Contract talks between management and nurses at the Martha's
Vineyard Hospital are now at a bitter standoff, and hospital chief
executive officer Kevin Burchill said this week that he is prepared for
the possibility of a strike.
"Everything is now off the table. We're prepared for the
worst but we expect the best," he said.
For members of the Island's Brazilian population, one of the
most frightening prospects is a visit to the hospital. Rather than a
lack of health insurance, what keeps many away is the fear of not being
understood.
Becoming a patient in a primary care physician's practice is
now almost impossible for Islanders and visitors, but medical personnel
are making an effort to alleviate the situation.
Primary physician practices, in the strictest sense, are closed to
new patients, leaving those in search of a doctor in limbo.
Tim Walsh, who became the Martha's Vineyard Hospital's
chief executive officer in August, said the lack of primary care
physicians is a problem.
Quoting legendary college basketball coach John Wooden and
expressing pride at his own accomplishments, Kevin Burchill, the
embattled chief executive officer at the Martha's Vineyard
Hospital, announced last weekend that he will resign.
\\\\\\\"This will offer the hospital the best possible options to
move forward - for everyone,\\\\\\\" Mr. Burchill said in a
prepared statement read at the outset of a community forum on hospital
affairs.
Trustees at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital scrambled to
contain the damage this week in the aftermath of last week's
announcement by a respected Vineyard surgeon that he will sever his
contract with the hospital.
Martha's Vineyard Hospital leaders told the Oak Bluffs
selectmen Tuesday they are confident in their fund-raising abilities and
plan to begin the permitting process for the $42 million hospital
building project soon.
Emergency Responders Report Moped Accidents Down Again
By BRIEN HEFLER
Moped accidents were down again on the Vineyard this summer, and
emergency responders cite better public safety education as a possible
factor.
Preliminary numbers compiled by the four ambulance departments on
the Island show that the departments responded to an average number of
calls during the summer months, with a slight increase in the
down-Island departments.
But across the board the number of moped accidents saw a significant
drop.
An increase in the number of primary care physicians employed at the
Martha's Vineyard Community Hospital is improving its financial
performance, according to the chief executive officer.
The current Martha's Vineyard Hospital building no longer offers adequate capacity and is in its final stages of usefulness, hospital officials told members of the Martha's Vineyard Commission last night.
The remarks came during a marathon five-hour session that kicked off the formal public hearing process for the proposed $42 million hospital renovation and expansion project, which the commission is reviewing as a development of regional impact (DRI).
Foundations for the new Martha’s Vineyard Hospital won’t be poured until spring, but already the hospital has big plans for the rooftops.
This week the hospital received notice from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy and the innovation economy, that the hospital will receive a $198,000 design and construction grant for solar electric panels atop the new building.
