FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
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    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

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By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

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By SHIRLEY SNEVE
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House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

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27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
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March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
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26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
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Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
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Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
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By Sentinel Staff
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House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
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Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
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Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
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By YERETH ROSEN
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March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
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Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
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Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
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25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Hospital's CEO Hands in Resignation

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka Community Hospital Chief Executive Officer Hugh Hallgren will retire in June after more than four years on the job, the SCH board announced today.
    “It’s always better to leave when the party is going full blast than when people ask you to leave,” Hallgren said. “I have a great deal of confidence that the hospital is heading in the right direction.”
    He said he and his wife will move to Yuma, Ariz., where his wife, Tanya, has taken a counseling job with the U.S. Marine Corps.
    Board members say Hallgren is leaving the organization in better shape than when he arrived.
    “When he came we were just trying to haul ourselves out of a rough financial time,” board secretary Ann Wilkinson said today. “He’s led the effort sending us into better times. He’s stabilized finances, added services and reinstated OB services, and other services that the community asked for.”
    Hallgren said the new options for patients – including the reinstatement of surgical services and specialty clinics – were added in response to public demand.
    “The whole basis has been to allow people to stay on the island, to get health care, should they so desire,” he said. “It’s something that’s been very popular.”
    Wilkinson said Hallgren has increased the size of Mountainside Family Healthcare, the outpatient clinic for SCH, adjacent to the hospital. He has also built a high-quality management team, she added.
    “One of the best things he’s done is hired fabulous staff in management areas,” Wilkinson added. “He’s leaving us in much better position than when he came.”
    SCH Board President Celeste Tydingco said in a news release from the hospital: “Hugh’s leadership and vision for our hospital have been critical to the success we have enjoyed during his tenure. We will miss him and wish him well in his retirement.”
    Hallgren said he has enjoyed his time at SCH and in the community. He said the successes during his tenure were achieved with the help of a number of people who “provided vision and leadership” to implement the changes.
    “I’ll miss the people,” he said. “I love this town. I love this hospital. ... It’s just the joy of working in a small town, at a small hospital. You can see the results of your efforts. That’s very rewarding.”
    Hallgren said he’s looking forward to staying busy in his retirement, and getting involved in volunteering and working with youths.
    The board in its news release said the hospital plans to continue its efforts to create an addition to Mountainside Family Health Clinic.
    “The board is very excited about this opportunity to expand Mountainside Family Healthcare and increase the service the hospital provides to the community and will lead the effort to raise the remaining funds required to open the new clinic,” the news release said.
    The board will be working with the hospital’s consulting firm Quality Health Resources to recruit a new CEO before Hallgren’s departure.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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