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The Petersburg Medical Center reported three new active cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, all of whom are non-residents. One non-resident case was identified on Sunday and two non-resident cases were identified on Monday according to PMC. A total of 14 non-resident positive cases have been linked to travel since August 1 and PMC is advising everyone who comes to town to get tested both when they arrive and seven days later regardless of vaccination status. Free travel testing is available at the...
The Borough Assembly voted 4-3 to empower Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to create a committee to serve as a COVID information response system during Monday's meeting. The discussion of the action item centered on the creation of the committee and the inclusion of a COVID dashboard on the borough's website. The item was requested by Assembly Member Jeff Meucci who said that the assembly needed to have more communication about COVID available to be prepared if the school system or the hospital...
The Borough Assembly unanimously voted to approve Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht's contract extension request during Monday's meeting. The vote, which was 7-0, came after the assembly entered into an executive session to discuss the new contract. Assembly Members Taylor Norheim and Jeigh Stanton Gregor joining the meeting over the phone and Zoom respectively for that portion of the meeting to cast their votes. Giesbrecht wrote a letter to the Borough Assembly, dated July 7, proposing a new fiv...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter gave a report to the Borough Assembly during Monday's meeting. The discussion focused on PMC's communication with the community about releasing COVID information and the construction of a new hospital. Hofstetter said that the Emergency Operations Center is missed because there is no longer a structure in place for communication about COVID. He would also like to see information again be made available on the borough's website to help inform the...
Eight non-residents on a private boat tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after arriving in Petersburg according to the Petersburg Medical Center. The non-residents notified PMC of their symptoms upon arrival and all passengers tested positive. Those onboard the boat have begun isolating and are not at risk of spreading COVID to the community. According to the PMC COVID-19 Dashboard, there are nine active cases in Petersburg and a third death has been reported although details about it have...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter and Hospital Board Chair Jerod Cook met with SEARHC leadership to discuss the future of healthcare in Petersburg. With the rise of discussions within the community about the future of healthcare, these two organizations met to talk about collaborative opportunities. According to Hofstetter, the meeting covered a number of topics, but the focus was on community healthcare. "It's a starting point," Hofstetter said. "I think one of the things we'll...
The Petersburg COVID-19 dashboard is reporting one new case in the past week for a total of four active cases. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' vaccine monitoring dashboard, 65% of Petersburg Borough residents ages 12 and up have received one or more doses. Chief Nursing Officer at PMC Jennifer Bryner said that though there was much interest when the vaccine was first released, the number of people signing up for the vaccine waiting list at the hospital has...
Eight non-residents on a private boat tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after arriving in Petersburg according to the Petersburg Medical Center. The non-residents notified PMC of their symptoms upon arrival and all passengers tested positive. Those onboard the boat have begun isolating and are not at risk of spreading COVID to the community. Asymptomatic testing will be available at no charge to residents on Thurs., Aug. 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the respiratory clinic. Testing for... Full story
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service's COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are five active cases in Petersburg as of July 28 with 55.0% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska reported 562 new cases between July 23 and 25, which has also seen the statewide alert level remain high...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board reviewed the recent COVID-19 outbreak during their July 22 meeting. Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom presented a report on the increase of COVID cases in July. According to Bacom’s report, the two contributing factors were the arrival of the American Cruise Lines vessel Constellation and the Independence Day celebrations. Four passengers and two crew members from the Constellation with positive tests isolated in Petersburg while recovering f...
The Petersburg Medical Center has begun receiving feedback from the community through the Community Needs Assessment. Conducted every three years, the Community Needs Assessment is required for non-profit healthcare organizations and serves as a way for residents to comment on how their healthcare needs are being met. The survey features questions focused on a range of topics including services the hospital offers, demographic data, and the COVID-19 pandemic. "For me it's actually very good...
A new outdoor shelter was completed at the Clausen Memorial Museum with the help of a community challenge grant from AARP. The Clausen Museum applied for the grant after AARP representatives came to the Petersburg Medical Center before the COVID-19 pandemic said Museum Director Cindi Lagoudakis. "I looked at some of the grant opportunities and I put in a request and it was not originally granted, but they contacted us and they were interested in the bench shelter idea," Lagoudakis said. The...
The Borough Assembly discussed Monday how the most recent COVID-19 outbreak in Petersburg was handled and the resulting communication issues. The outbreak was linked to the American Cruise Lines vessel American Constellation which was docked in Petersburg. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion to review how information was communicated by the various groups involved in resolving the crisis to the assembly. "One of the concerns I had was that, and this is not to blame anybody, but...
