Sorted by date Results 892 - 916 of 1032
Veterans were honored for their service around town Tuesday, Nov. 11 in celebration of Veterans Day. Students from the elementary, middle and high schools as well as many community members attended an assembly at the high school Tuesday morning. Honored veterans sat front and center with family members to listen to speeches and music performed by students of all ages. The audience was treated to information ranging from the historical background of the holiday given by the high schoolers to... Full story
A thorough discussion of public services under the Borough charter was had at Monday's regular Assembly meeting. Member John Havrilek broached the matter at the last meeting and asked for a public comment period wherein discussion and clarification of services for outlying areas would be addressed. Since then, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht worked with department heads to assemble a matrix outlining services offered before and after Borough formation. According to that matrix, no services have been discontinued due to Borough formation. That'...
The hospital’s debts took a dive after a large payment went out to pay off the cost for improvements to the electronic health records (EHR) systems ― down to $643,576 owed from a former $1.2 million. “We have made a significant payment on that with the money we received from the Meaningful Use (EHR incentive program),” CFO Doran Hammett reported, with CEO Liz Woodyard adding in that the debt was incurred previously, but payments were not required until funds began arriving from the incenti...
Phone lines to listen in at the Medicaid Reform Advisory Group’s final public input session were overwhelmed on Wednesday, as about 88 callers from across the state attempted to dial in to the Anchorage meeting. The meeting is the final in a series soliciting public input for the recently formed group. Gov. Sean Parnell named nine Alaskans to the board on March 7, with the expressed goal of crafting a “meaningful proposal to the state’s Medicaid program.” Cathy Stadem, public information officer of Alaska Department of Health and Human Service...
Petersburg Medical Center Board members were apprised of the hospital's ongoing measures to stay current and protected against Ebola and other infectious agents on Wednesday in a report by Elizabeth Bacom, infection control and lab director for the hospital. Though the hemorrhagic fever is unlikely to ever arrive on the island, Bacom said it remained sound practice to be prepared for anything, and continually updated measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) applied to several diseases. “Ebola is not the only disease t...
Petersburg Assembly Members finalized the 2015 Capital Projects list for the borough, looking to primarily address infrastructure upgrades in the top items. “The borough departments, as well as the school and hospital, have reviewed the 2015 Capital Needs list and have provided updates to the list,” Mayor Mark Jensen said, adding that Borough Manager Stephen Giesbrecht had recommended keeping the list smaller at 10 to 12 items to, hopefully, increase legislative attention. The list of Capital Projects remained largely unchanged, shuffling only... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center is continuing to balance the books and expand its services, but the budget still will be tight around the edges as it moves forward on some big ticket purchases after recent, costly, repairs. The hospital’s resource committee had met on Sept. 22 to discuss which projects to fund, now and in the future, as members weighed their chances of PMC’s requests appearing higher on the borough’s own capital projects list to be submitted to the state appropriations committee, and therefore be more likely to receive state fundi...
Petersburg's hospital won top marks and recently was honored with the Quality Achievement Award, the highest possible, from the Mountain Pacific Quality Health foundation (MPQH), Liz Woodyard, Petersburg Medical Center's CEO, reported, recognizing the efforts of Quality Specialist Shelly Hjort in providing accurate, timely reports. Medical facilities were scored on seven national quality areas, a composite score known as the Appropriate Care Measure. Heart attacks and failures, pneumonia,...
Petersburg Medical Center board members revised the hospital’s Paid Time Off policies during their Sept. 25 meeting, placing a closer cap on how much time off employees can bank away, moving from a previous two-year limit to 18 months. Under the new policy, approved unanimously by board members, PTO accruals would max at 300 vacation hours for two- or less year staff, up to 480 hours for those employed for a decade. Previously, those numbers ranged from 400 to 640 hour limits. “Grandfathered’’ staff, those who were hired at PMC prior to Marc...
The Petersburg Borough municipal election will be held Oct. 7. Voters will decide who should fill the positions of 37 board and commission slots, as well as weigh in on seven ballot measures. In the coming weeks, the Pilot will publish candidate profiles with information about candidates and their responses about why they're running. This week we profile school board candidates Sarah P. Holmgain, Megan Litster and Jay Lister who are running to fill the board's three open seats and hospital...
The Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) hospital board meeting last week covered many topics, several of which revolved around financials as the center received their annual audit and a financial report indicating a break-even year for the fiscal year ending June 30. One new cost also came to the fore as Maintenance Director Mike Boggs reported the fuel oil boiler—one of two boilers used to heat the facility— has a leak and needs to be retubed. However, due to the cost to repair and maintain the old boiler, an estimated $37,900, and fuel costs to...
Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) board members unanimously approved a resolution supporting the establishment of a Level IV trauma center. Members of the Trauma Committee at PMC will now pursue the designation given by the Alaska Division of Public Health in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ASCOT). Trauma designations range from Level I, which has the greatest number of requirements, to Level IV, which has the least. Level IV centers are typically granted to rural facilities that evaluate and assess...
