Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It kills more women in the U.S. than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease is the common term to describe a number of conditions, the most common of which is coronary heart disease, when plaque builds up in arteries and can lead to heart attacks, angina, heart failure and arrhythmias.

During February the country observes American Heart Month, a time to recognize these sobering facts, spread awareness about the causes of heart disease and warning signs, and take action to reduce your risk. Additionally, February 7th is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness in the fight against heart disease in women.

There are a number of resources available to island residents with heart disease, or those who are at risk, right here at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. The NCH Cardiac Rehabilitation Department, managed by Katie DeHertogh, BSN, RN-BC, CEN, offers supervised aerobic exercise classes, blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, education and support. The department offers services to those who have suffered a cardiac event, as well as those who are at risk through its cardiac wellness program. Cholesterol screening is also available by clinician referral at the hospital's laboratory. Suzanne Davis, RD, the hospital's clinical nutrition manager, is a certified diabetes educator and available to patients by physician referral.

Manager Peter MacKay and his staff have been inundated with calls regarding the situation for Network Health Commonwealth Care subscribers, and successfully advocated for an extension of coverage through March 31.

MacKay's staff of health care advocates; Alexandra Rosenberg, Kathy Butterworth and Lisa Gilman, offer free, confidential, one-on-one appointments for people with questions about health insurance and the Affordable Care Act. The staff has been meeting with roughly five to six people and fielding as many as 50 phone calls every day.

Rosenberg and Butterworth, who recently became state-certified health insurance application counselors, continue to assist residents and submit their applications for coverage under the ACA, but those people have not yet been enrolled due to the problems surrounding the melding of Massachusetts' existing Health Connector web site with the new HealthCare.gov federal system. Forbes Magazine recently declared Massachusetts as home to the country's "worst-performing ObamaCare exchange." 

Nonetheless, the NCH Social Services staff continues to assist island residents with the application process and get them in the state queue to get enrolled. It's just one of numerous services the department provides to the Nantucket community. 

"This office has been doing it 10 years: assisting every person on Nantucket to get access to the services they're eligible for," MacKay said. "We turn away no one. We deal with every issue out there from budget counseling, crisis intervention, drug and alcohol mentoring, mental health issues, babysitters, you name it."

Click here to read more about navigating health care reform.

Peter MacKay, Alexandra Rosenberg, Kathy Butterworth,  Yeneris Pimental and Lisa Gilman

Doctors and nurses won't be the only ones seeing patients at Nantucket Cottage Hospital in 2014.  Dogs have joined the ranks of the hospital's caregivers with the founding of a new animal-assisted therapy program at NCH.

Divot, an eight-year-old German shepherd, along with Bing, a whippet, and Tucker, a cockapoo, have been trained and certified to help a variety of patients at the island's community hospital.

Click here to read more about animal-assisted therapy at NCH. 

Sara Farley and her daughter Sara Farley meet with Divot at NCH in late December

Why do you serve on the

Patient and Family Advisory Council? 

"I believe that all Human Services are most efficiently and effectively delivered with appropriate input from users and recipients of the service." 

What's my connection to the hospital?

"Among other things, my husband and I have been Health Fair & Flu Clinic attendees, utilized the emergency room, labs, imaging services, been patients of associated clinicians, in-patients and surgical patients of NCH for many years."

Bart Coon-Cosgrove relocated from New York City to Nantucket in 1976. He previously taught in an elementary school for emotionally disturbed children; and was a caseworker, case supervisor and "special projects" manager for the Department of Social Services.

Bart has co-owned The Hair Concern since 1984. He was a co-founder, volunteer and board president of Nantucket AIDS Network, served as a volunteer and board president of A Safe Place, served on the Nantucket Human Services Council and Nantucket Cottage Hospital's Patient and Family Advisory Council.

Since 1981, National IV Nurse Day has honored the commitment shown and the outstanding patient care practiced by infusion nurse professionals. 

At NCH, Charlene Chadwick, RN, BSN, OCN, the nurse manager for infusion therapy services, along with infusion nurses Gretchen Buchmann, RN-BC, WCC, and Caitlin Mattheson, RN, provide a range of infusion therapy services to Nantucket residents. These services include chemotherapy, antibiotic therapy, blood transfusions, therapeutic phlebotomies and wound care.

Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter. Typically, "infusion therapy" means that a drug is administered intravenously, but the term also may refer to situations where drugs are provided through other non-oral routes, such as intramuscular injections. These services must be prescribed by a physician. 

Caitlin Mattheson, RN, Charlene Chadwick, RN, BSN, OCN  and Gretchen Buchmann, RN-BC, WCC