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After more than a year of site development and construction, a new clinic facility for Alaska Island Community Services is set to open in mid-September. The new clinic, located on Wood Street, will practically double the number of examination rooms and nursing stations available to clients. It cost nearly $4 million to build, which included development of the previously muskeg-filled property where it now sits. “That $4 million included site development, which was pretty extensive,” said AIC...
Frances (Fran) Bolstad, 63, died July 26, 2012 in Seattle, Wash. Fran was born August 31, 1948 to Ruby Hannaford (Taylor) and Frank Ramirez in San Francisco, Calif. She spent her early years with her parents who sharecropped strawberry fields while she toddled around in her orthopedic shoes wading through the irrigation ditches. She reaped the benefits of having a praying Christian paternal grandmother and great grandmothers on both sides. After her parents divorced she and her mom spent...
A bevy of capital improvement projects are underway in Wrangell, with the city dock undergoing rehabilitation, the Marine Service Center seeing a lot of pavement work, and underground electrical work on the Front Street redesign in full swing. In a July 24 supplemental report to the Borough Assembly, Borough Manager Tim Rooney brought the group up to date on those projects and others underway on the island. According to Rooney, while working on the city dock, crews found a number of improperly installed piling. “Several piles were discovered t...
Brad Williams - 2014 What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience that would qualify you as a member of the Wrangell Medical Board of Directors? I was Chairman of the Board for the Mountain Book School District for 3 years. I was Chairman of the Board for the Montana Advisory Counsel for 1.5 years. I also have 35+ years dealing with various boards on a wide range of issues. I have very strong moral values to include a sense of right and wrong. I believe in and try to...
A lawsuit filed in Wrangell’s First District Court by Dr. Greg Salard and his wife, Laura Salard, is seeking monetary damages and attorney fees in a defamation case against a longtime Wrangell resident. The case, which was initially filed on July 13, alleges that Lisa Gillen made statements in an online chat session about the physician, his family, and his ability to practice medicine. The filing also seeks damages exceeding $50,000, the Salard’s attorney fees, and any other relief the court may see fit to award. Attorney Michael Nash, who is r...
A proposed resolution to support the development of new hatcheries in Wrangell and Petersburg – and the resignation of a member of the assembly were the main topics of discussion at the July 24 regular meeting of the Borough Assembly. Mike Symons, who has held Seat F on the assembly since 2010, formally tendered his resignation from the assembly after being tapped as the new General Manager and News Director at KSTK FM. Symons said his resignation was spurred on by the nature of his position as the head of the news department at the station. “I...
Using what is called a “peremptory challenge,” attorneys for the City and Borough of Wrangell asked for and received an order changing judges in the borough’s lawsuit against former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea and six recalled members of the WMB Board of Directors. The order, which was filed July 18, removes First District Court Judge Kevin Miller and replaces him with Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William B. Carey. Peremptory challenges are usually used in courtroom proceedings to rem...
The City and Borough of Wrangell filed suit in First District Court on July 11 seeking to have an amendment to the employment contract of former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea voided, and to order that Rea return a six-figure severance check paid to him after his termination by the board on June 20. According to court documents, that severance check, in the amount of $520,788.58, was paid to Rea via a wire transfer on June 21 – one day after the board voted 6-1 to fire him without cause. The suit, which names Rea, along with recalled b...
While the Wrangell Medical Center is currently in a transitional phase, having lost 8 of the 9 members of the WMC Board of Directors, and with the dismissal of former CEO Noel Rea, the day-to-day operation of the hospital is running at full-speed-ahead under interim CEO Olinda White. White, who took over as CEO after the June 20 firing of Rea, said maintaining excellent patient care, and working on staffing and training issues are at the forefront of her mind. “We’re really busy right now trying to center everything we do on patient care, qua...
With the loss of 8 members of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors, the question of how those seats will be filled came to the forefront during the Borough Assembly’s June 26 meeting. The assembly, in conjunction with borough attorney Bob Blasco answered that question after an executive session. Blasco informed the assembly that the only method to fill those seats, under Alaska law, was to hold a special election on Aug. 21 – and that those elected to fill the vacancies would hold their seats for the remainder the respective sea...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met in special session on Monday, June 25 to certify the June 19 special recall election of eight members of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors. Before the election could be certified, however, the canvassing board of Mayor Jeremy Maxand and assembly members Bill Privett and Pam McCloskey reviewed 183 absentee and 25 questioned ballots. A total of 851 ballots were used in the election, with 627 of those ballots being cast locally. A total of 835 ballots...
In what was their final meeting as an elected quorum, the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors terminated the contract of WMC CEO Noel Rea on Wednesday, June 20. The dismissal came in a 6-1 vote, with board member Dorothy Hunt-Sweat voting against the termination, and members Jake Harris and Delores Norman not present. Eight members of the board; Mark Robinson, Jake Harris, Linda Bjorge, Lurine McGee, Delores Norman, Jim Nelson, Sylvia Ettefagh and Leann Rinehart were recalled by a large...
