MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

When I became the President of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, I was very aware that philanthropy plays an important role in supporting the hospital’s mission. You just need to walk through this beautiful new facility to see how much the community values and supports quality healthcare for all who live on and visit the island. What I was not prepared for is the depth and breadth of the philanthropic support and how much of an impact it makes on the hospital’s work.

In the pages that follow, you will see a long list of individuals who support the hospital’s current operations through the annual fund and the Boston Pops on Nantucket fundraiser. These gifts are critical in making year-round, around-the-clock care possible in our isolated, high-cost community. You will also read how an extraordinary contribution from the Hospital Thrift Shop, made possible by a cadre of dedicated volunteers, has funded a critical new MRI scanner at NCH and how the volunteers, swimmers, and donors of Swim Across America on Nantucket continue to make world-class cancer care possible right here on the island.

The tangible impact of philanthropy is apparent across all hospital’s operations. Last summer, NCH launched Urgent Access. Not only did Urgent Access provide convenient and affordable access to acute care for visitors and residents alike, but, as you will read, it contributed to shorter Emergency Department wait times as well. The Emergency Department patient volumes continue to rise, and we are no longer experiencing the seasonal lulls of the past. Urgent Access allows the Emergency Department team to focus on our patients who are truly in need. We are also very proud of the number of patients we appropriately keep on-island rather than transferring off-island. In 2023, thanks to strong philanthropic support, NCH will be able to increase the hours and number of appointments in our Urgent Access clinic.

The power of philanthropy on the health of the island extends beyond the walls of the hospital and into the community. NCH is a leader in the Nantucket Behavioral Health Initiative (NBHI), a community-wide effort to redesign and transform mental healthcare on the island. Much of the initial funding for the initiative came from designated community impact funds through the hospital’s capital campaign. NBHI began to make a meaningful difference this year with the roll-out of a completely redesigned and integrated mental health crisis response system.

Finally, no conversation of hospital finances would be complete without mentioning employee housing. Thanks to funds raised for that purpose in the capital campaign, NCH added 22 bedrooms across 7 brand new housing units to its inventory this year. Additional housing projects are in various stages of planning that will use campaign funds as well as additional major new donations to address the housing crisis on this island. The construction of employee housing will continue to be the hospital’s greatest capital need for years to come.

Your donations are generous investments in the health and wellbeing of this community that we all love so much. On behalf of all the dedicated staff at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, thank YOU for making it possible for us pursue the NCH vision of community focused, high-quality care.

Gratefully,

Amy E. Lee, MBA, MBHA, MJ, FACMPE President, Nantucket Cottage Hospital