Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 364
Monday, September 1 Citizen Assist: Unlock Vehicle. Police arrested Randall M. Fordyce, 54, on a charge of Probation Violation. A caller reported a possible assault. Tuesday, September 2 Wrangell Medical Center called requesting officer assistance. Animal Complaint. Police received a report of abandoned vehicles. Citizen Assist: Unlock Vehicle. Wednesday, September 3 Vacation Check. Citizen Assist. Officer responded to a report of a suspicious incident. An individual reported a missing cell phone. A caller reported a smoke alarm going off. The...
Administrative and nursing staff from the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) presented an update of a new patient portal program in progress to the hospital’s board of directors at Wednesday’s monthly meeting. Cathy Gross, Denise McPherson and Katrina Ottesen delivered a Powerpoint presentation outlining the hospital’s progress setting up an electronic health records (EHR) system. “Our team meets every week and we can actually have a report we run through and look at,” said Gross. Wrangell’s is one of three Alaskan medical centers now unrolling s...
After being rescheduled earlier in the month because of foul weather, supporters of cancer care were finally able to come together this past weekend to golf, mingle and raise funds for a good cause. Now in its tenth year, the men's and women's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments have raised funds for the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) Foundation's Cancer Care Fund. The fund provides up to $1,000 per year, per applicant to help defray travel and lodging costs for individuals receiving cancer...
Monday, August 11 Person spoke with officer in regards to having someone removed from their home. 911—no one there (possible pocket dial). Tuesday, August 12 MVA. Citizen Assist. Wednesday, August 13 Possible Criminal Mischief. Search and Rescue. Civil Issue. Thursday, August 14 Parking Complaint. Citizen Assist. Agency Assist—WMC. Agency Assist—FD. Traffic—Illegal Parking. Agency Assist—SAR. Friday, August 15 Citizen Assist—Vehicle Unlocked. Traffic Stop—Verbal warning for faulty equipment. Possible Gunshot. Saturday, August 16 Bike Complain...
It isn't often that the weather gets one over on events in Wrangell, but both the ladies' and men's Rally For Cancer Care golf tournaments this past weekend have had to be rescheduled. The course at Muskeg Meadows was soaked by more than 3 1/2 inches of rain, while gale-force winds on Saturday delayed more than 40 Petersburg participants from making the trip. "This is the first time the weather's been so terrible," said Jane Bliss, director of support services at Wrangell Medical Center. "The...
In a news release Tuesday, Wrangell Medical Center announced its staff have recently collaborated with Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) to improve response time for patients coming to the medical center with critical behavioral health issues. When a patient is considered to pose a threat to themselves or others, medical center doctors work with AICS specialists to evaluate the patient and determine whether they are safe to remain in the community or need to be transferred to another facility. AICS behavioral health specialists Jenn Gogol...
Monday, March 31 Agency Assist. Suspicious circumstance. Tuesday, April 1 Agency Assist – Harbor Department. Wednesday, April 2 Suspicious Circumstance/ Welfare Check. Agency Assist – FD. Alarm. Agency Assist – Harbor Department. Thursday, April 3 Alarm. Citizen Assist. Parking Enforcement. Citizen Assist – Unlock Vehicle. Illegal Parking – Vehicle has been moved. Dog at Large – UTL. Parking Complaint – Owner notified. Friday, April 4 Alarm. Traffic Stop – Verbal warning for driving habits. Traffic Complaint – 4-Wheeler. Saturday, April 5...
The Wrangell Medical Center just got a little warmer. As part of the hospital's ongoing pursuit of a Level IV Trauma Center certification, which officials say could both enhance treatment and open up new avenues of funding, the Hospital Auxiliary recently purchased a fluid warmer. The new warmer – which cost about $4,000 according to a press release – is used to treat patients suffering from hypothermia in the emergency room. The auxiliary contributed $3,500 toward the machine's cost. Off...
The Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) board of directors discussed collaboration at the Feb. 19 board meeting. Specifically, board members and medical center officials discussed the growing number of shared services between Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) and the hospital. While medical collaboration has long been a component of overlapping clinical services at both healthcare institutions – AICS and the WMC share a social worker, for example – recent personnel shifts have led to a growing administrative collaboration. The two institutions...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors voted 7-0 Jan. 15 to approve the hospital’s 2014 budget. Budget figures project the hospital will take in $9,610,679 gross revenue in the coming fiscal year, while expending $8,763,556 in operating expenses, leaving a positive cash flow of $847,123 at the end of the present fiscal year. This is the second-highest cash flow in seven years, trailing only 2009’s $1,066,371, according to figures provided by hospital Chief Financial Officer Dana Strong. Revenues are projected to increase 4.9 per...
The Chief Shakes House rededication was easily the biggest event of 2013 in Wrangell. However, the year was filled with events and news stories big and small. On the first edition of 2014, the Sentinel pauses to recollect the stories throughout the year. January An electrical fire damaged the fish tank at the Nolan Center, causing it to be removed. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off of Craig Jan. 4, rattling windows and nerves in town. The quake caused no major damage in town, but...
