Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 364
The City and Borough Assembly confirmed its selection of an interim borough manager to serve after Jeff Jabusch retires from the position March 31. He announced his plans to retire last September, putting an end to four decades of service to the city. In his stead, economic director Carol Rushmore has been named to serve as interim manager. As part of the arrangement, the Assembly agreed she will be paid an extra stipend for the months of March, April, and however long it might take for the transition to resolve itself. Funds would be paid...
The hospital approved a response to the Wrangell Borough Assembly regarding the future of its billing services contract. At an August 23 meeting, the city’s governing body asked that Wrangell Medical Center put together an assessment of its two-year contract with TruBridge, which took over billing services for the community-owned hospital the summer of 2015. The contract offered the company 2.2 percent of the transactions it processes on behalf of the hospital, with the intention of addressing its excessive accounts receivable and minimizing u...
Women of a local service organization celebrated 30 years of its teddy bear program this Valentine's Day. The Wrangell chapter of Beta Sigma Phi (ΒΣΦ) continued its February 14 tradition of a dance and auction at the American Legion, with proceeds from the event going to purchase the plush toys. These in turn get sent to Wrangell Medical Center, providing a buddy for pediatric patients in need of care. For many years, ΒΣΦ supported the program in association with the Wrangell Lions Club, which...
A planned-for merger between two regional healthcare providers has been put on hold for two months. Alaska Island Community Services was to merge with larger organization SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) on February 1, but the consolidation will have to wait until April 1. The merger was formally announced last October, and heads of both organizations subsequently met with Wrangell officials in November and in January to explain the transition. AICS executive Mark Walker has said the move was needed due to growth in the orga...
Monday, February 6 Agency Assist. Tuesday, February 7 Agency Assist: AICS Ex parte order. Animal Complaint. Agency Assist: Evergreen Elementary School. Citizen Assist: Unlocked Vehicle. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning given for driving habits. Learning how to drive. Wednesday, February 8 Agency Assist: Wellness check and all was fine. Thursday, February 9 Agency Assist: Fire Alarm. Disturbance: Person left the area. Agency Assist: WMC. Friday, February 10 MVA: Everyone was fine and very little damage done to vehicle. Saturday, February 11 Agency...
Wrangell Medical Center’s cash reserves are looking healthy again, after receipt of a substantial Medicare repayment last month. The hospital had been underpaid by the federal health insurer by about $488,000 the previous fiscal year, and the adjustment was received along with a scheduled $210,000 payment by January 20. The influx benefitted the hospital’s reserve accounts, with cash-on-hand just topping the $1,000,000 mark by the month’s end. Previously, at the year’s end it had $577,000 on hand, equivalent to 19.6 days of operating expenses....
Monday, January 9 Agency Assist: Smoke. Citizen Assist. Agency Assist: Alarm. Tuesday, January 10 Report of Harassment. Citizen Assist: Vehicle Unlock. Noise Complaint. Wednesday, January 11 Agency Assist: FD for a sinking tug. Thursday, January 12 Agency Assist: WMC asked for assistance. Agency Assist: Fire Department possible house fire. Furnace malfunctioned. DV Disturbance. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for faulty equipment. Friday, January 13 Agency Assist: DOT. Traffic Hazard. Agency Assist: Alarm. MVA: Vehicle in the ditch on Ishiyama...
An informal workshop was arranged last week to allow members of the City and Borough Assembly meet with representatives of two medical providers planning to merge next month. In October, Wrangell-based clinical services provider Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) announced it would merge with the larger Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium (SEARHC), based in Sitka. For a symbolic price of $1, the property for AICS’ Wood Street clinic location was provided by the city in 2010 prior to the facility’s construction, with the intention of...
Monday, December 26 Alarm. Citizen Assist: Unlock Vehicle. Agency Assist: Line Crew. Tuesday, December 27 Disturbance: Title 47. Parking Complaint. DV Order: 20-day ex parte. Verbal warning given for parking in front of fire hydrant. Alarm. Wednesday, December 28 Report of Motor Vehicle Accident. Thursday, December 29 Abandoned Vehicle. Agency Assist: WMC. Friday, December 30 Domestic: Courtesy Transport. Citizen Assist. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for not having headlights turned on. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for no taillights. Saturday,...
Wrangell's hospital administration and members of its advisory board met with the Borough Assembly on Tuesday evening to discuss the next steps for construction of a new building. Wrangell Medical Center desires a new hospital facility in order to meet state and federal standards, in addition to the accompanying benefits to service and revenue such a move would bring. The planned location would be off of Wood Street, neighboring Alaska Island Community Service's clinic. Progress on the project has taken several false starts over the past...
Monday, November 21 Civil Issue. Tuesday, November 22 Report of dog being hit. Agency Assist: DOT report of slick roads. Agency Assist: WMC. Citizen Assist. Wednesday, November 23 Agency Assist – Public Works notified of slick roads. Vandalized Vehicle Reported. Parking Complaint – warning given. Possible Scam. Animal Cruelty. Reckless Driving – Driver has been warned and spoke with officer about icy road conditions. Agency Assist – DOT notified of slick roads. Thursday, November 24 Agency Assist – Public Works. Agency Assist – DOT. Traffi...
The heads of two consolidating health providers appeared before the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly Tuesday evening to talk about upcoming plans and to answer any questions the assembly’s members might have about the transition. Last month Wrangell-based Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) announced it would be merging with larger organization SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), a process expected to finalize in February 2017. AICS executive Mark Walker explained the move was necessitated by the provider’s growth. Sin...