WRANGELL - After being rescheduled earlier in the month because of foul weather, supporters of cancer care were finally able to come together this past weekend to golf, mingle and raise funds for a good cause. Now in its tenth year, the men's and women's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments have raised funds for the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) Foundation's Cancer Care Fund. The fund provides up to $1,000 per year, per applicant to help defray travel and lodging costs for individuals receivin...
WRANGELL — It isn't often that the weather gets one over on events in Wrangell, but both the ladies' and men's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments this past weekend have had to be rescheduled. The course at Muskeg Meadows was soaked by more than 3 1/2 inches of rain, while gale-force winds on Saturday delayed more than 40 Petersburg participants from making the trip. “This is the first time the weather's been so terrible,” said Jane Bliss, director of support services at Wrangell Medical Center. “The course is soaked. The seas are going to b...
After 14 years on the Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors, Tom Abbott tendered his resignation, saying that the hospital was "in a good place" and that he was ready to leave. Abbott, who has served as board president, an elected position, notified Borough Clerk Kathy O'Rear in a letter stating, "The community has an excellent medical center with a professional staff providing quality healthcare to all in our community. The integrity of the staff ensures the public will be treated with... Full story
The Physical Therapy department at the Petersburg Medical Center has recently ordered new equipment that will assist in helping clients. An anatomical model of a shoulder was purchased with funds from the Petersburg Community Foundation. The fully flexible model shows the scapula, clavicle, and a portion of humerus and joint ligaments. Models of knee and hip joints are on order, Ellie van Swearingen, department head, told the PMC board during a meeting July 24. The models make it easier for...
A 59-year-old Petersburg man was injured Sunday afternoon in the borough rock quarry after handling what explosive experts have identified as Tovex - a commercial grade explosive typically used for blasting in quarries, mines and road construction. An individual called 911 around 1 p.m. reporting the injured man lying outside of the Petersburg Medical Center Emergency Room and informed dispatchers he could have been injured by dynamite, a Petersburg Police press release states. "The injured pers... Full story
Pending ongoing Petersburg Borough Assembly approval, six of the seven ballot measures on this October’s ballot would increase sales tax revenues for the Petersburg Borough and change the municipal sales tax code, all of which require voter approval. Four of the measures involve the senior sales tax exemption, which exempts individuals 65 years and older from paying the borough’s six percent sales tax. One measure would establish a sunset date, December 31, 2019, when the exemption card would no longer be issued. However, those who already rec... Full story
This October’s municipal ballot is the largest Petersburg voters have seen for many years, according to Petersburg Borough Clerk Kathy O’Rear. Thirty-six elected positions and seven ballot propositions, pending assembly approval, are on the ballot. In a report to the Borough Assembly, O’Rear wrote in regard to the need for election workers. “A push to recruit new workers in 2009 to train for future elections failed,” O’Rear wrote. “The numerous letters and notices we have recently placed seeking new election workers have largely gone unanswer...
Issues of funding assistance continue to crop up between the Petersburg Borough Assembly and Petersburg Medical Center, and an ambiguous relationship between the two bodies isn’t clarifying the matter. Last week, PMC CEO Liz Woodyard requested, on behalf of the hospital board, the assembly pay for repairs on a leaking exhaust stack in the borough-owned hospital facility—a request the assembly denied. Woodyard said PMC is struggling to keep up with repairs as the borough-owned building ages, and the dilemma of not being able to afford the rep... Full story
The Petersburg Medical Center board and their hospital administrator continue their push to have their cake and eat it too. While they want to maintain their autonomy from borough oversight, they want the borough assembly to open the purse strings and fund capital projects for the facility. We don’t think that’s going to happen and we side with the assembly majority who denied PMC’s funding assistance at the most recent assembly meeting. The PMC board had requested $21,900 to repair a leaking exhaust stack. Up to this point, PMC has paid for r...
wrangell — Patients in local hospitals could face new limitations on how physical therapy can be paid for in Southeast Alaska hospitals. Annual caps for the amount of physical therapy have, in past years, been restricted only to hospitals that did not receive the critical care designation from the federal government. However, for the first time this year, Medicare will apply reimbursement caps – the limit is $1,920 – to physical therapy patients receiving physical therapy even at critical access facilities, like the Petersburg and Wrang...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted against a funding request from the Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board. The board requested $21,900 to repair a leaking exhaust stack in the building. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard made the request to the assembly on behalf of the hospital board and the conversation soon turned to the relationship between PMC and the borough—a discussion that hasn’t resolved since last summer. “We are an essential service to the community just like the police, fire and schools,” Woodyard said. “Many local communities in Alaska... Full story
A hook setter was killed last Thursday at the South Mitkof timber sale site near Banana Point. Mark Debates, 51, had just finished hooking cables onto logs near the camp at 28 mile when a tree fell onto him after the helicopter transferring the logs to a barge flew away. “He was there with a partner who witnessed it,” said Beth Ipsen, Alaska State Trooper spokesperson. “The helicopter was flying off when the top of a tree broke off and fell on him. His partner said he heard a crack and saw the treetop fall.” Ipsen said there’s no indicatio...
