NCH Named Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital
(February 16, 2022) – Nantucket Cottage Hospital has recently been recognized as one of America’s Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals by the Charis Center for Rural Health.
“This designation is another affirmation that the work our staff is undertaking here at Nantucket Cottage Hospital is paying off and yielding real results for our patients and the entire island community,” said Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “Our community can look at this recognition and know that when they step through the doors of NCH, they are receiving the highest quality of care by our team of remarkable clinicians and support staff.”
The recognition marks the first time in NCH’s history it has been recognized as a Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital. The designation is based on eight metrics, ranging from patient outcomes and quality, to cost and financial efficiency.
“Despite unprecedented adversity rural providers continue to display resiliency and a steadfast commitment to their communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “Particularly in light of the extraordinary challenges facing America’s rural health safety net.”
The U.S. Census Bureau notes that about 60 million, or one in five, Americans live in rural settings, and are served by rural hospitals. Since 2010, over 130 of these rural hospitals have closed due to challenges such as low patient volume and financial efficiency, issues that have led other rural hospitals to reduce service and limit patient care.
“It’s been a hard few years for rural hospitals,” said Shaw. “Despite the nationwide trend of rural hospitals limiting services, our staff has been able to increase the number of the life changing services offered, here on island, by leveraging our Mass General Brigham affiliation, and attracting a diverse set of new providers and clinicians to Nantucket.”
ACKs of LOVE
(February 11, 2022) – Nantucket Cottage Hospital is pleased to announce “ACKs of LOVE,” a two-week community initiative, starting Monday, February 14th, to recognize the immense sacrifice and dedication of hospital staff throughout the pandemic by local businesses and grateful members of our community.
The initiative, fully funded by a small group of anonymous donors, will feature 18 local businesses offering special deals to hospital staff, ranging from free yoga classes and coffee to steep discounts on clothing and massages.
“There has been an overwhelming sense of support for Nantucket Cottage Hospital from the local community”, said Jeanine Borthwick, longtime hospital volunteer and the driving force behind ACKs of LOVE. “We regularly hear and share stories about how well patients and families are treated at Nantucket Cottage Hospital and how grateful everyone is to have this incredible facility filled with top notch professionals. We want to make sure that this gratitude makes its way back to the team at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. This initiative is meant to show our thanks in a tangible way and boost morale for a group of people who have sacrificed so much for our island’s health.”
Throughout the pandemic, the staff at Nantucket Cottage Hospital has been credited with preforming over 51,000 COVID-19 tests, administering over 21,000 COVID-19 vaccinations, and caring for over 400 COVID-19 patients.
“Nantucketers take care of each other, and this is just another example of the unique generous spirit of our island. We are grateful for our dedicated hospital workers as well as the big-hearted local business partners who are supporting ACKs of LOVE,” said Borthwick. “A special thank you to the business owners who are such vital and generous community members – this is Nantucket unity and care at its best,” said Cara McCaffrey, a dedicated volunteer who helped to coordinate ACKs of LOVE.
Thank you to the following businesses for participating in ACKs of LOVE.
Staff: please check your work email for details of each offer.
- 1111 Nantucket
- The Beet
- Corner Table Cafe
- Dharma Yoga Nantucket
- Erica Wilson
- Erin Hielle
- The Hub
- Flowers on Chestnut
- Fusaro’s Homemade Italian
- Island Kitchen
- Lavender Farm Wellness
- Marine Home Center
- Mitchell’s Book Corner
- The Nantucket Bake Shop
- Nantucket Tap Room
- Nantucket Looms
- Roastd General Store
- Supta Yoga Nantucket
Percelays Named Chairs of 25th Boston Pops on Nantucket
(February 3, 2022) Nantucket Cottage Hospital is pleased to announce that Bruce and Elisabeth Percelay will serve as the event chairs for the 25th Annual Boston Pops on Nantucket set for August 13th, 2022.
As longtime Nantucket homeowners and island supporters, the Percelays will oversee Nantucket’s signature event of the summer, featuring the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and a special guest to be announced at a later date, after a two-year hiatus brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual concert is the largest single fundraiser for Nantucket Cottage Hospital, with all the net proceeds generated during the event staying on Nantucket to sustain the hospital’s operations and its year-round commitment to the health and wellbeing of the island community.
