Community Hospital
Dear Editor: I have been a practicing physician for 42 years, 14 of them in Sitka.
Over the past few months I have attended quite a few Assembly and Sitka Community Hospital board meetings hearing a lot of discussion about financial strategies and plans for Sitka Community Hospital. While finances need to be addressed, I feel we have been ignoring a more important discussion: Effective healing medical care is not born from financial strategies and plans but from a strong commitment to core values which are then supported by, served by financial strategies. Core values to me like: personalized care; continuity of care; well-coordinated comprehensive care; trust by patients in the medical personnel and the hospital and trust by the medical personnel in their colleagues and administration; and a pervasive atmosphere of respect.
To me, the Stroudwater Report was somewhat helpful, suggesting that the designation of long-term care beds be changed to swing beds to increase reimbursement. But I strongly advise that we not blindly follow its recommendations such as its plan for locums surgeons at Sitka Community Hospital ... they would come and go making it hard to build continuity, personalized care or trust. The patient may have more visits with more doctors and more charges but in my experience, worst outcomes. Ask what kind of care would you want for yourself and your family.
I realize that it is very difficult to run a rural hospital. I appreciate the support administration has given me as I recently began caring for elders at the Pioneers Home. However, over the past few years, I have seen a progressive weakening of SCH in large part due to administrative decisions:
Decisions that have hampered physician recruitment and retention.
Decisions that resulted in the loss of a competent, trusted surgeon. SCH has not had a permanent surgeon for about five months and presently SEARHC has no permanent surgeon.
Decisions that have discouraged staff to freely express their opinions.
Decisions that seem to deny the reality that we are a remote island community and so need to negotiate, embrace our competent, dedicated medical providers as they are not easily replaced.
I urge the mayor, Hospital Board and Assembly to double their efforts to engage, talk to and listen to the community about the future of SCH. Have town halls, educate and be educated, address and propose actions to reverse the de-stabilization of SCH due to the SEARHC offer and ongoing loss of staff. Meticulously, critically evaluate options for SCH first in the light of core values. Do not be afraid to present for communitywide vote all well-studied options.
Dr. Marilyn Coruzzi, Sitka
Alpine Adventure Run
Dear Editor: Thank you to the many helping hands that helped to put forth the 24th running of the Alpine Adventure Run.
A special thank you to the following: U.S. Forest Service, Sitka Mountain Rescue, Sitka Police Department, Sitka Fire Department, Daily Sitka Sentinel, Raven Radio, Russell’s, Sitka Bottling Company, Northern Sales of Alaska, Inc., Subway, Sea Mart, AC Lakeside, St. Gregory’s Catholic Church, Brian and Julie Beall, James Poulson, Brielle Schaeffer, Robert Woolsey, Father Andy Sensenig, Gary Perensovich, Rich MacIntyre, Ryan Haug, Cory Baggen, Josh Horan, Tasha Folsom, Holley Dennison, Lyndsey Jensen, Brenda Gillespie, Murray Lawson, JoAnn Huff, Ruth Culp, Charles Horan and Cindy Bea Edwards. Thank you to the community of Sitka for your years of support!
The 25th running of the Alpine Adventure Run will be held on July 21, 2018. The opening date of registration will be announced in late January. The public is invited to view the pictures from this year’s run on Alpine Adventure Run on Facebook. Alpine Adventure Run photographer Ruth Culp did an amazing job!
To all you 2017 Alpine Adventure runners – you all ROCK IT!
Christine Horan, Race Director,
Alpine Adventure Run
Sitka Gymnastics
Dear Editor: Sitka Gymnastics Academy’s Booster Club would like to take this opportunity to thank AC Lakeside Grocery for their very generous support this past week. Lakeside provided the booster club with hot dogs, chips and pop and a location to sell them.
We would also like to thank the community members who stopped by and bought a hot dog or baked goods. We were able to raise enough money to pay for the new team leotards with some left over to help with travel expenses. We are fortunate to have a hardworking group of gymnasts who will represent Sitka.
This group of young girls is excited to begin their competitive gymnastics careers. The financial contribution we received from Lakeside is much appreciated and will help these gymnasts reach their goals. Thank you, Lakeside!
Sitka Gymnastics Academy’s
Booster Club
