Hospital President Thanks Staff For Smooth Summer

To the editor: As we come to the end of our peak summer season, I want to publicly thank the entire staff and volunteers of Nantucket Cottage Hospital for working together as a strong, motivated team to change the game in access to healthcare on Nantucket.

In 2024, we saw the effects of a multi-year effort to transform care on the island. The most visible change for patients was in the Urgent Access Clinic. Thanks to staff additions, streamlined processes, and renovations last winter, our Urgent Access Clinic accommodated 76 percent more patients than in the summer of 2023. Most patients could walk in without an appointment and complete their visit in 30 minutes or less!

In the Emergency Department, where we treat the sickest and most seriously injured patients, the median wait time to be seen by a provider was less than 10 minutes all summer long. This is thanks to the efficiency of the ED team, collaboration with the inpatient team and other departments, and the ability to treat so many more minor ailments in Urgent Access. While it may seem like Med Flight helicopters are a constant presence in the summertime, fewer than 3 percent of Emergency Department patients were transferred to a higher level of care this summer, well below the average for rural hospitals nationwide.

For ongoing care, NCH now has more Primary Care providers than at any time in its history. During this past summer, nearly 400 new patients began their primary care relationship with an NCH provider. NCH is a community hospital with the unique benefit of Mass General Brigham specialists in areas such as Rheumatology, Endocrinology, and Urology, who saw more than 2,900 patients right here at the hospital on Nantucket.

All of this is only possible with an entire team effort. Nantucket Cottage Hospital is a complex web of interdependencies, and it is impossible to improve one area without careful coordination across nearly every other department. For instance, a visit to the Emergency Department might involve radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, social work, environmental services, revenue operations, registration, and so many more. Our successful efforts to decrease wait times, visit times, and admission times required the dedicated effort of all these teams and many more.

I am so proud to support the entire NCH team, which is focused every day on improving the care of our patients. It was also wonderful to see so many of our community members enjoying the cafeteria, gardens, and at the Health Fair and other events that support the hospital and team throughout the year.

Gratefully,

Amy E. Lee
President and COO
Nantucket Cottage Hospital