absolutely lost without her. She is a phenomenal nurse, caring, so dedicated to this facility, compassionate, intelligent and such a team player. Annette came to us as a travel nurse 5 years ago and lucky for us, she decided to stay! She works so well with everyone, from all departments. She is always willing and able to go way above and beyond the call of duty, without hesitation. She is very much relied on for her expertise and years of experience. She has such a calming way about her which helps to create a really pleasant working atmosphere. Annette is truly one of a kind and we are so lucky to have her as our charge nurse.”

Kim Patten

“Kim works is the Nurse Manager for the Medical-Surgical Department at NCH, but repeatedly exceeds those expectations and will float to the Emergency Department when the department is busy. She is willing and eager to offer a helping hand and jump in during a critical or chaotic situation. She will simply ask, “How can I help?”, and will assume this responsibility with stride, whether it be communicate with a patient’s family member, administer meds, or do something as simple as empty a patient’s urinal. No task is too great a burden nor too trivial for her assistance, and both her skill and easygoing personality shine in our department. Just recently, Kim presented to the ED to help care for a critical patient and facilitate patient transfer off the island. Despite wearing professional attire, she quickly donned scrubs and was at the bedside, helping place lines and assist with intubation. Kim truly epitomizes the definition of teamwork here at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, and it is for this reason that I would like to nominate her for a Partners in Excellence Award.”

Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy Associates of NCH

“Under the direction of Kelly Facteau, the department moved to a satellite clinic at 6 Bayberry court. In the process of planning and moving the entire department came up with strategy to only close for one day to relocate. A testament to that teamwork is they were up and running and accommodated 60 patients the day after the move.

Our team in and out of the workplace is supportive of each other no matter what the task. We make sure that all patients get the proper treatments and the benefit of joint treatments if needed, showing how we work together for the patients well being. We plan team meetings to discuss different patient cases to make sure that the patient is getting best treatment possible. We as a team also assist to teach each other techniques that others may not have full skill level. We have improved our communication between office staff and therapist to make sure that the process for the patient is as easy as possible.

I am constantly impressed with this department and their resiliance and especially their manager - Kelly Facteau. As they waited patiently for a new space so they could deliver care in a more patient friendly atmosphere, they all kept positive attitudes and maintained professionalism and put the patient first. There is a tremendous feeling that they radiate of really being a team of truly caring about each other and working for the best good. When it is was time for them to move they all pitched in and worked hard to make the dream a reality.

It’s a great team.”

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Listen to the 97.7 ACK-FM interview with our public information officer Jason Graziadei discuss Town Meeting warrant article 70, which would allow us to proceed with plans for the new hospital on our current site on Prospect Street. 

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Cardiologist Francis Weld Opens New Clinic at NCH

(March 30, 2015) Cardiologist Francis M. Weld, MD, will open a new clinic at Nantucket Cottage Hospital in April that will provide Nantucket residents with even greater access to cardiology services without having to leave the island.

Dr. Weld, an island visitor since 1982 and a year-round Nantucket resident since 2010, will initially offer cardiology consults for islanders with heart disease and other cardiac conditions, and will see patients at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays each month.

Trained at the New York Hospital – Cornell University Medical Center and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, Dr. Weld specializes in coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, hypertension, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and stress testing. Over several decades as a cardiologist in New York, Dr. Weld has carried the results of basic and clinical research in cardiovascular disease to the bedside of patients. 

“I’m very happy to be opening a practice here,” Dr. Weld said. “Half of all disease is cardiovascular, so I believe this clinic will be an important supplement to the excellent medical care already available to island residents at the hospital.”

Dr. Weld is among Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s 34 specialty physicians offering clinics in 24 sub-specialties including neurology, dermatology, podiatry, endocrinology and pediatrics. He joins two existing members of the NCH cardiovascular medicine team - Dr. Joseph Garasic, the medical director of MGH’s cardiac access unit, and Dr. Richard Zelman, a specialist in interventional cardiology at Cape Cod Hospital – who currently see island patients on a monthly basis.

“Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the island community are lucky to have a physician with the talent and impressive background of Dr. Weld offering his services here on the island,” said Dr. Margot Hartmann, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “We want to bring the best medical expertise available to Nantucket to benefit our patients and partnering with Dr. Weld is another big milestone in that effort.”

Dr. Weld will begin seeing patients at NCH on April 8, 2015, and will be available through referral by patients’ primary care providers. For more information, contact Penny Starr, NCH specialty physician services scheduling coordinator, at 508-825-8377.

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Dr. Larson Moves to Sherburne Commons

(March 27, 2015) Nantucket Cottage Hospitalprimary care physician Heidi M. Larson, MD, announced this week that her practice is relocating to a new medical office located at Sherburne Commons on Monday, March 30th.

“This move will allow us to better serve our patients, continue to build the practice and develop the relationships that are at the center of the medical care we deliver every day,” Dr. Larson said. “Over the past year, it has been a pleasure getting to know my patients and the entire Nantucket community. Primary care is central to community wellness, so it has been a privilege to be part of the team providing medical services to the island.”