Monday, October 3 Agency Assist – WMC. Report of Scam. Illegal Parking – Harbor Department. Tuesday, October 4 Citation issued to James Jenkins, 52, for Dog at Large. Agency Assist. Traffic Stop – Verbal warning given for driving habits. Report of Disturbance. Person reported someone’s tire just flew off their vehicle. Tow truck responded. Wednesday, October 5 Citizen Assist – Officer unlocked vehicle. Dog At Large. Concerned Citizen – Person contacted officer. Agency Assist – Warrant Arrest – Arrested David Churchill, 19, on charges of outs...
It’s that time of year again, with the hospital holding its annual flu clinic this week. Set for Friday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. at Harbor Light Assembly of God Church, residents are encouraged to stop by for the discounted vaccination. “The sooner you get it, the more protection you have as the season hits full swing,” said Kris Reed, outreach coordinator for Wrangell Medical Center. The annual shots are meant to mitigate illnesses during the winter influenza season, focusing on particular strains thought likely to be prevalent. The WMC f...
Currently retired, worked for WMC for 22 years and served as interim CFO in 2014 and 2015. Was appointed to the board in December 2015. Why do you wish to continue serving on the Hospital Board? "I worked at the hospital for 20+ years and feel I have a lot of knowledge to contribute." In the coming two years, which issue do you believe should be a main priority for the board? "Working on funding for a new facility. Hiring permanent personnel. Getting cash flow in control."...
At its regular meeting Tuesday the City and Borough Assembly approved a request by Wrangell Medical Center to pursue a housing assistance grant of up to $550,000 to build a quadruplex for its staff. Hospital CEO Robert Rang explained the amount was the maximum provided by Teacher, Health Professional and Public Safety Housing Program grants through Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. As a four-unit housing complex would likely cost more than that, he said the hospital would approach the Assembly with the specifics of additional funds needed as...
Two more people have put forth their names to be included on October’s municipal elections ballot. As of press time Tuesday, schools superintendent Patrick Mayer expressed interest in running for a vacancy on the Wrangell Medical Center Board, while WMC head Robert Rang will be running for a position on the Public School Board. The city clerk’s office is inquiring with its attorney on retainer about whether having the two officials serve on each others’ boards would represent a conflict of interest. While unusual, the possibility is not prohi...
Area golfers raised close to $6,000 over the weekend during the hospital's annual Rally for Cancer Care and Blue Tees Tournament. Money raised from the two-part tournament go to support Wrangell Medical Center Foundation's cancer care fund, which in turn provides up to $1,000 per year to patients undergoing treatment for cancer-related illness. The stipend is meant to help defray some of the travel and lodging expenses which accompany such treatment. The funds are primarily raised through a...
Nearly $30,000 was raised by the hospital's foundation dinner and golf tournament on May 28. After covering costs, proceeds from the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation's annual fundraiser will go toward its cancer care and scholarship fund. "We did better than last year on the auction," explained WMC's development coordinator Kris Reed. At the Nolan Center on Saturday evening, auctioneer Steven Talbot led the proceedings, which included both a silent and live component. Guests bid on a number...
In last week’s edition of the Sentinel, information was brought to light about two of the scholarships received by Wrangell students. The WMC Foundation scholarship is paid for through its educational fund, separate from the Cancer Care fund. And the Patricia Roppel Memorial Scholarship is provided by husband Frank Roppel and Wrangell Friends of the Museum. We regret the errors....
Monday, May 9 Nothing to report. Tuesday, May 10 Citizen Assist. Wednesday, May 11 Unlock vehicle. Report of female brown bear with three cubs at the back channel, one half mile at the end of Spur Road. Thursday, May 12 Officer responded to disturbance. Citizen Assist. Friday, May 13 DV Disturbance/Trespass Warning. Report of possible assault. Saturday, May 14 Agency Assist/WMC. Agency Assist/AST: Deer hit by vehicle. Suspicious Circumstance. Sunday, May 15 Citations for Reckless Driving and Operating Motor Vehicle without a Valid License...
Wrangell Medical Center’s board of directors will be seeking some organizational changes. At its March 16 meeting the board moved to recommend that the Borough Assembly reduce its size from nine members to seven when terms end in October. Hospital head Robert Rang noted the board’s size was traditionally seven, and pointed out there have been challenges finding a quorum for meetings. The board has also had difficulty in filling out its positions, with an unexpired term currently open for appointment. Board treasurer Barb Conine opined it did...
Monday, March 7 Parking complaint, vehicle was moved. Suspicious Activity. Noise Complaint person was given a warning. Tuesday, March 8 Report of injured eagle. Citizen Assist: Person reported no power at residence. Arrested Peter Helgeson, 50, on charges of Violating Conditions of Release. Wednesday, March 9 Disturbance. Inmate Medical – Inmate transported to WMC. Traffic Stop – Verbal warning for driving habits. Arrest Warrant – Arrested: Taylor Wade Stavee, 25, on an Arrest Warrant. Possible DVO. Domestic – Officers requested. Thursda...
Members of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met for a brief monthly meeting Feb. 17. There were no action items on the agenda, only staff reports. Hospital CEO Robert Rang reported the Borough Assembly approved the purchase of new laboratory equipment last month. An equipment chemical analyzer and a coagulation analyzer will together be purchased outright for $135,000. The hospital board had initially approved leasing the machines, but Assembly members preferred to front them the money using an emergency fund it set aside last...
Wrangell’s hospital will be getting two new pieces of equipment for its laboratory. The Wrangell Medical Center Board approved the leasing of a chemical analyzer and blood coagulation analyzer at its Jan. 20 meeting. CEO Robert Rang explained the devices are crucial to the lab’s operations, accounting for around 90 percent of that department’s revenue. Operationally, the machines are essential for diagnostics, emergency services and the long-term care program, and also are used for Alaska Island Community Services’ screenings. The chemica...
