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A story last week said that Jeffrey Jones, a candidate for CEO of the Petersburg Medical Center, served in the United States Air Force for about six years. Jones also served as a healthcare administrator from 1990 to 2007, which was not reflected in the article.... Full story
A non-profit group's theme for sexual assault awareness month focuses on how to educate and talk about sexual violence in Petersburg. The group, Working Against Violence for Everyone, is using April to engage the community with an "Embrace Your Voice" theme. "Individuals," reads a press release provided by WAVE, "can embrace their voices to show their support for survivors, stand up to victim blaming, shut down rape jokes, correct harmful misconceptions, promote everyday consent, and practice...
Rachel Newport is taking over as clerk of the trial court office in Petersburg. "It's a big job," said Desiree Burrell, the magistrate judge in Petersburg. "It's very important." Newport is a Petersburg native, and now she'll be manager of its court system. She'll handle all of the filing and be the in-court clerk as well. "She's really the face of the court system in Petersburg," said Clayton Jones, who's been filling in from Ketchikan. Newport was one of the clinic receptionists at the...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors decided last week it would invite the finalists for the CEO position to town likely in mid-April. After an executive session to discuss which of the four finalists — one is from Petersburg — to bring to town, the board decided to invite all three. Philip Hofstetter is the vice president of hospital services at the Norton Sound Health Corporation in Nome. Hofstetter, a clinical audiologist, has 25 years of experience as a healthcare professional, 19 of which are in rural Alaska at a Level 4 Cri...
The Petersburg Medical Center health fair this year is a way to educate the community and offer complete blood tests for a fraction of what it would cost normally. But it shouldn’t be an excuse to shun a physician’s office until the next health fair comes around two years from now, said Liz Bacom, the laboratory, imaging and infection control manager at PMC. “There are individuals who pretty much don’t see a physician unless they are hauled in by an ambulance,” said Bacom, as the legitimacy of her statement refrained her from laughing....
The Petersburg Medical Center has narrowed its search for a new CEO down to three applicants from Alaska and one from Missouri. CEO Liz Woodyard is closing-in on retirement after 44 years in the medical field. Her possible successors include Jennifer Bryner, of Petersburg; Philip Hofstetter, of Nome; Patrick Williams, of Sitka; and Jeff Jones, of West Plains, Missouri. There are scheduled Skype interviews in the coming days, and it’s hoped a decision could be made next week on which finalists will be invited to Petersburg, said Doran H...
Petersburg Medical Center board of directors recognized the long term care department for its recent five-star rating on a Medicare network, along with a quality of excellence award from 2017. The Petersburg Medical Center Long Term Care department was given a five-star overall rating from Nursing Home Compare, a branch of The U.S. Government Site for Medicare. Long term care also received the “Recognition of Quality Achievement Award” in September 2017, presented by Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, a Medicare quality organization for Ala...
WRANGELL — Wrangell Medical Center Foundation last month issued a letter to supporters informing them it would forgo its annual fundraiser weekend this year. For the past ten years the Brian Gilbert Memorial Golf Tournament and fundraiser dinner is hosted in Wrangell each May in order to raise money for the Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to support the community’s medical needs. The funds it handles fills a few roles, primarily supporting WMC’s bid for a new facility but also procuring new equipment, funding its cance...
The end of 2017 saw more confirmed flu cases in Petersburg than any year since at least 2007, according to medical center lab records. The medical center lab released statistics on the flu season in Petersburg so far. The results, mostly from those tested in the lab from November and December, showed that 62 people were positive for the flu. Liz Bacom, laboratory director and infection control manager for the Petersburg Medical Center, uses a metaphor in responding to those who ask why they...
In the search for a new CEO, the Petersburg Medical Center has received more than 70 applications from across the country, leaving it up to the hiring committee to narrow it down to less than 10. As of Tuesday, 74 people have applied to replace Liz Woodyard, the CEO of the medical center, who plans to retire at the end of June. “We have some highly qualified candidates,” said Doran Hammett, the chief financial officer with the medical center. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble coming up with some good finalists.” The cutoff to apply was W...
The borough manager hosted a second public meeting last Thursday to hear ideas on how to decrease costs and increase revenue for Petersburg. The manager, Steve Giesbrecht, recommends the assembly take the public's suggestions, review them, and make a list of the top five or 10, he said. "The Assembly could then instruct us which ideas they want implemented," Giesbrecht said. "Using this process, the Assembly could work through the entire list." At the meeting, people filtered in for two hours...
