Sorted by date Results 101 - 117 of 117
WRANGELL — Following talks earlier this month with the city, the hospital board drafted a letter requesting that it move forward with finding a third party partnership. At their November 15 meeting, Wrangell Medical Center governing board members discussed the pros and potential cons of partnering up with another organization. A major reason for considering the move is seeking out project support for construction of a new medical facility, an elusive goal for much of the past decade. Among the board’s more immediate concerns is maint...
This year open enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has been shortened to six weeks, beginning yesterday and running through December 15. Enabled through the Affordable Care Act, Americans meeting certain criteria can apply for government subsidies for participating insurance plans. Before the start of each calendar year, they are required to prepare submissions for new or renewed coverage through the HealthCare.gov website during this open enrollment period. As previously announced last month, Southeast Alaska Regional H...
On Sept. 26, at about 7 p.m., Juneau based Alaska State Troopers who were visiting the community of Kake responded to a report of an unconscious male found not breathing in the woods approximately 23 miles southeast of Kake near a logging road. Investigation revealed Ronnie Waggoner, 78 of Klawock, was found unresponsive face down in the woods by his hunting party in an area that he frequently hunted moose. Waggoner was transported to the Kake SEARHC clinic where he was declared deceased. No foul play is suspected and next of kin has been...
On May 23 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Alaska State Troopers on Prince of Wales received a report of a MVC-I after the fact in Hydaburg. Jean Bland, 69, of Hydaburg, reports on, May 22, she was stopped in the roadway when another vehicle struck her vehicle when backing out of a residential driveway pinning a family member between the cars. The family member was transported by Hydaburg EMS to SEARHC in Klawock. Hydaburg VPSO was advised and is investigating. On May 26, at approximately 12:16, Alaska State Troopers received a report of a damage...
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) has completed its acquisition of Alaska Island Community Services (AICS), with the transition formally taking effect on April 1. Started in 1975, SEARHC is a non-profit tribal health consortium representing 18 Native communities in the region. Among its other programs, it operates Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital and the Ethel Lund Medical Center in Juneau. One of the largest private employers in the region before the merger, the deal with AICS extends its reach to 24 communities. Established in...
WRANGELL – A planned-for merger between two regional healthcare providers has been put on hold for two months. Alaska Island Community Services was to merge with larger organization SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) on February 1, but the consolidation will have to wait until April 1. The merger was formally announced last October, and heads of both organizations subsequently met with Wrangell officials in November and in January to explain the transition. AICS executive Mark Walker has said the move was needed due to g...
January Public Works rolled out the borough's highly anticipated blue cart recycling program. The borough received $820,117.61 from the annual raw fish tax. Dave Zimmerman was hired as the new Tongass National Forest Petersburg District Ranger. The assembly continued discussing the reallocation of the Kake access road funding. Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins took part in a budget crisis presentation at Sons of Norway Hall. The visit was the first of many by representatives throughout the...
Petersburg High School 2008 graduate, Alix Oyler, has graduated summa cum laude from University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). She received a Bachelors degree in Medical Laboratory Science on December 18 with Departmental Honors. She will start work at Mt. Edgecumbe SEARHC Hospital in Sitka as a Medical Laboratory Scientist....
The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) applauds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its decision to require all public housing agencies to go smoke-free within 18 months. The new rule includes not only residential units and common areas, but also a 25-foot non-smoking perimeter around the buildings to protect doorways, windows, and outdoor patios. The implementation of this rule will protect two million Americans, across the country, from exposure to secondhand smoke in their homes. “Few tobacco c...
SEARHC held a community healing circle last Thursday night at the ANB Hall. The event was organized by Natocha Lyons in order to help members of the community discuss any issues they are having. Finding new ways to be active in the community and reaching out to people in need is part of her job with SEARHC, and seven people showed up. "Even if one showed up, like my boss said, that's still positive," she says. "Everybody that was there needed it, and everybody benefited from it. I think it was a...
September 22 Steve Waddle appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell for arraignment. Waddle entered a not guilty plea to Criminal Trespass in the second degree and Resisting/Interfering with Arrest. Waddle was released on his own recognizance, and must not violate any laws. Waddle must also stay in contact with his attorney and have no direct or indirect contact with Eric Deberry. Waddle must also stay away from 605 Lumber Street and not consume alcohol or any controlled substances outside of a legal and current prescription. September 27...
Petersburg Borough manager Stephen Giesbrecht gave the following manager’s report to the assembly on Sept. 6: We continue to have wait lists for Elderly Housing and Assisted Living facilities. Medicaid provider certification renewal has been submitted for the Manor. Municipal Building project continues to move forward. Initial installation on jail cells has been completed, and the block wall for the detention area is mostly done as well. Officer Kent Preston resigned, effective 8/28/16, due to a family medical issue. Kent was active in o...
Preserving the local bounty harvested from the sea or the land, from the wild or from one's garden, is a great way to ensure you eat well over the winter months when markedly less is growing and the waters grow less enticing for a day out fishing. Much knowledge-from smoking salmon to canning berry jellies and jams-is passed on through friends and family who treasure and guard their secret recipes. For those wanting to try their hand at food preservation, there's another resource available to...
Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) announced the departure of Tribal Administrator Bobbi Scherrer in a press release yesterday. Scherrer’s position and two part-time positions will be eliminated from PIA due to a budget deficit. “My first act as Tribal Administrator was to formalize an operating budget for PIA,” Scherrer said in the release. “The 2015 finalized budget identified a deficit that required serious cuts.” Scherrer has been serving as the tribal administrator for about one month. In a February interview, she told the Pilot she... Full story
Bobbi Scherrer began her work as the Petersburg Indian Association's (PIA) tribal administrator late last month. Scherrer is returning home to Petersburg after working for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) in Juneau for the last three years. Her background is in healthcare where she's worked for 16 years managing revenue cycles for hospitals. In addition to her financial background, Scherrer said she also has experience in human resources. She said the transition from SEARHC... Full story
“Thank you” to emergency responders To the Editor: The motto for Alaska’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is, ‘Neighbor Helping Neighbor’ and in the past several weeks, I’ve been able to witness communities walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Recently, a child was murdered in the village of Kake. Responding to the call for help, the Kake EMS and the community responded to one of the most dreadful scenes imaginable. In the wake of the event, resources flooded into Kake to help with the psychological and physical trauma surrounding...
Kade Alan Norheim was born January 31, 2013 to Laurel McCullough and Taylor Norheim at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long....
