BHV Services
Dear Editor: Recently I spent time at the Brave Heart Volunteers office paging through scrapbooks of photos and biographies of the many volunteers, board members and others in the community who have supported us over the past 17 years. Founded in 2001 to provide volunteer visiting, respite and support to individuals and families facing health challenges such as chronic or terminal illness, hospitalization, frailty, dementia, end-of-life, grief and bereavement, we have offered these vital services for over 15 years free of charge.
In addition to our services we provide volunteer training; end-of-life training for volunteers, health care professionals and others in the community who have an interest in learning more about palliative care and hospice; communitywide education on death and dying, caregiving and dementia; grief/bereavement support; monthly support group for caregivers and a monthly volunteer gathering with guest presenters. We also maintain an excellent lending and resource library.
Our ongoing collaboration with over 30 diverse service agencies, civic and faith groups, health organizations and other agencies has created an outstanding network of caring volunteers. It is our belief all of Sitka benefits and is strengthened by volunteers working together with the common goal of helping our neighbors.
Volunteers are the heart of our organization and without them we would not exist. Since our inception thousands of hours have been donated by hundreds of volunteers. We currently have over 100 active volunteers in the following categories: visiting/companionship/respite, end-of-life, board members, events and office/task support.
We are very grateful for the enduring financial support from community members, businesses, local and state foundations, grants and individual donations in honor of or in memory of those who have benefited from our services.
If you would like to know more about what we do or are interested in volunteering, board membership, donating or scheduling a presentation, please contact our Director Maury Hackett at 747-4600 or Board President Cheri Hample at 907-787-9505.
“May you respond to the gifts within you, may you honor the time you have to still make a difference, may you find joy in your chosen path, may you find courage to create the life you dreamed of and may you help to create the most powerful environment of all-the vibrant climate of human caring.” (Dorthea Hover Kramer, founding elder of Healing Touch)
Cheri Hample, Board President Brave Heart Volunteers
Conspiracy Theories
Dear Editor: Matt Hunter described conspiracy theories as “one of the worst parts of government and the indications of lack of faith.’’ Could the lack of faith come from the fact that important decisions about the hospital are being made without an economic analysis being done on what SCH contributes to the local economy and what its loss would mean for the community? The Sika Economic Development Association board passed a motion for a full economic analysis conducted by an independent third party prior to the assembly’s decision on the future of the hospital. SEDA Director Gary White said the board voted unanimously to request that the city commission an independent analysis of what SCH contributes to the local economy, and its loss would mean for the community. White said board members were” frankly surprise that that hadn’t been considered already.”
Recently the Assembly choose to ignore public opinion by going so far as eliminating the requirement for voter ratification on land sales therefore eliminating any voter input on the future sale of the hospital. For many decades the special land sales and lease provisions have been in force, and only now after it was being used to give citizens a voice was it eliminated. The city’s outside counsel claims that ordinance 2018-18 would repeal the special provisions that he claimed invalid and unconstitutional under the state constitution, but the Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutionality of the Sitka law. So the Assembly is using the opinion of their outside counsel instead of a court decision. Shouldn’t they get the opinion of a knowledgeable; impartial outside authority to keep the conspiracy theories at a minimum?
Recently an ad hoc group of hospital supporters attempted to start an initiative petition drive to place a question on the ballot on whether the city should sell the hospital. But the city clerk turned down the petition request as unlawful under the constitution. And by questioning the timing of ordinance 2018-18, and the fact that were using an opinion of their lawyer instead of an impartial outside authority or a decision by a court, you could be considered to have conspiracy theories by the mayor.
Have all the decisions on the hospital made by the Assembly been based on cash flow problems of the past? Caused by a faulty electronic health records system, who or what info is being used for their decisions? Wouldn’t having an economic analysis and having all the facts help? Shouldn’t they have SCH’s presentation by Rob Allen regarding maintaining SCH as an Independent Community Hospital, right up there with the other RFP proposals? The assembly paid over $90,000 to a consulting firm to help with the RFPs so they could understand what their options are. Isn’t this another option they ought to look at?
This continued indecision and delay in developing a strategic plan by the assembly has created a high level of uncertainty and anxiety about job security for SCH employees, and yes, the possibility of lack of faith in the community.
We’ve signed a contract with Cerner for healthcare software and for them to walk away now still cost us $1,400,000. Surveys done on hospitals implementing Cerner software automatically recognized a 12 percent increase in revenue! SCH’s old electronic health records system, Centriq Healthland was a flawed system that caused a lot of problems for small hospitals and is no longer supported.
The Assembly needs to give Cerner and a new CEO a chance to succeed before selling the hospital without even doing an economic analysis of the effects. I may have some conspiracy issues but the Assembly gave them to me.
Tone Jackson, Sitka