Uncertified Results Jake Harris – Recalled, 330-295 Mark Robinson – Recalled, 399-226 Linda Bjorge – Recalled, 414-210 Lurine McGee – Recalled, 389-234 Delores Norman – Recalled, 376-247 Jim Nelson – Recalled, 382-243 Sylvia Ettefagh – Recalled, 381-241 Leanne Rinehart – Recalled, 393-229 A number of absentee votes are still outstanding and the borough’s canvassing board will review ballots on June 21, with the Borough Assembly certifying the final tally during their June 25 special meeting....
Modern mammography, or the ability to detect cancerous growths in the breast has existed in medical science since 1969, when inventor Albert Salomon developed a dedicated X-ray unit for the procedure. Before that time, simple X-ray machines were used to seek out malignant tumors in the breast. With the passage of time, however, technology has taken the science – and art – of detecting those tumors to new heights. Wrangell Medical Center can now add their name to the list of hospitals across the...
A letter from Alaska’s deputy fire marshal is lending some clarity to recent claims that the older Wrangell Medical Center would face closure if a new facility is not funded and built in the borough. According to Robert Plumb, the deputy marshal based in Juneau, the federal guidelines covered in the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) could require renovations to patient rooms at WMC. “If the new hospital is not built, the (CMS) may require bathrooms in the resident rooms in the existing facility to be made accessible (meeting ADA req...
The Borough Assembly met in two sessions on Tuesday, June 12 to hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance relating to collection of utility fees, and to pursue a second reading of the ordinance during the regular session. Before the utility issue could be addressed in open session, however, assembly member David Jack, with fellow member Bill Privett, asked to have the agendized approval of the Wrangell Medical Center 2013 budget tabled until a future meeting. Jack asked to have WMC Chief Financial Officer Olinda White come before the...
To the Editor: I have worked for WMC for two years. During that time I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about other people. Working in a medical facility takes a caring, compassionate person. I believe everyone puts all they can emotionally, physically and spiritually into the work they do here. I am proud of the hard work the CNAs, nurses, and all WMC staff do. This is a sensitive job that takes a lot of heart, communication and teamwork. The WMC keeps our community safe. The hospital is a cornerstone to this community, employing and...
A formal complaint against the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors was filed last week with the City and Borough of Wrangell – and is calling into question whether the board may have violated Alaska’s Open Meetings Act with a Facebook page. The Facebook group, under the name “Save Wrangell Medical Center,” is a closed group on the social network, and a screenshot taken by WMC recall proponent Judy Allen on June 7 purports to show five members of the board as taking part in the group. Closed groups on Facebook require users to obtain...
Governor Sean Parnell is greeted by Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea during his visit to Wrangell on Tuesday, June 5. Gov. Parnell met with borough officials and members of private industry at the Nolan Center to discuss capital appropriations, timber and hatchery issues....
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met in special and executive sessions on Thursday, May 31 to take up issues related to WMC’s responsibility, if any, regarding being signatories to USDA loan documents for the new hospital project and to engage CEO Noel Rea in a discussion about his annual performance review. The resignation of Dr. James Yates from Alaska Island Community Services on May 30 overshadowed the main agenda items during public comment, however, when one concerned resident raised the question of emergency room c...
After a spirited public comment section of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors special meeting on May 31 the board retired into executive session to discuss CEO Noel Rea’s annual personnel review. While the review and discussion of his performance are confidential personnel matters, Rea said afterward that it was a productive session – and gave him goals to work toward in the coming year. “This was, by no means, a perfect review,” Rea said. “But it was a very thorough evaluation. It was good and I am pleased with it because i...
Two of Wrangell’s top government officials are now responsible for authorizing a set of agreements with the USDA regarding loans for the Wrangell Medical Center replacement project. That was the result of the Wrangell Borough Assembly special meeting on Tuesday, May 29 at City Hall. The special session agenda addressed a number of topics of concern; review and approval of a recommendation on contracts relating to the WMC replacement project – and authorization for Mayor Jeremy Maxand or Borough Manager Tim Rooney to be signatories to all USD...
Two of Wrangell’s top government officials are now responsible for authorizing a set of agreements with the USDA regarding loans for the Wrangell Medical Center replacement project. That was the result of the Wrangell Borough Assembly special meeting on Tuesday, May 29 at City Hall. The special session agenda addressed a number of topics of concern; review and approval of a recommendation on contracts relating to the WMC replacement project – and authorization for Mayor Jeremy Maxand or Borough Manager Tim Rooney to be signatories to all USD...
Sometimes a golf tournament in Wrangell isn’t about just going out to hit balls and spend time with friends and family. Once a year, at least, it’s about saving lives. The 5th annual Wrangell Medical Center Foundation golf tournament, which supports local cancer patients and commemorates former WMC administrator, the late Brian Gilbert, came to fruition last weekend despite early torrential rains and cold temperatures at Muskeg Meadows golf course. The tourney, which featured 10 teams of four pl...
Imagine, for a moment, a City and Borough of Wrangell without a hospital – any hospital. According to Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea, that could be the outcome if the June 19 recall election changes the majority composition of the WMC Board of Directors. The USDA, which was set to guarantee a $24.7 million loan for the hospital replacement project, has signaled that an overhaul in the makeup of the board would lead them to require the borough to obtain a general obligation bond to fund the facility, rather than a revenue bond paid for b...