The hospital board of trustees is slated to meet with a citizen group this weekend. Community relations are expected to be up for discussion.
The board of trustees at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is slated to meet this weekend with an ad hoc citizen group that formed following the ouster of president and chief executive officer Joseph Woodin. The Saturday meeting and the agenda are private, but community relations are expected to be a subject for discussion.
Mr. Woodin was abruptly fired on June 5 after 13 months on the job. Community anger lingers as the ouster remains largely unexplained. In a recent statement, the board apologized for its poor handling of the matter and vowed to do better as leaders of the Island’s only hospital.
In fact the Vineyard hospital’s approach to community relations differs from other small hospitals, including the one on Nantucket.
Nantucket Cottage Hospital is a 19-bed hospital with an annual budget of approximately $38 million.
The Vineyard hospital is a 25-bed hospital with an annual budget of approximately $82 million.
Both hospitals were acquired by Partners Health Care about a decade ago, with Massachusetts General Hospital as their corporate parent. But where the Nantucket hospital has an active social media presence and a 29-member community advisory committee, the Vineyard hospital generally responds to community questions and concerns on a case-by-case basis.
As required by state law, patient family advisory councils (PFACs) are in place at both hospitals. The councils are intended to facilitate patient and family participation in hospital care and decision-making.
The Vineyard PFAC was established in 2010. The council currently has eight members, five community members and three who are members of the hospital staff. Martha Biscoff, director of quality management at the hospital who co-chairs the PFAC with community member Elaine Pace, pointed to two recent accomplishments: the creation of a white board in every inpatient room and a community flyer explaining the proper disposal of medication. The white board enables the patient and family members to get questions answered in real time as well updates such as anticipated release date, pain medication or the upcoming nurse on duty.
Ms. Biscoff said she is looking to recruit more hospital staff to meet a 50-50 composition goal for the council. “We are taking baby steps because we’re a small, rural hospital and we need to find the right people who can work with the hospital and eventually work on other hospital committees,” she said.
The Nantucket PFAC has been in place for about the same number of years as on the Vineyard, cottage hospital public information officer Jason Graziadei told the Gazette this week. In addition, Mr. Graziadei said a specially-focused pediatric PFAC was formed two years ago in response to a perceived need among young families. Among other things, he said that PFAC sponsors a pediatric health fair in addition to the annual health fair sponsored by the hospital.
The Nantucket hospital also has a 29-member community advisory committee that acts as a liaison between the hospital and the island community. Mr. Graziadei said the advisory board is made up of seasonal and year-round members.
“We really use it as a sounding board for people to bring questions and concerns to the hospital — and have it be a two-way street for us to get information to the community on new programs and services, sometimes correcting any misinformation there may be out there,” he said. “They can act as ambassadors for the hospital and they meet on a monthly basis. We have generally good attendance, and even for the people who can’t make it they are given agendas and materials. . . . there are two great volunteer chairmen who run the meetings and act as the leaders of the group.”
The hospital also makes ample use of social media, including a Facebook page that is updated several times a week, Mr. Graziadei described it as an effective tool for community relations and communication. “We have really have given the hospital a presence digitally,” he said. “We know that so much of the conversation about any island issue happens online now — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, monthly e-newsletters . . . these are all very effective in getting the message out about the hospital and also for being part of the conversations that happen online and being able to respond when people have questions — whether it’s giving us kudos or sharing frustration. And if it’s not appropriate to have a back and forth, we can at least invite the person into the hospital to talk about things.”
He continued: “Beyond that, we do have an advantage in being one town, one county, one island in that we are constantly in touch with our partners in the community, whether it’s police, fire, EMTs, the town board of health . . . there are central points and we are always overlapping and participating in forums — that is one aspect of our community relations.”
By contrast, the Vineyard hospital has no community advisory board and does not use social media.
Rachel Vanderhoop, director of development and head of communications for the hospital, described the approach.
“Generally speaking, things flow through me and I try to get people where they need to go to get the information they need,” Ms. Vanderhoop said, speaking to the Gazette by phone. “It could be anything and it has been anything — just this week someone came into the hospital looking for a plaque that had been installed some years ago. That would be a community relations thing for me.”
As for a community advisory board, Ms. Vanderhoop said, “We do not have one of those. If a community member is having trouble getting a call back from somebody, that will get routed to me. Depending on who they are trying to get in touch with.”
She said the hospital posts news on its website, sends out press releases and calls the Island newspapers when needed.
There is a Martha’s Vineyard Hospital page on Facebook, but there is little content on it. The only posts were created June 1 and June 2, and Ms. Vanderhoop said she was unaware of it.
“We are not on Twitter or Instagram but we are talking about it. We are not on Facebook . . . that’s another thing we are discussing. We are looking to use it as part of our recruitment process,” she said.
Ms. Vanderhoop said the hospital publishes newsletters and an annual report, but they are not emailed unless someone requests it. “People get a lot of email, so we give people the opportunity to decline,” she said.
She concluded: “I think community relations is something that’s always an improvable thing. It’s quality improvement and you’re never done improving it.”