The annual Paddle Battle raised over $1,500 this year which will go towards helping Petersburg Medical Center employees continue their education. It was a cool 54 degrees on Saturday when the 21 paddlers braved the waters. The first group of participants started from Scow Bay at 8:30 a.m. and were later joined by a second group near South Harbor at 9:15 a.m. The paddlers traveled around Hungry Point and headed south along Frederick Sound to the finish at Sandy Beach Park. The participants who st...
A new group of citizens are advocating in favor of SEARHC to provide for the future health care needs of Petersburg. After all, it worked in Wrangell after the community leadership grew weary of writing checks to keep their facility operating. Petersburg is however a different story. Petersburg Medical Center is financially self-sufficient and carries an investment account balance enabling them to get through occasional lean times. They have an attentive hospital board that is elected to seats...
The Petersburg Medical Center is advising residents to get tested early if experiencing symptoms amid community spread of COVID-19. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has been updated to reflect that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 22. Seven of these cases are Petersburg residents while one is a non-resident. PMC says that recognizing symptoms early on and getting tested helps their ability to treat COVID-19 illness. Free asymptomatic testing is available and can be... Full story
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service’s COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 26 with 54.3% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska had 447 new cases reported between July 21 and 22, which has also seen the statewide alert level r... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center reports four positive COVID-19 cases locally since July 9. On Fri., July 9 a resident of Petersburg tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolating at their home. On Sat., July 10 a guest from the American Cruise Lines Vessel American Constellation tested positive and is isolating in Petersburg with a family member who had tested positive previously. An American Cruise Lines representative is staying in Petersburg to assist them. On Mon., July 12 two new cases tested...
Petersburg Medical Center reports 10 active COVID-19 cases with one previous case being considered as recovered. Three additional cases have been confirmed in the past three days. All three cases are Petersburg residents who have been instructed to isolate at their homes. Alaska Public Health has received an update on the current numbers and will begin contact tracing. Of the 10 active cases, seven are residents of Petersburg, while three are non-residents. Each positive sample is referred to th... Full story
Two previously identified COVID-19 cases in Petersburg have been identified as the Delta variant according to the Petersburg Medical Center. One is a resident of Petersburg and the other is a non-resident. As of July 16, two additional cases have been identified, both of which are Petersburg residents, bringing the total number of active cases up to 13. They have been instructed to isolate and Alaska Public Health will begin contract tracing. Of the 13 active cases, seven are Petersburg... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly was advised Tuesday that site selection for a new hospital, according to CEO Phil Hofstetter, "is paramount." According to Hofstetter, an environmental assessment of each of the three proposed sites is necessary. The assessment can determine such things as availability of public utility services, economics, depth of muskeg, and other factors that can impact the cost of construction. In response to a question from assembly member Jeff Meucci, the assessment...
Petersburg Medical Center reports four positive COVID-19 cases locally in the past four days. On Fri., July 9 a resident of Petersburg tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolating at their home. On Sat., July 10 a guest from the American Cruise Lines Vessel American Constellation tested positive and is isolating in Petersburg with a family member who had tested positive previously. An American Cruise Lines representative is staying in Petersburg to assist them. On Mon., July 12 two new cases... Full story
Petersburg will be kicking off three days of festivities on Friday in celebration of the Fourth of July. The Parks and Recreation Center, Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Petersburg Lighthouse Church will be hosting over 20 activities in the downtown area and Middle Harbor, similar to years past. Last year's Fourth of July festival was scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year's festival is a return tradition. The fun begins at 6 P.M. on Friday when the Parks and Recreation...
The Emergency Operations Center demobilized and dissolved at 11:59 P.M. on Wednesday, along with the repeal of the local Emergency Disaster Declaration. "Over the past sixteen months, our community has worked together to put processes and infrastructure in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic," the EOC said in a press release issued Wednesday. "Community partners from all corners of our community have come together to collaborate, share resources and reduce the impacts of COVID-19 as much as...
In April and May, Petersburg Medical Center reported a consistent number of patient days, which were higher than what the hospital had seen over the last fiscal year, according to financial statements presented to the PMC Board of Directors on June 24. PMC had 129 inpatient days in April and 130 inpatient days in May. In March, the hospital's inpatient days were 56. Year-to-date, PMC has a total of 963 inpatient days, which have been down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May...
