LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
Federal officials on Wednesday approved most of Alaska’s four-y [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
At an hour-long work session with the Assembly Tuesda [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
The story behind a classic, though often misunderstoo [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
The state government risks losing millions of dollars in feder [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday signed a bill that promise [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, known for its steep mountains [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing Wednesday in competitive division City League volleyball matches, Ca [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 27
At 2:36 p.m. a dead [ ... ]
This Week in Girls on the Run
By Sitkans Against Family Violence
and The Pathways Coalition
During th [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
City to Seek More Hospital Proposals
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The City and Borough Assembly decided at a special meeting Tuesday night to open up the process of deciding how hospital services will be provided for Sitkans in the future.
Already on the table were proposals from SEARHC to buy Sitka Community Hospital and one from SCH showing how the city hospital could survive as a stand-alone facility. A local businessman has also stated that he would like the opportunity to make a bid on buying the hospital.
The motion to publish a request for additional proposals came at the end of a three-hour special meeting about the hospital. The motion passed 6-1, with Steven Eisenbeisz opposed.
The motion was “to ask staff to work with an outside firm to draft an RFP, for Assembly review, seeking solutions for our Community Hospital in Sitka through collaboration, affiliation, a management agreement, an outright sale, a merger or the creation of a non-profit, with the goals of increasing the quality of health care offered to Sitkans, the scope of services offered in Sitka for Sitkans, maintaining or increasing the employment in our health industry in Sitka, and improving the financial position of Sitka Community Hospital including our PERS obligation and operational losses.”
Voting in favor were Tristan Guevin, Kevin Knox, Aaron Swanson, Aaron Bean, Bob Potrzuski and Mayor Matthew Hunter. Eisenbeisz said he voted against the motion because it lacked clarity.
“I just didn’t know what I was voting on,” he said today. “I would’ve liked to have seen it gone to a committee to refine the motion before it comes back to the Assembly.”
In the prior discussion there was agreement among the Assembly members that SCH should start following through on some of the recommendations of Stroudwater Associates, the consulting firm that it hired to advise on the feasibility of continuing to operate as a community hospital.
Those recommendations included eliminating OB services and making surgery available by appointment, rather than 24-7.
About 60 members of the public attended the meeting at Centennial Hall. A number testified about the need for a town hall meeting for a more general discussion about health care in Sitka and to bring more of the public into the discussion.
“A lot of us have questions,” said Lindsay Evans. “I think a public dialog is very important. I’d like to hear from the Native population ... I don’t know what the rush is.”
Bryan Bertacchi, president of the hospital board, urged the Assembly to be as specific as possible.
“If the community desires to move forward with a change to the hospital, let the process be designed to answer important questions of the community,” he said. “Will this change/improve health care in Sitka; can they demonstrate strong financials, can they demonstrate strong experience in health care and in Alaska, how will they reduce financial risk for the city, how will they reduce the $31 million PERS risk for the city, how will they provide stability for hospital employees, will they provide charitable services to the community, how will they provide value for the hospital property, what is their track record in responding to the community and providing community outreach, do they establish best practices in health care? Answering questions like those will lead to the right answer for the community.”
The discussion on improving health care services in Sitka, and improving finances for SCH and the city, started more than a year and a half ago.
The city and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium jointly sponsored a study by ECG, a consulting firm specializing in hospital mergers to make recommendations on how the two hospitals in Sitka could work together.
In their final report, the ECG said the best solution for Sitka, both financially and in improved health care, would be to merge with SEARHC, which then offered to purchase the Sitka hospital for $6.5 million.
SCH commissioned the Stroudwater study and came up with its “Plan B,” to show the Assembly how it could continue to operate on its own.
In the meantime, Rob Petrie, a businessman with property in Sitka and Texas, said he wanted the opportunity to make a bid on buying the hospital.
At Tuesday night’s meeting there were questions from the public about how the various options would affect hospital employees and patients, and about the decisions on major investments by the hospital that are being delayed while the Assembly considers the SEARHC offer.
Sitka Community CEO Rob Allen said today said he was pleased to see general support for the Stroudwater report from the Assembly, which will allow the hospital to go forward on some of the consultant’s recommendations.
“There’s been several months of uncertainty with the RFP process,” he said. “That will be a challenge for us and the board as far as making decisions.”
Allen said it’s still not clear to him what the priorities of the Assembly are.
“I still would love to see more discussion of what they’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “Is it to improve health care or lower the risk to the city? That will be important for any process. It’s important to have that identified up front.”
Mayor Matt Hunter told the audience at the outset that his top priorities are to improve the quality of health care and maintain jobs in Sitka, as well as improve the hospital’s finances.
He and others highlighted factors that need to be taken into consideration in the discussion, such as Medicaid and Medicare funding, the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the history of financial crises at the hospital, the need for stability in employment, and the unfunded pension liability for current and past hospital employees.
The hospital is currently paying its share of the liability, estimated at around $1.6 million annually. In its offer to buy the hospital, SEARHC noted that the sale would allow the city to save the $150,000 annual appropriation to the hospital for capital needs and the $600,000 in tobacco tax proceeds that the city dedicates to the hospital.
Hunter supported putting out the RFP, and provided the wording of the motion that was adopted.
Eisenbeisz at the outset of the meeting expressed concern that the Assembly was not addressing how a sale or merger of the hospital would improve health care in Sitka.
Eisenbeisz stated his support for the hospital, and for giving it the tools it needs to carry out the recommendations of Stroudwater. He added today he would like to see a list of goals, objectives and time line.
“We need solid results in a year, or we’ll have no choice other than to go out for (outside) management,” he said. “I’m in support of giving them a year to meet (Stroudwater’s) objectives and seeing where that takes us.”
Converting long-term beds to swing beds, and expanding the clinic and increasing efficiency were among the other recommendations.
Assembly member Bob Potrzuski wondered whether the board and hospital officials would be able to make the changes, given public pressure against them. He cited a similar Stroudwater recommendation from more than a decade ago calling for the elimination of OB services and reduction in surgical services, for financial reasons. In the end, the services were not cut.
“Can the board, can senior management, stand up to pressure from the public to make these changes,” Potrzuski asked. “That’s going to be key in this whole point. Sitkans want a lot, but they don’t necessarily want to pay for it yet.”
Bertacchi agreed that the public does need to weigh in.
Asked for a comment, SEARHC Chief Operating Officer Dan Neumeister said, “Clearly, it’s been a journey.” He said he would encourage the city to move forward with their RFP, which may yield other “creative opportunities,” other than the SEARHC option.
“I would encourage you to go forward with the process,” he said. “It seems to me a prudent way to preserve all options.”
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.