MARTHA’S VINEYARD – From Martha’s Vineyard Regional Emergency Planning Committee: Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Nantucket Cottage Hospital are urging residents and visitors of the Islands to consider the limitations of our critical access hospitals during this unprecedented time of pandemic.
For your safety and to save lives, we strongly advise you to STAY AT HOME. The perception that the Islands are a safe haven are not realistic given the limited number of personnel, critical supplies and beds. Our system will not be able to handle the large number of infected patients from rapid community spread which is expected. For your safety and to ensure the safety of our medical personnel on the front line we need you to do the following:
• We are asking you to stay at home
• For those Island residents, only travel for the absolute necessities, such as food or
prescriptions
• If you come to the Island you will only strain our limited resources, putting your
life and others at risk
• If you have a summer home here we are asking you to stay at your primary
residence. We have a limited bed capacity of 25 at MVH and 14 at NCH – and
that is already strained
• We have limited medical resources here on the Island and they are dwindling
rapidly
• We will not have enough staff to care for you or your loved ones
• Our hospitals are virtually locked down to prevent the flow of people through the
facility
• We must act now to prevent any further spread
Denise Schepici, MPH, President & CEO, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
Gary Shaw, FACHE, President & CEO, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Meanwhile, The Steamship Authority is reducing its operating schedules on both the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard routes starting Sunday, March 22, 2020. The changes are in response to a lowered demand from both passengers and vehicles and an anticipation that low demand will continue for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus. This modified schedule currently runs through April 2, 2020, but could be extended or further modified as circumstances warrant.
Daily departures from Woods Hole will now be at the following times:
6:00 AM
7:00 AM
8:15 AM (HAZARDOUS CARGO TRIP – NO WALK-ON PASSENGERS)
9:30 AM
10:45 AM
12:00 PM
1:15 PM
2:30 PM
3:45 PM
6:15 PM
8:30 PM
Daily departures from Vineyard Haven will now be at the following times:
7:00 AM
8:15 AM
9:30 AM
10:45 AM
12:00 PM (HAZARDOUS CARGO TRIP – NO WALK-ON PASSENGERS)
1:15 PM
2:30 PM
3:45 PM
5:00 PM
7:15 PM
9:30 PM
Customers who were scheduled to travel on a trip that has been removed from the schedule will be contacted by the reservation office to reschedule, or they can go to www.steamshipauthority.com or call 508-477-8600 from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM to rebook.
For more information on the schedules, visit www.steamshipauthority.com/schedules.