Sentinel writer The hospital board voted 6-0 to renew the contract of CEO Marla Sanger. Sanger has been the Medical Center CEO since Nov. 5, 2012, after the departure of former CEO Noel Rea and a recall election led to a period fraught with political instability for the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors. On her first day, Sanger was the Center’s fourth CEO in less than a year. The WMC board terminated Noel Rea in June 2012 after being recalled in a contentious election. Interim CEO Kendall Sawa departed for another job in Washington s...
At the beginning of this year’s Rally for Cancer Care, balloons were released with the names of those fighting cancer or those who have passed on. This year 45 women from Petersburg and two from Ketchikan swelled the total participants to 83 women. Over $6000 was raised to support the WMC Foundation’s Cancer Care program to provide grants to residents of SE Alaska who must travel away from home for cancer treatment....
A series of capital projects led the way in Borough Manager Tim Rooney’s final report to the Borough Assembly last week as he highlighted the improvements on-going or planned in the Borough. Starting off, Rooney informed the Assembly about a number of projects related to the city’s Harbor Department, including upgrades at the Marine Service Center pier. “Pool Engineering has begun work on the pier upgrades and good progress is being made,” Rooney wrote. “The two new batter piles have been driv...
The Alaska State Department of Social and Health Services has named Alaska Island Community Services physician Greg Salard to the Alaska Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. He is also a member of the Alaska Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Committee, beginning his three-year term late last year. Salard, who is currently on vacation in the Lower-48, could not be reached for comment. However, in a 2012 interview, he said he volunteered for the spot on the committees in order to assist...
Former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea has accepted a position as the head of Sitka’s Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium hospital. In a newsletter to SEARHC members and employees, Charles Clement, the organization’s CEO, said Rea was taking over as the interim administrator of SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe’s operation. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the resignation of our friend and colleague, Dr. Marty Grasmeder, Hospital Administrator/Medical Director of the SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. His last day will be at the end of...
For more than two decades Wrangell Medical Center Chief Financial Officer Garth Hamblin has served the healthcare community in Alaska and the Lower 48. Now, he’ll get to serve a higher power – in paradise. Hamblin, who is a past Stake President in the Juneau Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been called, along with his wife Sandy, to serve the church’s ministry in the Kingdom of Tonga beginning next month. As CFO, Hamblin took the place of longtime department head Oli...
Physician Lynn Prysunka has stepped down as Chief of Staff at Wrangell Medical Center – a move that will see Dr. Greg Salard step into the position. On Monday, July 8, Dr. Prysunka offered her resignation after serving in that role for several years, according to WMC CEO Marla Sanger. “Dr. Greg Salard agreed to assume these duties effective immediately,” Sanger said. “WMC greatly appreciates all of our physicians and wishes to acknowledge in particular the highly professional and skillful leadership that Dr. Prysunka has provided to WMC in...
The Borough Assembly officially accepted the resignation of Borough Manager Tim Rooney during their June 25 regular meeting and cleared the path for Borough Clerk Kim Flores to advertise the position both statewide and nationally. After a unanimous vote accepting the resignation, Assembly member Christie Jamieson spoke about her feelings on the tenure of Rooney as the administrative head during the past three-and-a-half years. “I would like to thank Tim for all of his hard work and efforts,” Jam...
Wrangell Medical Center interim CEO Marla Sanger was ebullient about new technology being instituted at the hospital in her most recent report to the WMC Board of Directors at their June 19 meeting at the Nolan Center. Sanger’s report highlighted her use of weekly updates to the board – and how new technology is helping save money at the facility. “Nearly every weekly update mentions an electronic medical record ‘go live’ or new computer module or some other change that staff and physician...
The City and Borough of Wrangell has received a payment of $250,000 in the settlement with former Wrangell Medical Center DEO Noel Rea – except Rea didn’t make the payment. The payment, in fact, came from the insurance company that indemnifies WMC and its officers, the Chubb Group Insurance. Borough Manager Tim Rooney said the checks, which were drafted in March, were received by city attorney Bob Blasco and forwarded to City Hall. “The money was deposited and now, any money that we spent on le...
A Wrangell jury last week found 54-year-old Steve Marshall guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend in 2011, though the panel acquitted him of a more serious set of charges accusing him of sexual assault. The twelve-member jury returned their verdict in the late afternoon of Saturday, June 8 after deliberation began on the previous day, lasting for nearly 12 hours. Specifically, Marshall was found guilty of Assault in the First Degree and Assault in the Third Degree – charges that Judge W...
A former administrator at Wrangell Medical Center has been named as the new head of Providence Valdez Medical Center. Officials with Providence Health and Services said last week that Barbara Bigelow will begin her new job at the hospital on Aug. 5. She was named as the interim administrator at WMC after the departure of Kendall Sawa, who announced in October his desire to make a move to Washington State. Sawa replaced former CEO Noel Rea after the former WMC Board of Directors terminated him....
The jury trial of former resident Steve Marshall for felony charges related to an alleged 2011 sexual assault began this week in Wrangell’s First District Court. Marshall, 54, was arrested on Dec. 7, 2011 at his residence in the Bloom Trailer Court after police responded to an argument between Marshall and his former girlfriend, Sonja Turner. Court documents allege that Marshall, who was indicted by a grand jury on seven charges, including sexual assault and assault in the first degree, is a...