“We recognize the critical importance of the POPS concert to the hospital’s financial health and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” said Bruce Percelay.
The concert will mark the 25th year for the Boston Pops on Nantucket, at Jetties Beach, with general admission ticket sales beginning online this Spring. (more…)
New Nurse Practitioner Joins NCH’s Primary Care Team
Last week Nantucket Cottage Hospital welcomed Deborah Moss-Gail, Nurse Practitioner, as one of the island’s newest family medicine providers at NCH’s primary care clinic.
Prior to joining NCH, Deborah was a professor at Temple University College of Public Health’s Department of Nursing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is joined on Nantucket by her husband, Bryant Gail, and their 18-month old daughter Hannah.
“Nantucket is an incredibly special place to our family,” said Moss-Gail. “My husband’s grandmother lived here for 40 years, so he grew up spending every holiday and summer on the island, now, having the opportunity to practice medicine here and raise our daughter here was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.
As a fluent Spanish speaker, Deborah spent nearly a decade practicing medicine in Federally Qualified Health Centers, providing care to underserved populations in North Philadelphia.
“I’ve worked in underserved communities where immigration status and language barriers inhibited patients from seeking care and it really presents a unique challenge for both the patients and the providers,” said Moss-Gail. “It demands a level of creativity and commitment to the patient, to really understand them and their individual needs, so I’m really looking forward to learning more about our community’s health needs.”
After years of caring for diverse communities with their own unique barriers to care, Deborah is quick to acknowledge the limits of her own understanding of underserved communities.
“Putting yourself in a position to learn and listen is the best place to start when joining a new community,” said Deborah. “Patients need someone that will listen to them, understand them, and value what they care about.”
For Deborah, while the longstanding connections to Nantucket were a strong factor for making this island her new home, the potential of working with the diverse array of patients that call Nantucket home was the single greatest factor motivating her.
“That’s real primary care, and it’s what excites me the most coming here, applying that creativity and willingness to learn, to find treatments and work with patients to find solutions that work best for them,” said Deborah.
“Deborah’s addition to Nantucket Cottage Hospital comes at a time when we’re redesigning primary care here on Nantucket,” said Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “With Deborah in our clinic, we’re able to expand the number of appointments available to the public, reduce wait times and fulfill our commitment to every member of our community, by having a primary care provider uniquely able to understand our diverse community and provide the care best suited for each individual patient.”
NCH Welcomes New Island Provider – Dr. Johns
Last week Nantucket Cottage Hospital welcomed Dr. Alexinna Johns as Nantucket’s newest year-round primary care doctor.
“When I first came to Nantucket, and met the team, it seemed serendipitous, Nantucket is such an amazing and diverse community, and being given the opportunity to learn about these patients and help navigate their care path is truly a gift,” said Dr. Johns.
Born in Sierra Leone, Dr. Johns, migrated to the United States with her family at a young age, nearly four decades ago, before attending the University of California, Riverside, where she graduated with honors followed by medical school at Ross University’s School of Medicine.
“I believe my background unintentionally prepared me for this role, growing up and understanding strife and struggle really gives you a wider perspective on the human experience,” said Dr. Johns. “My experience helps me understand the patient at a more personal level and allows me to better navigate their care.”
As a member of NCH, Dr. Johns will be practicing full spectrum family medicine with obstetrics at NCH’s outpatient clinic with an added focus on addiction medicine.
“Coming to Nantucket, I’m most excited about broadening my skills and being able to practice OB and addiction medicine again,” said Dr. Johns. “There is something inspiring about being able to walk someone through the journey of whole person healing in the recovery process and working in OB is like being part of a miracle every day.”
Prior to joining NCH, Dr. Johns lived in Puyallup, Washington, where she previously practiced family medicine and geriatrics at Western State Hospital. Prior to her practice at Western State Hospital, she spent nine years as a faculty member of the Family Medicine Residency Program at East Pierce Family Medicine.
“The addition of Dr. Johns to our exceptional line-up of island doctors is part of our enduring commitment to delivering the best whole person care possible to our Nantucket community,” said Gary Shaw, President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. “This addition means that there will be more appointments available to our patients, reducing wait times, while increasing the quality of care that comes with having a provider on-site that specializes in the high-demand field’s our community needs, like obstetrics and addiction medicine.”