Nantucket Cottage Hospital is saying goodbye this week to nurse practitioner Joanne Bushong, who is retiring on Friday after more than 13 years of service to the hospital and the island community.

“It’s been an emotional time this past week with my patients coming in to say goodbye,” she said. “This is a community where you go to your patients’ birthdays, their funerals, the football games. I learned about the community through my patients and their families.”

Bushong started at Nantucket Cottage Hospital as a nurse on the medical/surgical floor and the Emergency Department before settling into her role as a nurse practitioner for the specialty physician clinics, assisting visiting doctors with teledermatology, pulmonary function and pain management patients. (more…)

Nantucket Cottage Hospital employees are taking part in a two-day Safety Fair this week to review all the safety measures in place at the hospital for our patients, staff and community. (more…)

Nantucket Cottage Hospital will host a public flu shot clinic on Saturday, Nov. 7^th for island residents who have not yet received this year’s influenza vaccine from their primary care physician.

The flu clinic will be held in Room 105 at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, located on the first floor of the main building, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. This clinic is intended for patients 18 and older who are unable to visit their primary care physician or island pharmacist, as well as those who do not have a local doctor. Families with teenagers and children under 18 years of age are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their primary care physician’s office to get vaccinated. (more…)

Marita Scarlett, an island resident and the mother of a new Nantucket Native, recently shared her experience at Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Birthplace where she and her family welcomed Malcolm Kai Scarlett to the world:

“I had the most extraordinary care in the Labor and Delivery department. The nurses were knowledgeable, nurturing, patient-centered and excellent advocates. They turned a less than ideal situation into a dream. Thank you to: Steph, Jess, Nicole, Sarah, Cindi and Penny for making us feel safe and loved.”

(more…)

The open enrollment period for the Massachusetts Health Connector, the state-based health insurance marketplace, begins Nov. 1st and runs through Jan. 31st, 2016.

During open enrollment, individuals and families can change their current plan, and those who are uninsured can shop for and enroll in one of the plans offered through the Health Connector.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s Health Care Advocates in the Social Services Department, Maria Gutierrez (508-825-8256) and Kathy Butterworth (508-825-8387), are available to assist island residents with this process. Please call to schedule an appointment.  (more…)