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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...
Assembly Maxi Wiederspohn What background or experience do you have that qualifies you to be on the Wrangell Borough Assembly? I was born and raised in Wrangell and my work history is all in Wrangell. I will be a good listener then get as many facts and answers as I can. I can then consider what is best for the community as a whole. I will not jump to any judgment and will follow the rule of law. Why are you running for the assembly? To give back to the community and the people that I love so mu...
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...
If the defense attorney for former Wrangell resident Steve Marshall has his way, his client might see freedom sooner rather than later. Marshall, 52, was arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 at a residence in the Bloom Trailer Court after police responded to an argument between him and his girlfriend. He was indicted by a grand jury on a number of charges, including sexual assault, and is alleged to have raped, strangled and hit the victim, as well as threatening her with a machete, resulting in...
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 Search and Rescue team swung into action on Sunday, Sept. 9 as they traveled up the Stikine River to extract a young man who had fallen from a moose blind. According to Chief Tim Buness of the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department, the eight members of the SAR team were dispatched before dawn on Sunday, Sept. 9 to an area northeast of the borough. The teen had apparently been on a hunting trip with family when he attempted to climb down from the blind and slipped on steps that were wet from the extreme rains experienced last weekend....
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...
Members of the Wrangell Fire Department assisted in a disaster drill held by the Wrangell Medical Center on Monday, Aug. 27 at Petroglyph Beach. From left: Carl Johnson, Mike Lane, Bernie Massin and Dee Dee Blatchley carry a volunteer participant off the beach....
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...
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...
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...
Janell Privett - 2015 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? I spent most of my adult life volunteering in our community and all of my experiences are from the various boards and commissions I have served on. I served three terms on the Wrangell School Board for a total of nine years, seven of those as the chair. I was given the opportunity to attend yearly training in Roberts...
The defendant in a slander lawsuit in Wrangell’s First District Court has replied to an amended complaint from the attorney of Dr. Greg Salard – and asked the court to dismiss the case. Lisa Gillen, a long-time Wrangell resident whom Salard is suing, filed an answer on Aug. 2 to allegations that she defamed the physician on Facebook in late June. The alleged slander occurred, according to a filing by Salard attorney Michael Nash, when Gillen engaged in an online chat with a fellow Wrangellite, Jasmine Clyburn. In the alleged chat session, which...