The relocation of Dr. Larson’s practice was driven by several factors, including limited space and new programs like Walk-In Care in the Anderson Building on the Nantucket Cottage Hospital campus, which have challenged the efficient delivery of care.

The Sherburne Commons location offers additional space and updated facilities that will assist Dr. Larson in continuing to establish her practice as it approaches its one-year anniversary on the island.

“Among our top priorities is to recruit and retain new primary care physicians, so we are excited to open this new medical office that will benefit patients and allow Dr. Larson to continue to grow her new practice,” said Nantucket Cottage Hospital President and CEO Dr. Margot Hartmann.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital continues to plan and refine the program for a new hospital building on its existing property, a project that will eventually allow Dr. Larson’s practice to return to Prospect Street and join the other primary care providers in the same facility. Uniting all of Nantucket’s physicians under one roof will improve continuity of care and collaboration among the hospital and medical staff members.

“I believe the new hospital is a critically-needed facility that will ensure quality medical care on Nantucket for generations to come,” Dr. Larson said.

Dr. Larson’s new address is below. The phone number remains the same: 

40 Sherburne Commons

Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554

Tel: 508-825-1340 | Fax: 508-825-1086

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Support Nantucket Cottage Hospital - Vote for Article 70 at Town Meeting

Above: Conceptual rendering of the new hospital

Over the past two years, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has explored several location options for the community’s new hospital to serve Nantucketers for generations to come. We listened to thoughtful input from the community.We heard you, and refined our plans. And now we need your support to build a critically needed new facility on our current site.

Article 70 – recommended by the Planning Board and Finance Committee –enacts zoning changes required to make this essential project a reality.

What does Article 70 do? 

Rezones the hospital site and surrounding parcels into the Commercial Neighborhood district, including the unnamed ways abutting the site

Amends certain provisions of the existing Nantucket zoning bylaw and creates the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Overlay District. This new district serves to: 

Define “Hospital Use”

Sets forth parking requirements; allows for on- and off-site parking within the overlay

Allows additional height

Applies major site plan review to a hospital development

Why is rezoning needed? 

The rezoning places the existing hospital site and the surrounding parcels into the Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District and the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Overlay District

These changes will define and permit hospital uses, set forth the appropriate parking requirements for such uses, allow additional height to construct a new hospital of appropriate scale and apply site plan review to the proposed redevelopment

Does this zoning permit a specific development plan? 

No. The rezoning sets forth the rules applicable to a hospital redevelopment but does not approve a specific plan

The hospital and some surrounding parcels will be placed into the Commercial Neighborhood and Nantucket Cottage Hospital Overlay zones. 

With these zoning districts, any proposed hospital redevelopment will be subject to comprehensive site plan review with input from Town departments and members of the public at a series of public hearings.

What are the advantages of a new hospital? 

No public funding needed

Enhanced services, including urgent care to reduce Emergency Room visits/wait times

Increased availability of specialists (e.g. dermatologists, neurologists and oncologists)

Maintain and expand medical services on island (e.g. MRI, dialysis, etc.)

Increased patient privacy

Adequate parking

More hospital physicians and sub-specialists; addition of key primary care services that would assist recruiting and retaining new doctors

View the complete Annual Town Meeting warrant with Finance Committee recommendations by clicking here

In summary, Nantucket needs a new hospital now and for generations to come. A delay could postpone the project for years, increasing costs and putting the project in jeopardy. Taxpayers will not be asked to fund the new hospital - the project will be funded through private donations. The new hospital cannot happen without these zoning changes, which require a 2/3 majority vote at Town Meeting. Please join us at Town Meeting, starting on April 6th, and support your hospital! We need you!

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The 2015 Beinecke Scholarships

(March 24, 2015) Nantucket Cottage Hospitalis inviting Nantucket residents to submit applications for its 2015 BeineckeScholarship Fund. This special fund, created by the late Nantucket businessmanand civic leader Walter Beinecke, Jr., is intended to further the education and training of island residents in medical and health care fields by helping to finance their studies. The scholarship fund is open to graduates of Nantucket High School, employees of Nantucket Cottage Hospital and any other island resident who can satisfy the guidelines and requirements.

The Beinecke Scholarship Fund focuses on six areas of health care study and training. Nursing is the fund’s first priority, followed by radiology and imaging services, laboratory services, pharmaceutical fields, physician and physician assistant studies, as well as physical therapy training. Last year Nantucket Cottage Hospital awarded Beinecke scholarships totaling $30,300 to 44 individuals.

Beinecke, the man who founded Sherburne Associates and is credited with transforming Nantucket into a modern destination resort, was a life member of Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Board of Trustees. The Beinecke Scholarship Fund’s origins date back to the early 1950s when his father, Walter Beinecke, Sr., made annual gifts through the hospital to Nantucket High School graduates to help them pay for nursing school. After his father’s death in 1958, Walter Beinecke, Jr. formally established the scholarship fund in his memory. Over the years, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has used the scholarship fund to assist several hundred island students further their education.

The eligibility of applicants is verified by an independent ad hoc committee consisting of NCH and community leaders. No consideration is given to applicants whose desired course of study is outside of the realm of health care or medicine.