Mary Breslauer contributed reporting.
Comments
STOP WITH THESE STORIES. LET
Stop EdgartownSTOP WITH THESE STORIES. LET THOSE OF US WHO WORK AT THE HOSPITAL GET BACK TO WORK AND STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS. PLEASE PLEASE STOP
What happened to Joe was
Go EdgWhat happened to Joe was wrong. No matter how many caps you use most of us feel the firing, and the process, was wrong. The Board has not come clean and hopes this will blow over. It won't. No self respecting CEO will ever come to work for Sweet/Vanderhoot. More firings need to happen to purge what happened to Joe.
The board is a shocking and
Resident EdgartownThe board is a shocking and despicable group of people who have been there too long. What board has a president there for twenty years? And, a president who runs it like a dictatorship? "We will have no more to say". Closed meetings? Where are we living? And, no one contests Tim Sweet or those 100% of board members who all fell in line to support his dastardly way of firing Joe Wooden? What an embarrassment to this great island of caring, dedicated, nurturing people who applauded the new path the hospital was taking, who supported Wooden. To think Tim Sweet runs his fiefdom with such power, shutting out the population and no one is contesting this behavior?? It leaves one speechless.
I am sorry for the disruption
Marina Vineyard HavenI am sorry for the disruption for staff. You can thank your Board for that. If we just quietly all go back to work now, we go back to the "old normal" so aptly depicted in this article. That's just not good enough. We had good reason to hope we would get a much improved relationship with the Hospital under Joe Woodin's leadership. Why would we have ANY confidence that the board wants better Hospital accountability to the community at this point?
I appreciate that steps are
Grace Edg.I appreciate that steps are being taken to interact with the community, but the way in which Mr. Woodin was fired was and still is deeply troubling. We have seen no changes to the structure of the board that botched this whole process, and no explanation as to why it happened in the first place.
Furthermore, the only people that seem to speak on behalf of the hospital right now are the husband and wife team of Tim Sweet and Rachel Vanderhoop. The last article on this matter was concerning when it revealed that her salary is many times over the national average for that position. Without more transparency, it feels like the community and this hospital are being taken advantage of.
I wonder if these are things
Tim Oak bluffsI wonder if these are things that played into Joe woodin being fired
How can a current day
Martha West TisHow can a current day communications department for ANY company not use social media? It makes no sense! And a salary that high would be ok if someone were doing an extraordinary job, but no social media does not indicate that at all. What else is not getting done or done well?!
I'm appalled by Vanderhoop's
Jason OBI'm appalled by Vanderhoop's comments. Everything goes through her and no embracing of new technologies and media. No wonder she was opposed to Woodin as a change agent. Time for her and her sweet husband to go and get our hospital out of the dark ages. Seriously.
You are 100% right. Changes
mfjYou are 100% right. Changes must be made including much more local participation/involvement/input. Things will not change until we adopt something closer to the Nantucket model and have new senior management.
It's very clear that it's
Terry OBIt's very clear that it's going to take a real long time for the community to get some answers about what happened to Mr. Woodin.
I have a problem with Ms. Vanderhoop's response about the hospital having social media, if Im not mistaken didnt she recently create a Instagram page for the Hospital? Or is it another thing that has gone uncensored without her knowing. From her interview with the Gazette, she claims to be the hospital point person if so, I see why she can't adequately do her job.
If she is indeed in charge of development that's where her focus should be.
As to what she actually do in reality baffles me, she wqlks around that hopital placing "Art on Wall" I say this because I've heard there is never a department input as to where things are placed. I know this being a past patient. I've seem things in places they dont belong and nurse's have said they have requested them to be moved, but it falls on deaf ears( Ms. Vanderhoop's)
I read Ms. Vanderhoot's
Harold Mason Boston/EdgartownI read Ms. Vanderhoot's comments. All I could think is "This is what the hospital gets for $150k/year"? Why does Nantucket Hospital feel like it's in this century and MVH in last century? I think we deserve better.
Yawn. Please stop reporting
Joey OBYawn. Please stop reporting on this. It's no longer news. Yes, there MIGHT be a few hundred people who are still suffering from their near clinical "outrage" but the majority of this island's community really don't care. No, I didn't say we don't care about the hospital. We do. And we care about the hardworking staff that work there too. Please stop trying to make this a story. I'm sure you can scratch together a few paragraphs on a plethora of other topics that constitute real NEWS.
Possibly you should speak
Fred EdgPossibly you should speak with some hospital employees and hear their thoughts. What basis do you have for your comments?
I work at the hospital too,
Joey EdgartownI work at the hospital too, Fred. There are many of us who have a different opinion of him than you. And no, we're not lazy, do as little as possible employees. He was extremely duplicitous. Apparently you fell for his bologna hook, line and sinker.
O for the love of peace when
Mary Oak BluffsO for the love of peace when will the Gazette move on and stop milking this cow?? You can't compare Nantucket a one town island to Martha's Vineyard a 5 town run by 5 different governments who don't always get along.
This article does not make any sense!! Its doesn't seem to have a point; it just rambles on and on. Time to find a new editor and new stories FGS!!!
