Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 364
The process for Dr. Greg Salard to possibly regain privileging at Wrangell Medical Center began last week during a closed-door executive session meeting of the WMC Board of Directors. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, the board met for review and possible action regarding his credentialing at the hospital. Salard lost his bid to retain his interim privileging after the previous WMC board voted on April 15, 2011 to suspend his privileges at the hospital. Because of an Alaska State law excluding reporting actions regarding credentialing matters, WMC board...
Mayor David Jack - 256 Don McConachie - 251 Assembly Seat C James Stough* - 400 Assembly Seat D Pam McCloskey* - 426 Assembly Seat F Maxi Wiederspohn - 397 Billie Younce - 101 Port Commission Clay Hammer** - 187 School Board Tammy Groshong - 373 Krissy Smith - 262 Twyla Nore - 208 Kip Valvoda - 75 WMC Board Marlene Messmer - 340 Barbara Conine - 331 Judy Allen - 315 Robert Henry - 300 * Individual ran unopposed for their seat ** Individual ran as a write-in candidate Note: 93 absentee ballots remain outstanding...
With school back in session and fall quickly approaching, the beginning of flu season is right around the corner. In years past, the Wrangell Public Health Center has made immunizations available to the community; however the State of Alaska has recently changed its policy and, for the second year running, will no longer be offering flu immunizations to adults at the Front Street clinic. The vaccine will still be available to infants and children, however. There has been a community planning...
To the Editor: I would like to publicly thank Dr. McCandless for his guest commentary in the last Sentinel. It’s obvious that he still has his heart in this community that he faithfully served for so many years. I particularly like his opening statement that he has always considered his patients and the community to be his employers. This coincides with my own belief that the people of Wrangell own our medical center. ALL the people. And, therefore, ALL the people are responsible for “fixing” the dysfunction that he wrote about. By the time...
Why I left Wrangell by Dave McCandless, MD I have always considered my patients and the community to be my employers, no matter who signs my checks. Having cooled off a little, this is my “exit interview” to my employers on why I chose to leave Wrangell, which may be helpful in recruiting and retaining the health care providers you want in the future. It is interesting to me that no board member of AICS (Alaska Island Community Services) or WMC (Wrangell Medical Center) have asked about this. I suppose it is because they accept what they are...
Sentinel writer A pre-trial scheduling conference in the case of the City and Borough of Wrangell and former Wrangell Medical Center administrator Noel Rea, as well as six former members of the WMC Board of Directors, has been set for Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m. at Wrangell’s First District Court. The case, which was filed on July 11, seeks to have an amendment to the employment contract of Rea voided, and to order that he return a six-figure severance check paid to him after his termination by the board on June 20. According to court documents, t...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors held their regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 19 – the first since being reformed during the Aug. 21 special election to replace 8 recalled members. The meeting began with a presentation by staff members Jane Bliss and Brian Smith which showed board members portions of the physical operations plant and kitchen area – where Bliss informed them that more than 12,000 meals were served during the past year. After the presentation, during the Persons to be Heard section of the agenda, Wrangell res...
In what was Mayor Jeremy Maxand’s last regular meeting as an elected official in Wrangell, the Borough Assembly met in open session on Tuesday, Sept. 25. In his biweekly report to the Assembly, Borough Manager Tim Rooney updated the group on the lawsuit between the borough and former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea. “On Monday, September 17, 2012 the City and Borough of Wrangell filed a motion and memorandum for order for return of laptop computer and iPad to (allow) for forensic examination,” the report stated. The motion and memor...
A team of four Alaska State Department of Health and Social Services surveyors were onsite in Wrangell last week to conduct Wrangell Medical Center’s annual re-certification and State licensure surveys. The surveys were conducted in the Long Term Care Center and the Critical Access portion of the hospital. These visits, which are unannounced standard surveys, are conducted annually to determine compliance with Federal Medicare/Medicaid and State Licensure participation requirements for s...
Wrangell Medical Center has a new administrator – courtesy of a yearlong management agreement with PeaceHealth of Ketchikan. Kendall Sawa, whose first day on the job was Thursday, Sept. 13, takes the reins of the hospital as interim CEO Olinda White retired the same day. White had been in the position since the firing of former hospital chief Noel Rea on June 20. Before coming to Wrangell, Sawa was Vice President for Patient Care Services for Ketchikan Medical Center. He took over that p...
Barbara Conine What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience that would qualify you as a member of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors? Extensive business experience of actually running two businesses, hiring, firing, meeting payroll, budgeting, customer service, knowing what to keep private and dealing with many governmental agencies. I spent several years on the first Tourism Advisory Board as we worked to market Wrangell as a destination, not just a stop...
The Borough Assembly met in open session on Sept. 11 to take the most recent report from Borough Manager Tim Rooney, and to deal with a pair of resolutions dealing with disposal of property and the establishment of a canvass board for the upcoming general election. The lawsuit between the city and former Wrangell Medical Center administrator Noel Rea, and six former members of the WMC Board of Directors, was a key part of Rooney’s report to the assembly this week – and informed them of actions t...
Dr. Greg Salard has been granted an extension of time to file a Reply Brief in appeal of a decision to withhold privileging at Wrangell Medical Center by the former hospital board. First District Court Judge Kevin Miller filed an order on Aug. 28 giving Salard until Sept. 20 to file documents in court challenging the decision to prevent him from practicing at the hospital. He is currently restricted to seeing patients at Alaska Island Community Services’ Tideline Clinic. The order gives Salard some breathing room in his pursuit of the a...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met in a workshop setting on Sept. 5 in the lobby of the hospital to discuss a number of items related to the operation of the facility, and to revisit the hope that a new medical campus will be built in the borough. Borough Manager Tim Rooney gave the board – and residents of the borough – hope as he informed the group that the WMC renovation project was ready to move forward, contingent only upon approval of a new loan package from the US Dep...
