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Nantucket hospital staff outline palliative care program, free services and May outreach week
Summary
Debbie Dolan of Nantucket Cottage Hospital described the hospital's palliative and supportive care program to the Council on Aging, saying the program serves roughly 75 patients, offers home and hospital visits, runs support groups, and is fully funded by the foundation so services remain free.
Debbie Dolan, nurse practitioner and manager of Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s palliative and supportive care program, told the Council on Aging that the program provides specialized, multidisciplinary care for people with serious illnesses and their caregivers.
"I am a nurse practitioner and the manager for our program," Dolan said, describing a team that includes two part‑time RNs, a part‑time counselor, a volunteer chaplain and about 10 community volunteers. She said the program visits patients in homes, in clinic and in the hospital and that it seeks to improve quality of life for both patients and their families.
Dolan said the program’s current census is "about 75" patients and that, in recent months, contacts supporting caregivers have exceeded patient counts. She detailed four support groups (two cancer groups, a caregiver support group and a bereavement group) offered in hybrid format with typical attendance of 8–12 people per meeting.
A foundation board member who spoke to the council explained the foundation’s role in underwriting the clinical program. Lauren Hinson, vice chair of the foundation board, said the foundation fully supports the palliative program financially and highlighted fundraising work and public outreach. "Our annual budget's about 1000000 dollars," Hinson told the council, and she listed regular fundraising activities including an annual appeal and a June fundraiser called Dream Catcher.
Dolan announced an upcoming weeklong series of public educational events in May focused on palliative care, including visiting speakers from Boston and a public evening presentation intended to increase awareness of palliative‑care options distinct from hospice. Council members asked about referrals and visit frequency; Dolan said patients can self‑refer or be referred by a provider and that visit frequency depends on need but the program aims for monthly contact as a baseline.
The council and meeting attendees exchanged examples of how palliative care complements hospice and of local collaborations that identified dozens of caregivers in need of support. Staff and foundation representatives said they will distribute flyers and materials via the council’s senior mailing lists and social media ahead of the May events.
Dolan closed by offering her contact information for council members and community partners seeking additional details about services or referrals.