Yes yes yes!
Lucky EDGYes yes yes!
This article is illuminating
aqlvThis article is illuminating as it highlights a primary problem which is the lack of effective, responsive communication between the hospital and the community. This is why the issue with the termination of former CEO Joseph Woodin was so inflammatory. Without effective communication with the community MVH serves, problems will continue. One individual at MVH should not be in charge of handling each and every call or concern. It's standard business operations to have a community board (excluding board members) made up of full and summer residents (similar to Nantucket). Because this is an island, this hospital should be more accessible and transparent! It's common sense! And yes, MVH should have facebook. This shouldn't be another discussion. Just do it. Open the lines of authentic and transparent, equitable communication as opposed to allowing one person screen every call, complaint, concern. In order to be a healthy, vibrant hospital that serves this community, it is vital that changes happen NOW....I look forward to hearing the outcome of the meeting....
MVH should not be a
SMVH should not be a dictatorship...
I think we now have a couple
Sara Oak BluffsI think we now have a couple of bad examples of what happens when families try to make a mom and pop shop out of something that's larger than they are (nationally and locally, in case anyone missed that reference). Seems like "community" was taken out of the Hospital name and their attitude as well. Nepotism seems to be at least part of the problem. I know this is a "private" hospital, but nonetheless being the only one here, it truly needs to be much more open in its dealings, and rely more on community input.
Wow. Thank you, Vineyard
Seriously? WTWow. Thank you, Vineyard Gazette, for such an incredibly helpful comparison. What a great way for us to gain valuable perspective here. However, that perspective and the striking differences between what appears to be healthy, open, transparent approach to community relations versus what appears to be blatant disregard, utter carelessness and laissez faire nonchalance, and frankly, nepotism make this situation even more disturbing. Where is the oversight? Don't we need Partners to get involved? There really is a crisis of leadership, or the lack thereof, here that must be addressed. And why is the Director of Development a bottle neck for Public Relations? Very worrisome!
I know when articles get
Really Vineyard HavenI know when articles get written they get the slant of the author. Just a fact.
A couple more facts. 1) Original press release re. Joe Wooden leaving vs. dismissal was incorrect when it was released. That was released by community relations? Incorrect posting of Board member changes. That was released by community relations? I see a repetitive set of mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and hopefully owns them and we always hope they are on small items. These were not on small items. I hope the physicians that have to make significant health decisions in much less time that it takes to prepare press releases do not make this type of mistake on a repetitive basis.
True story! Patient visits
Always Here Vineyard HavenTrue story! Patient visits doctor at MVH and asks what the doctor thinks of what has happened there. Doctor replies, "When we lost Joe Woodin, we lost all hope of change." Enough said.
As an employee, we were
No comment Martha's VineyarxAs an employee, we were instructed to say " we can not discuss this matter" hmmm...
Corporate Governance at its
P Radigan Duxbury and Naples FlCorporate Governance at its worse. More heat needs to be placed at the feet of the owner. Partners Health care has chosen the hide under the desk route in hopes this all blows out to sea.
A community hospital by name
JD ChilmarkA community hospital by name only for decades. The tenure has well expired by those who continue to resist change and community involvement. Mere clever words will not do. What else do we have to suffer before the entrenched individuals leave.
Partners is part of the
MAM Reading/EdgartownPartners is part of the problem. I am assuming they are surprised at the level of community engagement this has received. In Boston and the surrounding area, they operate like this without any input from the community. I encourage the community to press on to push for more community involvement and form a strong and independent community hospital presence. Community input and the lack of, does affect the hospital culture which ultimately, in turn, affects patient care. Isn't this what it is all about??
Although not everyone is
Fish CrowAlthough not everyone is wedded to Facebook and tweeting, there is a general appreciation for businesslike governance. Mrs. Vanderhoop's comments are disappointing on that level.
Mme V: "L'hopital -- c'est moi! Qu'ils mangent de la brioche." (Bastille Day 2017)
"If a community member is
Dianne Smith Chilmark"If a community member is having trouble getting a call back from somebody, that will get routed to me." (RV)
What a crock!
I donated a piece of art two years ago and had to make four phone calls to RV's office over a one-month period to get a response from her about something as mundane as that. Heaven help anyone who is "having trouble getting a call back from somebody."
The Nantucket model makes sense. So does the replacement of two "administrators." Nepotism works about as well in our hospital's management as it does in our national government.
Come to tomorrow's pot luck
Gratitude Gathering for Joe WTCome to tomorrow's pot luck at the Grange Hall between 4-6 PM to thank Joe Woodin and help our community heal. Bring a dish, leave opinions at the door.
In December of 2006 Tim Walsh
Islander Martha's Vineyard, MassachusettsIn December of 2006 Tim Walsh, then the President and CEO of MVH, testified before the state's Public Health Council that the MVH Board of Trustees would be composed of 80% Islanders and the remainder representatives of MGH and Partners. Three years later, in 2009, the Board had 42% of its members from the Island. In 2016, ten years later, the number was 53%. Draw your own conclusions.
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