The newly constituted Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors held their first meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at City Hall to elect officers and plan for upcoming meetings as a group and with other officials. Board member Woody Wilson was elected as the president of the group over Bernie Massin in a 6-3 vote, with Terri Henson nominating Wilson and Dorothy Hunt-Sweat nominating Massin. During discussion, Hunt-Sweat spoke up first in favor of Massin. “My reason for suggesting Bernie is because...
The Borough Assembly has entered into an agreement with PeaceHealth of Ketchikan to focus on interim management of Wrangell Medical Center, and to assist the city in the selection and hiring of an administrator at the hospital. Under the plan, Kendall Sawa, who is currently the Vice President of Patient Care Administration for PeaceHealth, would move from Ketchikan Medical Center to Wrangell to take the interim position while WMC searches for a new administrator. Sawa, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada is a registered nurse and holds a...
It was a busy night at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 28 as the Borough Assembly met in three sessions to hold a public hearing, certify the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors special election results, and to meet in regular session on a number of items. The public hearing, which began the evening, was to hold a second reading of a proposed ordinance that would clarify oversight of the WMC board and their powers in operating the hospital. One proposed change would restrict the board to a...
5 Seats *Marlene Messmer – 346 *Judy Allen – 332 *Robert Henry – 290 †Barbara Conine – 290 Betty Keegan – 264 2013 Seats *Terri Henson – 275 *Bernie Massin – 21 Marlene Clarke – 184 Mike Ashton – 173 Mike Nicholls – 118 Billie Younce – 114 2014 Seats *Cori Robinson – 368 *Megan Clark – 252 Rhonda Dawson – 235 Brad Williams – 206 2015 Seat *Woody Wilson – 290 Janell Privett – 274 † - The tiebreaker between Robert Henry and Barbara Conine was determined according to Wrangell Municipal Code section 2.28.160, which called for the drawing of lots...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met in special session on Friday, Aug. 17 to introduce the first reading of a proposed ordinance that could dramatically shift the balance of power in the administration of the Wrangell Medical Center. The assembly voted 5-0 in favor of the reading, with assemblyman David Jack absent. Among the proposed changes the ordinance puts forth include new language, which would change the way the WMC Board of Directors manage the hospital and long-term care facility. In Section 3.32.020, a change is proposed to restrict...
5 Seats (3 seats available) *Marlene Messmer - 305 *Judy Allen - 274 *Robert Henry - 237 Barbara Conine - 233 Betty Keegan - 232 2013 Seats (2 seats available) *Terri Henson - 235 *Bernie Massin - 176 Marlene Clarke - 160 Mike Ashton - 144 Mike Nicholls - 92 Billie Younce - 91 2014 Seats (2 seats available) *Cori Robinson - 313 *Megan Clark - 218 Rhonda Dawson - 195 Brad Williams - 161 2015 Seat (1 seat available) *Woody Wilson - 247 Janell Privett - 233 *A number of absentee votes are still outstanding and the borough’s canvassing board w...
Former Wrangell Medical Center administrator Noel Rea has filed an answer in the lawsuit filed against him and six members of the recalled WMC Board of Directors – and made a counterclaim of his own in the matter. In the filing, Rea’s attorney, David Shoup of Anchorage, denies that Rea had any advance knowledge of the board’s action in firing him on June 20 and denies that a Release of Claims and Covenant Not to Sue were attached to his most recent employment contract. The borough’s claim for a declaratory judgment, voiding a second amendme...
Over 70 golfers and friends turned out Saturday morning to participate in the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation’s Rally for Cancer Care. Thirty-four golfers made the trip from Petersburg to join the festivities. “It’s the second largest group we’ve ever brought to this event,” noted Desi Burrell, the Petersburg connection who has taken on the task of gathering attendees from the ranks of Petersburg golfers. The tournament is a ‘fun and frolic’ format, no scores are kept and each hole has a di...
To the Editor: Wrangell has recently gone through a major change of the WMC board of directors and our CEO was fired. I had a short opportunity to see him while he was moving his things out of his office. He seemed very depressed; I can’t blame him he has a family to care for and no means to provide now. It’s not over yet, why can’t it just stop. It seems now our care providers are getting it. In the past few years I’ve gone through some major medical issues. Some very professional medical providers have seen me. I try to ask all the questio...
A motion filed Aug. 7 by attorneys for Wrangell Medical Center is seeking to give physician Greg Salard a choice – continue an appeal in court of his denial of privileging by the former Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors, or seek reinstatement through a new board that will be seated on Aug. 28. In a memorandum attached to a motion to deny Salard and his attorney, Lee Holen of Anchorage, an extension of time to file a reply brief in the case, WMC attorney Steven Rose said Salard’s request was not valid. “A renewed application for privile...
The attorney for six of the recalled Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors has given a response to a lawsuit filed against them and former CEO Noel Rea by the City and Borough of Wrangell. The answer was filed in First District Court on Aug. 10. The borough, through their attorney, Bob Blasco, filed suit on July 11 seeking to have an amendment to the employment contract of Rea voided, and to order that he return a six-figure severance check paid to him after his termination by the board on June 20. That severance check, in the amount of $5...