January The Borough assembly started approval of a program called Local Improvement Districts, which asks Petersburg residents whether they would pay for road work in their neighborhoods. The Petersburg School Board discussed the possible loss of federal funding through a program called Secure Rural Schools. The school district reported a case of a Pertussis, or whooping cough, confirmed in Petersburg. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said it was not a public health emergency. An engineer led...
Pay present debts first To the Editor: A recent news story mentioning an upcoming study to be done by BDO (I think these are the letters for the company doing the study) concerning building vs remodeling our hospital has me very concerned. This company, supposedly did a study for our neighbors in Wrangell and came to the conclusion that Wrangell could afford to build a $52 million new hospital. Unless I'm not hearing news correctly, I thought that the Wrangell Medical Center has had to go to the Wrangell Assembly for over $250,000 in loans to...
The remodel of the Petersburg Medical Center kitchen facility is nearing completion. Food service will resume in the new kitchen on Jan. 8. The hospital board approved the budget of up to $292,000 in March and made plans to use the Ocean Beauty bunkhouse kitchen to prepare meals during the remodel. Project supervisor Marty Sussort with Alaska Commercial Contractors in Juneau said the project entailed breaking up the kitchen floor to access waste lines that had plugged or failed. "We found the so...
The Petersburg Medical Center is in its early stages of hiring a new CEO while deciding whether to build a new hospital, two major decisions that will have to work congruently in the approaching months. In a hospital board meeting two weeks ago, a financial feasibility study was approved to examine the cost of building a new facility versus remodeling. Days later, the hospital board held a work session that was led by a CEO hiring committee. “Yeah, I think that’s a factor,” said Marlene Cushing, hospital board member and chairperson of the C...
The top executive at the Petersburg Medical Center has announced her retirement for next June. After 44 years in the medical field, Liz Woodyard is retiring as CEO of the medical center, effective at the end of June 2018, she said. "Well, I'm 65," Woodyard said. "I'll be 66 by then, so I'll be at my full retirement age." Woodyard has been CEO of the hospital in Petersburg for seven years. Before that, she pinballed around the west coast from being chief nursing officer in Fairbanks to CEO of a m...
It's flu season, and the Petersburg Medical Center is reporting several cases -- more than usual, including some who were immunized -- but all signs are pointing toward a vaccination that works. "We have seen more cases than we normally see around this time of year," said Liz Bacom, the infection control manager with the medical center. "But it's not like this is an atypical year versus another. Every flu season is different. "We are getting cases but they aren't super serious," Bacom said....
After two months without a hospital board meeting, the medical center CEO gave a report to the assembly on Monday that highlighted its newest staff, projects, in-house statistics and a board that recently added two new members. Liz Woodyard, the Petersburg Medical Center CEO, spoke to the assembly on Monday, starting with a note to long term care. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave the nursing department a five star rating based on health inspections, staffing levels and quality...
The assembly unanimously denied a request by the Petersburg Housing Coalition that asked borough departments for data and solutions to the homeless population in town. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci asked for the coalition’s request to be on the agenda, not because he supports it, but rather that he wants the public to be represented. “I kind of feel strongly that people come up here and speak at the podium, and in the past, their letters or their requests -- it seems like they fall on deaf ears,” Meucci said. “I just wanted to make sure that when...
Medical staff, an advocacy group and the police station in Petersburg have created a three-pronged approach to sexual assault cases. "Understanding what sexual assault is, it's kind of eye-opening," said Annette Wooton, the executive director of a Petersburg advocacy group called WAVE, or Working Against Violence for Everyone. "For a lot of people, when you look at the statutes, you realize 'oh, I've been assaulted.'" The Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, is headed by local police, medical...
Some readers have suggested that this newspaper make exceptions to the public record. A retired doctor from the Virginia Mason Medical Center stated our report of a lawsuit brought against local doctors and the Petersburg Medical Center should not have been printed until the lawsuit was settled. In another case, WAVE representatives told us the names of those seeking protective orders should be omitted from our reports. Neither can happen. Because we are a newspaper, we print the public record. Legally, it defines our purpose as a...
Ashlin Larsen from University of Washington School of Medicine will be at the Petersburg Medical Center for her third year Family Medicine Clerkship. She will be here until November 3. Ashlin received a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry from University of Oregon. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska and has also lived in Eugene, Oregon. She has travelled to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Spain, Italy, Canada, and multiple US states. Her interests include running, hiking, kayaking, and...
