Updated, April 3
The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital has decided it will not be renewing the lease for a substance-use recovery and healing center that has helped hundreds of Islanders, a decision based on the hospital’s growing need for specialist services.
Management at the Red House have about 10 months left to find a new location, having been told last month that the hospital would not renew the lease, which is up in March of 2026.
Located a brief walk from the hospital at 12 Beach Street in Oak Bluffs, the Red House — aptly named due to the bright red color of the building — has been a primary source of healing for Islanders who struggle with addiction.
Robert Cropper, director of recovery management services, said they’re still catching their breath after the news, and while they are trying to stay positive, having a location next door to the hospital has been a great benefit to the community and finding a new location could be a struggle — never mind a location with only a $1-a-month lease.
“It was shocking, because this is a joint collaboration between Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and the hospital,” Cropper said. “[But] I do look at it … as an opportunity for us to maybe find a larger location.”
Denise Schepici, president and chief operating officer at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, said the decision to not renew the 10-year lease was a tough call, but necessary for the hospital’s future building plans.
“We have a backlog of 1,500 patients waiting to get into primary care practices,” Schepici said. “We’ve had such unbelievable growth since the pandemic.” According to a recent report from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Island population grew 37 percent between 2000 and 2020.
The Red House is a widely utilized “peer-recovery support center,” and serves an estimated 200 Islanders a week through its programs, which include “recovery cafés,” yoga classes, breathwork, and individual and group support for addiction and the associated trauma. It also offers services to those who have a loved one dealing with substance use or adversely affected mental health.
Cropper said a different location could miss the mark on one of the benefits to having their building so close to the hospital for the past few years: for individuals hospitalized for substance-use-related health problems or an overdose, having a recovery center a short walk down the road has been a lifesaver for some locals who have struggled finding help. He estimated 10.5 percent of the Island population currently struggles with substance abuse — including alcohol and narcotics.
“It’s worked so well for us to be right by the hospital,” Cropper said. “If someone presented at the emergency department intoxicated or needing services, [hospital staff] actually walked people right down to the Red House to meet with us. So it’s a shame to lose that on an island where that is a commonality.”
Red House is sponsored by Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, with patients referred from both places for more targeted addiction-treatment options.
While Martha’s Vineyard boasts recovery options like 12-step programs, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and counseling, the Red House is the primary one-stop center, and incorporates many paths to recovery without relying on one single option for treatment. What sets it apart is its flexibility and willingness to change — a quality it has been praised for by locals in the past few years.
But Schepici said the hospital is grappling with a different set of local needs for health care. According to her, building renovations are required for the hospital’s vision for the next few years, and its continued ability to serve the growing needs of the population. Schepici noted that one in three locals are above the age of 65, and are requiring specialist care they’ve previously had to go off-Island for.
“We’re doing a lot of renovations, and we’re in desperate need of space,” she said.
Schepici said she’s looking forward to a future where residents don’t have to leave the Island for care, and building better facilities is a step in that direction.
The need for more space is a common concern for groups across the Island who are dealing with the housing crisis, relocations, and an unexpected population boom. Harbor Homes has been searching for a space for years now, with assistance from the public and private grants, and hasn’t had luck so far.
According to a housing needs assessment from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, there’s a lack of housing supply on the Island. Simply put, there aren’t enough buildings on the Island, generally –– let alone larger ones for groups like Harbor Homes or the Red House.
Cropper said that while he was surprised, he doesn’t fault the local hospital administration for this change. He said every group on the Island is doing what it can to adjust to the changing times, recent federal funding cuts, and the rise in population. “It’s certainly not the hospital’s fault — everyone is looking at increasing funding and more sources [for revenue].”
Cropper is still reeling, though, and said they’ll have to start the building search for a new location immediately if they’ll have any chance of securing one in time. They’ll also need to fund-raise to pay for a new location, as their current grants are for operating costs day to day, and their current building lease with the hospital is for $1 a month.
“It’s just been extraordinary how many people we’ve been able to see, talk to, and learn from,” Cropper said. “[The Red House] has been a great addition to the service part of substance use disorder on the Island. So we want to keep it going.”
Post was updated to reflect the senior population on the Island and date of the lease.
I am confident that Community Services will find a new location. The current Red House is on the bus line, and so is the Community Services Campus. The Red House an essential part of our community.
I have been coming to and loving Martha’s Vineyard for almost 50 years (but am only a part-time resident who pays taxes). I follow island news on a regular basis. The schools and the hospitals are the most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing I have ever seen. Yet those who are really suffering don’t seem to be a priority. In my opinion—for what it’s worth—
the hospital should provide detox which I think is a week…? and then a sponsored group home be made available to those who cannot afford as well as for those who can (and should pay).
With monitoring and time limits, job opportunities with responsibilities and accountability.
Is this decision really coming from MVH or is it coming from Mass General? Asking for a bunch of friends. More to the point — what can we Vineyarders do about it?
Working with Harbor Homes, I’m pretty sure the Red House has been part of our help programs and am sure I know how clients depend on available sources of assistance.
We adhere to their confidentiality but know the need is great. We need to see that this valuable help continues.
Mary-Jean Miner
Thank you for opening this conversation. Yes, what can we do? Red House is essential. Helen Benham brought up some stuff, a detox on Island etc. There is the amazing Vineyard House which is both a community of recovery and housing for those in recovery. Used to be that Gosnold would serve Islanders, not sure if that has changed. Would be nice not to have a boat in between, right? There is a Community Services Substance Use Coalition, a vital group trying to find solutions. One thing we can do is contact them, meetings are zoomies and on a Tuesday early, like 8, I think.
A coupla points: shouldn’t the care that happens at the Red House now be part of the Hospital’s care? Seems to me that addiction is one of the more serious illnesses this place has. And I take it that there’s a direct correlation between the space that will revert to the Hospital and numbers of doctors that want to practice full-time at the Hospital and the number of patients they’ll serve? I’m surprised since we’re told there’s a doctor shortage that there’s practitioners waiting to come here.
Deeply disappointed in the MV Hospital! The Red House have been a more than a haven for my community and family members struggling with the disease of addiction , it is a bright spot of care . This care is top tier counseling, peer support hot meals, yoga, meditation and a variety of other innovative therapies . This location , this Red House , because of a lot of concerned and caring community members had just finally started to thrive . Please MVH , reconsider and let’s find a way to keep it the Red House on the MVH campus . Would you shut down a cancer clinic if more people had diabetes? Addiction recover IS life or death. 🙏🏻
So the Red House has had a 10 year lease at 1 dollar per month and comments are being made against the hospital!? Why the pile on?
Recovery services are essential in our community. Can space be found on the MVCS campus? On the Vineyard House campus?
Many organizations are carrying heavy loads right now. Health care providers have been showing up, working tirelessly, particularly since the beginning of COVID then right on through our population increase. Bashing MVH isn’t the answer.
Boo! My bet is on Mass General being behind this crappy move as well as the dismissals of long time island residents who’ve worked for decades at the hospital. Ugly stuff!
Wow. What a terrible decision at such a tough time. We can have a wildly extensive art collection in our hospital, but not addiction care on an island that so obviously needs the latter more than the former. Very disappointing.
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