Daily Sitka Sentinel

Hospital on Assembly Agenda

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will meet 6 p.m. tonight at Centennial Hall to discuss the future of Sitka Community Hospital.
    The original purpose of the meeting was to consider the SEARHC proposal to purchase Sitka Community Hospital, as well as proposals by SCH to remain an independent entity.
    Complicating the hospital issue is the recent expression of interest by local hotel owner Rob Petrie to purchase the hospital.
    Because of Petrie’s interest, Assembly members may discuss issuing a request for proposals to take over the community hospital.
    “We have a few options,” Mayor Matthew Hunter said. “One, to take time to see how Sitka Community does with the recommendations from the consultants; two, move forward with the SEARHC proposal; and three, start an RFP process to figure out what the options are. I feel like in order to make a decision I like to have all the options.”
    Last Thursday the Assembly reviewed a report from the consulting firm Stroudwater outlining the possibilities for SCH to continue operation as an independent community hospital.
    “Long-term we need to do something,” Hunter said. “We keep having the discussion about the viability of Sitka Community Hospital. We need to be sure we can address these long-standing issues. I just hope we can do something where we don’t keep having the conversation every couple of years. This keeps coming back, we keep kicking this can down the road along with everything else.”
    He said he hopes the Assembly can provide direction to SCH that would help improve the financial picture, but he’s more concerned about the quality of health care in Sitka, and maintaining jobs in the community.
    Assembly member Bob Potrzuski said he, too, is hoping for progress tonight.
    “I’m hoping we can come up with an RFP that would address a long-term plan for health care and the economics of Sitka,” he said.
    The Stroudwater study says Sitka Community Hospital can be profitable if it discontinues OB services, offers surgical services by appointment, changes the way it reports Medicare and Medicaid costs, and changes its long-term care beds to swing beds.
    The study also concludes that eventually SCH will have to align with SEARHC.
    SEARHC has proposed purchasing the hospital for $6.5 million, and taking over the responsibility to provide hospital services for the entire community at its Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
    The SEARHC offer would leave the city with the responsibility of covering the unfunded retirement and benefits for hospital employees. A study released last Wednesday indicates this figure is over $30 million.
     A town meeting on hospital issues was scheduled for Monday, but it was canceled after Petrie talked with city officials about his interest in making a proposal.
    Assembly member Kevin Knox said a discussion is needed at this point, and hopes other Assembly members consider the RFP route.
    “We have to figure out who’s at the table at this point and what options we have,” he said. “That’s probably the best way of doing that.”
    As to the conclusions of Stroudwater on the way that SCH can go it alone, Knox said the consultants may be “ignoring the fact there’s going to be pretty healthy competition going forward toward the hospital from SEARHC. (The study) doesn’t take that into account very well. I was glad to hear the acknowledgement that somewhere down the line there’s going to have to be some alignment between the two entities.”
    There will be opportunities at tonight’s meeting for comments from the public. The first Persons to be Heard is for items not on the agenda. The second, at the end of the meeting, is on any topic, on or off the agenda.
    In addition, public comment will be accepted prior to the vote on any motion coming before the Assembly.