Volunteers make a difference at M.V. Hospital, Windemere
This summer, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Windemere welcomed more than a dozen volunteers, making the newly relaunched Volunteer Program a great success. With summer winding down, Michele Moore, volunteer coordinator, is actively recruiting volunteers...
Prevention is the Key to Avoiding Tick Bites
Tick talk is serious business on Martha’s Vineyard, and there is cause for concern once again, as tick activity is on the rise heading into the warmer summer months.
The Island sees a significantly higher...
MVH uses nitrous oxide to bring patients quick pain relief
As part of a federal spending bill recently signed by President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey helped secure much-needed funds for Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
The federal money will assist the hospital...
A salute to the doctors at MVH
We’re thankful for all the doctors at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital every day of the year, but in advance of National Doctors’ Day on March 30, we’d like to give a special shout-out to those...
Hospital doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to cardiac care
February is Heart Month. No, not because Valentine’s Day falls midway through the month, but to raise awareness about heart health.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. An average...
Health Beat: It’s not too late to protect yourself
With COVID and RSV cases on the rise, as well as patients dealing with the flu this winter, there’s no time like the present to address vaccination confidence. Or in some cases, lack of...
No need to go off-Island for these healthcare services
Much has changed at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital over the past five years in terms of clinical services being offered.
Today, the hospital offers close to a dozen specialties to meet the healthcare needs of those...
Joint School provides the calm before the surgery
Class is in session at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and total joint replacement is the subject.
Welcome to Joint School.
No, you won’t have to take a test, and you won’t receive a grade, but you will...
Emergency Department uses pediatric training to stay sharp
Dr. Jeffrey Zack, a Martha’s Vineyard Hospital emergency department doctor, and Dan Friedrich, manager of respiratory therapy, huddled over an 18-month-old baby having difficulty breathing. The ambulance staff from Oak Bluffs had scant details...
Health Beat: Tick-borne diseases: We’re not out of the woods yet
Just because the heat of the summer is behind us, don’t let your guard down when it comes to protecting yourself against tick bites.
We’re not out of the woods just yet.
Traditionally, we think of...
Health Beat: A virtual care option for Islanders and visitors
With significantly more people on the Island during the summer, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Emergency Department can feel the pinch, resulting in long wait times for patients with minor injuries or ailments.
That’s why Martha’s...
Teenage vaping
According to the M.V. Youth Task Force (MVYTF), over half of Martha’s Vineyard high school students have tried vaping, and the figures increase every year. Theresa Manning of the MVYTF stated, “This whole thing...
Battling food insecurity
There are many misconceptions about food insecurity. “It’s not synonymous with starvation,” Kayte Morris, executive director of the Island Food Pantry, said. “It really comes down to not knowing how you’re going to fill...
MVH Profile: Dr Aletheia Donahue, primary care/internal medicine
What brought you to MVH, Dr. Donahue?
I have been coming to the Island for years, working here in various positions before I went to med school. I volunteered a few summers at Family Planning...
Getting the lead out
The Massachusetts Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Regulation (Lead Law) requires all children to be screened for lead poisoning multiple times through the age of three. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health...
MVH Profile: Dr. Sonya Stevens
Dr. Stevens, how long have you been practicing at MVH?
I moved to the Island permanently in 2014 and practiced off-Island for a year prior to joining MVH pediatrics in 2015. Prior to moving here,...
Profile: Dr. Elliot Dacher, founder of the Meditation and Mindfulness program
Dr. Dacher, what originally brought you to Martha’s Vineyard?
In the 1970s I moved to Boston to complete my internal medicine residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now known as Brigham and Women’s Hospital)....
Health and wellness
“Western medicine defines health as the absence of disease,” Dr. Elliott Dacher, founder of the Meditation and Mindfulness program, says. Regardless of whether you have a disease or not, wellness has come to mean...
MVH Profile: Marcela Pouliot, Physical Therapist
What brought you to MVH?
I first came to the Vineyard in 1995 as a PT student for an internship at Windemere. I spent 12 weeks here, and during that time I met my husband...
Sept. 23 is Falls Prevention Day
Statistics show that falls are a leading cause of injury for people age 65 and older. “A significant percentage of seniors have balance issues,” Marcela Pouliot, physical therapist at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, says, “Falling...