On Monday, August 5, more than 100 people, including a contingent from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, gathered under a tent at 490 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in Edgartown to celebrate a project that will transform how seniors age on the island and provide housing to dozens of healthcare workers.
The groundbreaking ceremony was sponsored by Navigator Homes of Martha’s Vineyard, the hospital’s partner on the Edgartown project. Navigator is building the skilled nursing facility on the site under the Green House model, which will eventually replace the Windemere facility located on hospital grounds with five individual houses for island seniors at 490 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road.
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, participated in the celebration and spoke of the wonderful collaboration between the hospital, Navigator, as well as federal, state, and the local governments on the Vineyard. Sen. Markey is credited with pushing the $53 million in funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) across the goal line. Sen. Markey praised the vision of the leaders who brought this project together, but noted how important it was to get buy-in from the federal government. “A vision without funding is a hallucination,” Sen. Markey said.
MVH President Denise Schepici was applauded by several speakers for the leadership role she played. The hospital purchased the property from the Norton family, a key part of making the project possible. Denise praised the many people who worked with the hospital — including leaders from Mass General Brigham – in bringing the vision to regulatory boards and winning the necessary approvals.
“Your partnership, collaboration, stewardship, and stalwart leadership has ensured that Island seniors, and the hospital and nursing home staff who will care for them, will have a place they can truly call home. I must thank the wonderful MVH and WNR Board of Trustees for their deep moral commitment and belief in our mission of caring for this community and, in particular, our vulnerable seniors, for staying the course, providing guidance and resources as trusted advisors, supporters and believers in a transformational future model for senior care,” Denise said. “I also want to call out our incredible staff both at the hospital and at the current nursing and rehabilitation center we lovingly know as Windemere. During challenging times of uncertainty, not the least of which was the pandemic, but also the uncertainty of WNR’s future, they never wavered in the care of our residents and patients. Never. They are simply a remarkable group of human beings that I am so privileged and humbled to lead.”
Denise was joined at the event by leadership from Windemere including Tiffany McCarty, Peter Wharton, and Marie Zadeh. She was also joined by leadership from the hospital, including Claire Seguin, Chief of Nursing and VP of Operations, Michael Cosgrave, Chief Administrative Officer, and Denise Flynn, Executive Director of Development. Several MVH and WNR board members were also in attendance for the ceremony including John Denson, Valerie Stone, Paulo DeOliveira, and Chris Scott.
During her introduction of Denise, Paddy Moore, a board member of Navigator and the person who brought the concept of the Green House model to island stakeholders, spoke of Denise’s advocacy for the project and the vital support given by Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Mass General Brigham. “Denise understood early on the crucial importance of housing on this island, particularly for healthcare staff, and has raised funds for the buildings about to rise next door for hospital housing, which will include units allocated for staff from the Navigator skilled nursing home.”
Indeed, just a few feet away from the tent, dozens of modular units are stockpiled waiting for more to arrive so crews from Columbia Construction can begin assembling the housing. Nearby, the first steel beams are in place for the Navigator project, which is being built by Dellbrook.
Along with Sen. Markey, other officials who spoke included Edgartown select board chair Arthur Smadbeck, USDA State Director Scott Soares, Green House Project CEO Susan Ryan, and Navigator CEO David McDonough. The program opened with Chief Ryan Melanson of the Wampanaog Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) offering the tribe’s blessing for the project.
Denise closed her remarks looking forward to the next big milestone in the project sometime in 2025. “I look forward to seeing everyone next year at what I hope will be a different ceremony – a ribbon cutting and a homecoming.”