Applications can be downloaded by clicking here, and must be completed by May 1, 2015. For more information and questions, please call Lina Gillies at 508-825-8200.

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"I am so happy that they do everything on the island here - it makes it easier. Thank you to Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the people that are caring for me there. I think that they are top notch and they are doing an amazing job. I really feel I have a whole team getting me through this as well as the community." - Robert Souza.

Read more about Robert's struggle with cancer in the Nantucket Chronicle's "Humans of Nantucket" feature by clicking here

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The Inquirer and Mirror covers the appointment of Courtney O'Neill to the position of executive director of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation. 

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Courtney O'Neill named Executive Director of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation

(February 23, 2015) Courtney O’Neill, a longtime Nantucket resident and veteran of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, has been named executive director of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation by President and CEO Dr. Margot Hartmann.

O’Neill, who began her career at NCH in 2007, has worked her way up through the organization and worn nearly every hat within the Foundation, including her most recent role as associate director. As executive director, O’Neill will manage the operations of the hospital’s development office, including community outreach, fundraising, and events, such as the annual Boston Pops on Nantucket concert.

Every year the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation generates more than $4 million for the hospital through The NCH Fund, the annual fundraising appeal, as well as events like the Pops. These funds bridge the gap between the hospital’s operating expenses and revenue, and allow for strategic investments in programs and services to improve patient care.

“Courtney’s dedication and commitment to the Hospital and its mission is unquestioned, as reflected in the high regard of her colleagues,” Hartmann said. “Under her leadership, I know the Foundation will continue to flourish and support the Hospital in new and extraordinary ways.”

O’Neill is a graduate of the Boston University School of Management, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with a concentration in marketing. On Nantucket, O’Neill has worked in a variety of capacities, including owning her own business, “Handblock” on Main Street for many years. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, and was the President of the Nantucket Merchants Association.

“Nantucket has been my home for more than 20 years and I am proud to be part of an organization that is such a vital part of the community I love,” O’Neill said. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the dedicated leadership, staff, donors and volunteers of the hospital over the years. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the important roles they play in sustaining our island’s only hospital. Along with (NCH Foundation Chair) Maureen Hackett and my colleagues at the Foundation, I look forward to continuing our work together to support the hospital’s mission.”

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New Way-Finding Signs at NCH Thanks to Nantucket Bank

Our hospital might be small, but finding your way to the correct department or room can be difficult, especially if you have a pressing medical issue on your mind. With the generous support of Nantucket Bank and the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation, we have recently added new signage that will help guide patients through the hospital to their desired destination. 

This project was initiated after listening to feedback from our patients, and is one of many investments we have made in our facility even as we plan our future in a new building. The redesigned signage to make way-finding easier is a small but significant investment to improve the patient experience at NCH. 

Above, Neil E. Marttila, the senior vice president and market executive of Nantucket Bank, and Dr. Margot Hartmann, President and CEO of NCH, stand in front of a plaque that recognizes the generous gift by Nantucket Bank and the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation that made this project possible. 

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"Our current pharmacy department is about one-tenth the size required according to current state regulations. Crammed into an 8' x 8' pharmacy, my team and I struggle to efficiently manage the increased workload demands of our growing island population. I was born in this hospital in 1961. Today, more than ever, I believe we desperately need a new facility in order to carry out our mission and continue to provide quality care for generations to come." - Dave Small, RPh, Manager, NCH Pharmacy Services Join our campaign to build a new hospital for Nantucket by clicking here

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National Wear Red Day

(February 6, 2015) Today is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Did you know: • Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. • Heart disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute. • An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease. • Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. • Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease. • The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men, and are often misunderstood. • Only 1 in 5 American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat. Know your risk factors for heart disease with these tips from the American Heart Association

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NANTUCKET – What many are calling the next big thing in health care has already been happening at Nantucket Cottage Hospital for more than a decade

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Remembering Robin Harvey

(February 2, 2015) The Nantucket Cottage Hospital family is deeply saddened by the loss of Robin Harvey. 

Robin had an unforgettable spirit, and she gave so much of herself to the island. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, business-owner and community volunteer who shared her time and talents with Nantucket Cottage Hospital in many ways. We join the rest of Nantucket in mourning her passing, and our thoughts are with the Harvey family.

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Great video of our own Dr. Koehm live on CNN after delivering a baby boy during the blizzard!

Hurricane-force winds, inches of snow, the perfect time to have a baby! At least that's what Cayden Keith Moore thought. CNN spoke with mother Danielle.

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Hospital Storm Update 2

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Blizzard Baby

(January 27, 2015) Cayden Keith Moore, the son of Danielle Smith and Corrigan Moore, was delivered at 3:35 a.m. this morning by Dr. Margaret "Mimi" Koehm and the Nantucket Cottage Hospital labor and delivery nursing team. Cayden was born at the height of the blizzard just after the island had lost power, forcing the hospital to rely on its generator for power. He weighs 6 pounds, 4.8 ounces, and measured 17 3/4 inches. Congratulations to Danielle and her family!