Sorted by date Results 672 - 696 of 1032
WRANGELL - Robert Rang came on as the Wrangell Medical Center's administrator in October of 2015. The hospital was only the latest step in a three-decade career. Rang said he started his career as a CNA, and he kept on slowly rising up in the business. He was working in Kodiak when he first heard about this job being available in Wrangell, he said. "The opportunity opened up, it was something I was very interested in. Small town life is what my wife and I enjoy, along with all the other...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors approved a request for proposals to Jensen Yorba Lott, Inc. for the design and administrative oversight on the renovation of a portion of the hospital. To become compliant with standards that regulate the handling of hazardous drugs, PMC will be remodeling the part of the hospital where the drugs for chemotherapy are prepared. Currently, the drugs are prepared in a negative pressure hood. The completed project will have a negative pressure hood,...
The Petersburg Borough will send out a request for proposals for a new baler, after the assembly approved the decision on Monday. In January, the borough assembly passed Ordinance 2018-21, which allocates $600,000 towards the replacement of the borough’s baler. The request for proposals, or RFP, has a deadline of April 4, and gives a description of what is needed from the baler and the bidder. At Monday’s assembly meeting, assembly member Bob Lynn was concerned with how similar in scope the potential new baler, as laid out in the RFP, is to...
Tom Lewis passed away March 2, 2019 at Petersburg Medical Center. An obituary and Celebration of Life will follow.... Full story
Phil Hofstetter, CEO of the Petersburg Medical Center, spoke about the future of the hospital as this year’s keynote speaker at the chamber of commerce banquet. Over the years, the hospital has been remodeled and received facelifts, and Hofstetter said the hospital is due for another update because of its aging infrastructure. Before arriving in Petersburg, Hofstetter was an administrator at the Norton Sound Health Corporation in Nome where he assisted with the process of bringing a new hospital building to the community. “This building, it...
Petersburg Medical Center held its second Community Cafe last week where CEO Phil Hofstetter gave a presentation on the hospital’s use of telehealth and its potential. Hofstetter was joined by Dr. John Kokesh, an ENT surgeon based in Anchorage, via video conference to share his experience with the innovative way of providing healthcare from a distance. At the beginning of his presentation, Hofstetter asked the audience three questions to keep in mind while he was speaking about telehealth: What kind of health care access do you want to see i...
Guardian Flight has resumed their air medical transport service in six base locations across Alaska following a 63-hour search for an overdue Guardian King Air 200 medical life flight near Kake. While services have resumed in Anchorage, Deadhorse, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Sitka, Guardian Flight base locations in Kotzebue and Juneau will reopen sometime in the future, according Guardian Flight senior vice president of operations Randy Lyman in a prepared statement. "Guardian Flight...
The borough assembly voted in favor of instructing borough manager Steve Giesbrecht to send out a request for proposals, or RFP, for the cost of a consultant for Mountain View Manor assisted living to determine if the facility is running efficiently. The costs for Mountain View Manor are greater than the revenue it brings in despite being at 100 percent occupancy, according to Giesbrecht. The borough lost an estimated $240,117 in the 2018 fiscal year from the assisted living operation. “We’ve scratched and clawed to get to where we are, and...
After nearly five years with the Petersburg Medical Center, chief financial officer Doran Hammett announced his departure from the hospital during an executive session at Thursday's board meeting. Hammett said he is leaving PMC to find an interim position closer to his family in Okarche, Oklahoma. It currently takes him about a day to fly back home. "My leaving doesn't have anything to do with the town or the hospital or anybody here," said Hammett. "I thoroughly enjoyed it. Leaving is going to...
The Petersburg Medical Center has hired Dr. Selina Burt, the facility’s fourth physician, who has a tentative start date of April 15, according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. “I feel very fortunate to have a physician that’s willing to come up here and work here,” said Hofstetter. Burt took a tour of the facility, got the chance to meet with the current three physicians and had a great experience in Alaska when she visited in December. She will be coming to Petersburg from Texas where she’s worked as a family practice physician in a critical...
Petersburg Medical Center CFO Doran Hammett gave his financial report at Thursday’s board meeting detailing the hospital’s financial standing as of the month of December. PMC’s net operating revenue was down for the month of December, but continues to be above the year-to-date budget. Total operating expenses were ahead of budget both for the month and year-to-date. The hospital's accounts receivable, or money owed to the hospital for services rendered, is up approximately $1 million from the prior year. Meanwhile, the PMC’s operating cash-on-h...
