What a year it has been!

As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share our gratitude to the island community. We have asked so much of you and it has been a challenging year in so many ways, but the spirit and generosity we have witnessed has given us strength and heartened our workforce as we have responded to the pandemic. You have supported us and supported one another through this challenging time.

The prevention guidelines we have asked the community to follow – wearing masks, staying physically distant, refraining from large gatherings and staying home when possible – all of that has made life difficult. It’s not fun to do these things and it takes away from what we enjoy about life and our island. But we understand the importance of implementing these precautions, and we thank all of you for taking it to heart and taking it seriously.

As I look back to the spring of 2020, there were so many occasions when the community was there for its hospital. When we asked for donations of PPE, you were there. When we put out the call for medical providers to join a reserve staff to be ready if necessary, you stepped up. When people needed masks, you got sewing. When businesses needed to adapt to keep customers safe, you did so. Both year-round and seasonal residents of Nantucket came together to make these things happen for NCH and for our community.

There were so many acts of kindness and generosity toward our staff – the many restaurants, bakeries and other organizations who contributed food for our employees and lifted their spirits was remarkable. That is the Nantucket that we have seen over the past 10 months – an island that comes together and supports those in need and the essential workers serving our community.

While there has been some media attention on Nantucket over the past few days that has taken a few unfortunate incidents and tried to paint the entire community with a broad brush, that depiction has not been our experience. We have seen so much goodwill, sacrifice for others, kindness and generosity, and for that we say thank you.

Happy New Year!

Gary Shaw, FACHE

President and CEO
Nantucket Cottage Hospital