Schepici to retire as hospital president 

Updated Sept. 3

Denise Schepici, president of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, announced on Tuesday she will be retiring by the end of this year. 

Schepici served for eight years, and led the hospital and Island through the COVID-19 pandemic, oversaw what hospital officials say is unprecedented growth by recruiting new physicians, and expanded clinical services to ensure that Islanders could access more care close to home. Her colleagues have praised her for building a strong team at the hospital, and for developing much-needed housing for hospital staff. 

“When I began this role, I never imagined I’d find myself in the housing business,” Schepici is quoted in a release from the hospital. “But watching talented nurses leave because they couldn’t afford to live here was heartbreaking. We also had physician candidates decline positions due to the high cost of living. It was clear something had to be done.”

Members of the hospital’s board note that Schepici brought stability to the Island hospital when she came on as president, bringing strong leadership. Rebecca Haag, who chairs the board of trustees for the hospital and Windemere, told The Times that Schepici came on after Joe Woodin was fired as CEO a little over a year into the job. That left hospital staff nervous. The previous CEO, Timothy Walsh, had taken over on an interim basis until Schepici’s hiring. 

Haag said the tumultuous time had Islanders questioning the quality of care at the hospital, but Schepici was able to ease concerns.“She restored trust and confidence in this hospital, and her commitment to workforce housing will make the next president’s job easier,” Haag said. 

Workforce housing and recruiting staff were top of mind for many colleagues when speaking to Schepici’s tenure. Over the summer, the hospital cut the ribbon on a workforce housing development on the same grounds as Navigator Homes, a skilled nursing facility in Edgartown that will replace Windemere nursing facility. The project opens up 78 bedrooms for hospital and Navigator staff.

Peter Wharton, director of facilities and life safety at Windemere, said Schepici brought passion to Navigator Homes despite public resistance to it. Wharton also serves on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and while he recused himself from the review of this project, he recalled a phrase Schepici said that struck a chord with the community: “No housing, no healthcare.” 

Housing was just one “existential threat” that Schepici had to navigate in her role, according to Wharton. Others included funding, staffing, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred shortly after she was hired to lead the hospital in 2018.

“I know she didn’t expect to come into this and … [be] going into a pandemic,” said Chris Porterfield, director of food and nutrition at the hospital. “Leading through that was one of the most difficult times I’ve ever seen for us and healthcare, that’s for sure.” Coming out of the pandemic, Porterfield said Schepici “probably became the big pillar of hope and resilience and progress.” 

A key advancement that came under Schepici was the array of clinical services and equipment brought to the hospital, from cancer treatments to gastrointestinal care. The new technology helped patients stay on the Island for specialized care.

“We’re always having ongoing conversations about what else we can bring for the Island, whether it’s providers or a service line,” Dave Caron, vice president of diagnostics and therapeutics. 

Hospital staff who spoke with The Times also described Schepici as an inspiration who attracted more healthcare professionals to the Island. One was Claire Seguin, chief nurse and vice president of operations at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Seguin left an executive leadership position at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2019, where she had worked since 1995, to work on the Island after hearing Schepici’s “unwavering commitment” to “establish the hospital as an incredible place to work and a trusted place of care for the Island community.” 

“One of the most important things that Denise has brought to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is this notion of fostering a culture of compassion and teamwork,” Seguin said. “She likes to say, ‘We have to take care of the people who take care of the people,’ and that really resonates through the hallways of the entire organization.”

Schepici’s skills have also been highlighted by Becker’s Hospital Review, the healthcare industry’s leading publication, and Women’s Edge, a nonprofit organization that listed Martha’s Vineyard Hospital as one of the state’s top 100 women-led businesses for six years in a row.

Michael Jaff, former board trustee and former director of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said it had been a “pleasure to watch” Schepici bring various improvements to the Vineyard hospital. Jaff said Schepici’s “dogged determination” mixed with her “great empathy” helped her accomplish something few hospital executives accomplish: providing comfort to an isolated community who came to trust they would be cared for.

That sentiment was shared by hospital staff. 

“One of her biggest accomplishments is reconnecting the community with the hospital,” Caron said. 

Schepici has been a longtime seasonal resident of the Vineyard since she first visited as a college freshman. She would move to the Island full-time with her husband, Tony, before assuming leadership at the hospital and Windemere. The release states she plans to stay on the Vineyard in retirement. 

Going forward, the hospital board is confident of where Schepici has left them, noting that she has built a strong and resilient management team. “Although we will miss her leadership, I am confident that the hospital will continue to provide quality care and access for our community under their stewardship,” Haag said. “Denise is a dear friend, and I wish her nothing but the best in her well-deserved retirement.”

Mass General Brigham, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s parent organization, and the hospital’s board of trustees have already started a nationwide search for Schepici’s successor.