Ricarda Marie Owens, 46, of Petersburg Alaska, passed away peacefully on January 18, In Anchorage. She was surrounded by her family. Ricarda was born to Mae E. Heitstuman and Carl Norgren on December 27, 1972 in Petersburg, Alaska. She graduated in May of 1993 from Petersburg High School. During her senior year, she found out she had lung cancer and was pregnant. In January of 1992 she had her daughter, Jessica, her pride and joy. In 1994 she was cancer free. Through all of her struggles, she ha... Full story
The United States Coast Guard suspended its 63-hour search Thursday evening for an overdue Guardian King Air 200 medical life flight near Kake. On board were pilot Patrick Coyle, 63, flight nurse Stacie Rae Morse, 30, and flight paramedic Margaret Langston Allen, 43. "Suspending a search for any reason is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make," said Capt. Stephen White, Sector Juneau commander in a USCG press release. "This was an extensive search effort in some very challenging... Full story
The borough assembly approved an amended version of the capital projects list for the 2020 fiscal year on Monday that lists the replacement of the E911 system as the borough’s first priority. On the list are capital projects from every department in the borough and how much each project costs. Those projects that were approved by the borough will be put on its capsis list, which is a list that goes to the state legislators. When oil prices were high and the state had plenty of money to fund capital projects, an online system called capsis w...
January The borough assembly received a proposed update to its zoning code that would introduce a new form of affordable housing, an expansion of the historical and industrial districts and the end of a requirement for businesses to include parking downtown. The borough assembly held a work session to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on the senior tax exemption. A possible annual fee to sales tax exemption card holders was agreed upon ranging between $50 and $60. Police Chief Kelly Swihart...
Data has come to light that shows Petersburg Medical Center’s medicated-assisted treatment program, or MAT, is helping those with opiate or substance abuse issues save money and manage their problem by being seen in the clinic instead of the emergency room. “You want them coming into the clinic, because it’s a scheduled appointment,” said PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. “There’s better case management. They’re managing their issues and health issues more.” The MAT program helps those with opiate or substance abuse problems by providing medic...
Petersburg Medical Center CFO Doran Hammett gave his financial report for the month of November on Thursday to the hospital’s board of directors that showed the hospital’s net operating revenue for the month was above what was budgeted but a decrease in operating cash on hand. “We had a consistently good year so far,” said Hammett. “The volumes have continued to be up. Revenue is up.” For November, PMC’s net operating revenue was set at $1,243,250, but the hospital brought in $1,382,848 in operating revenue. Hammett credits the $139,598 increas...
It is better to give than receive, is an old adage, and an especially poignant one this time of year. One that Marlena Erickson took to heart as the organizer of Petersburg's First Annual "Adopt a Grandparent" drive. Erickson was inspired by a friend of hers in California who had done the same thing for senior citizens in her area. The people of Petersburg make a strong effort to make others feel loved and included, said Erickson, but this time of winter can be a really hard time for the...
On Monday, the borough assembly approved to postpone discussing and voting on the 2020 fiscal year capital projects list and budget policies until the Dec. 17 assembly meeting. Mayor Mark Jensen cited a busy agenda and a desire to have a separate meeting to discuss and vote on the budget. “There is no real urgent deadline for this,” said Jensen. “It would be nice to get it done before the end of December.” The submitted capital project document listed a combined total of over 50 capital project needs in the Harbor Department, Parks and Recreat...
Petersburg Medical Center approved $11,660 to Rock-N-Road Construction, Inc. at a board meeting last week to demolish an abandoned house on hospital property to free up more room for parking. "We're asking to clear the lot, to remove that house," said PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. "It's an abandoned building. It's a liability. It's an eye sore. I feel likes it's in the best interest of PMC to clear that lot. Also, we can have parking lot space if we clear that, which is a big need as the winter...
At a board meeting last week, the Petersburg Medical Center board of directors approved $20,000 to work with DOWL, a project management firm, on the facility project. DOWL will be looking at space requirements and the possible location for a new or remodeled PMC facility. They will also build off existing work and progress that has been made towards the project to avoid repeating work that has already been done. “They can have a product to us in about six weeks to really kind of determine those kinds of aspects,” said PMC CEO Phil Hof...
November 20 — Elias Lucas, 69, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence. An aggressive dog was reported in a truck on Dolphin St, but the vehicle was gone upon the officer’s arrival. November 21 — On 4th St. at Haugen Dr., a report of possible trespassing was made, but the individual was gone before the responding officer arrived. A vehicle was parked on private property on Mitkof Highway without permission. At Scow Bay Fire Station, a vehicle was parked without permission. A child was walking alone on S. 3rd St. When offic...
Long time Petersburg resident Tom Lewis was this year's tree lighter for the community Christmas tree. Growing up in Foster, Oregon, Lewis took on a variety of jobs from working on a hay baler to falling timber. Almost on a whim, Lewis and some of the men that he felled timber with made the decision on a Monday in 1942 to join the navy. After he was discharged from the Navy he began working in Oregon again. "Then I got curious about Alaska," said Lewis. He came to Alaska in the early 1950s and...
