Letters to the Editor

To the Editor;

I believe that the self-professed CEO of WMC and his board get out of politics.

They need to put their energy towards patient care and staff needs.

Having a doctor on the Board would be a great idea, if you could find one to run.

Who would be more qualified to judge a doctor’s actions and qualifications than another doctor?

Apparently the board didn’t accept their recommendations of their Chief of Staff and keep a very qualified emergency care doctor on staff, Dr. Salard.

While in the University of Washington Medical Center two nurses asked me, what was going on at WMC, they are always looking for nurses? I told them it had to be an administrative problem.

In all the years I’ve been here (1960) I can’t recall the hospital ever going through this amount of personnel.

Jerry Buethe Sr.

The following was read at the Wrangell Assembly meeting on March 27, 2012

To City and Borough of Wrangell Mayor, Council, Citizen of Wrangell and whoever else may be concerned:

My name is Linda Bjorge, I reside at 131 Church Street, Wrangell.

I am a member of the WMC board, that being said, these following remarks are mine and mine alone.

First of all, March 27, has been a significant day in the history of Alaska, since the 1967 earthquake; a natural disaster that day; today we are here to ponder decisions that could create disasters of another kind, namely more and more regulations and complications going forward into the future.

It is no secret that our Mayor and some members of the council have been in opposition to WMC board on many issues. Who we personally like or dislike today shouldn’t cause long-range ramifications to the citizens of Wrangell. We are supposed to be acting for the good of all. I realize this is a somewhat idealistic goal, but it’s a worthy goal. All of us are just human and don’t have our “best behavior” turned on all the time, but it’s high time for us all to try and think at a higher level.

Remember, we are all going to be replaced, sooner or later, with new and hopefully wiser community members on all the City and Borough positions. Let us not make unnecessary and convoluted decisions based on our personal likes or dislikes of another person or persons.

The financial picture of WMC is public and should be. It is my belief that all funds are accounted for, and should be. We do have very capable and honest financial management. These continual “hints” of wrongdoings are wrong in themselves, and even though I am the least talented of anyone on WMC board with budgets, etc., even I find it downright insulting that these “hints” keep surfacing.

As everybody knows, all boards of this city and borough are non-paid positions.

When I wanted to be on the WMC board, I wanted and thought I could be of service to the community, however, the finances are not my forte, and I am grateful that there are people at all the necessary positions to manage monies in a responsible manner. I absolutely trust the staff of WMC with their positions. I believe they are in a position for an audit at any time.

This enmity between the WMC board and the Mayor and some City Officials has gone on far too long. It is not productive to anyone in this community. Please, can we just stop the ever-ongoing irritations/allegations brought forth by whichever persons are doing this? Are we a soap opera? Do we really need all the local drama?

I am told that there is a WMC board recall effort going on at this time. I know there has been much criticism of WMC board due to the unpopularity of some WMC board decisions regarding some issues in this community. Most of you are aware, or should be, that personnel decisions are always confidential. No matter what we are accused of we cannot discuss publicly what the public may or not be clamoring to hear. Personally, I wish the entire public had complete access to whatever they would like to know.

The citizens of the community elected me. Although I would like to “get along” with everybody, it just seems not to be. My sense of duty lies with loyalty to the people of this community before any other entity, group or organization.

WMC board has been accused of making some very unpopular decisions based upon retaliation for our nose being out of joint because of a local physician voicing his opinion at this same location several months ago. Although I do not agree with his opinions; I am not, nor do I think any person on the WMC board is petty enough to make lasting decisions of any nature, that involve curtailing of any services to and for the entire community, based solely upon what someone stated, in “his opinion” about WMC here in this assembly.

I would not be in favor of depriving the people of our community medical or any other needed services because my personal nose is out of joint.

Believe me, it has not been a joy to be confronted by angry community members at most WMC board meetings, and I for one would certainly not miss that aspect of my community service.

If you really think that the WMC board, comprised mostly of people that have resided here for my years, with long reaching family and friendship ties, are that petty, then by all means, we should be recalled.

Even though it has been difficult to sit still and be criticized, without being able to say a word in defense of ourselves, I am not offering to resign at this time, because; I have not worked against the citizens of this town, and there are probable legal issues that have to be hopefully resolved, and I stand with the WMC board.

Linda Bjorge

To the Editor:

It sure seems like someone on the Hospital Board has a personal vendetta against Dr. Salard to keep up this vicious harassment.

Was it when he asked his pregnant patient if she would consider “adopting” her child out, that made her so “uncomfortable?” Then why didn’t she just go to another doctor instead of causing so much trouble? I see no problem with the question, since doctors try to help their patients. Keep in mind that a few years ago, there were nearly 15 young pregnant high school students here in Wrangell High School, and none of them married. I don’t know if any of them did get married, but I do know that quite a number of them had to have help from Welfare, which we have to help pay for. One girl said that she didn’t want to get married, so she planned on getting help from Welfare. So, why shouldn’t the doctor suggest alternatives, if that was the problem?

Or, did the doctor have a disagreement with someone on the Hospital Board, who now wants to get even with him? I know that these things can happen here as well as anywhere. It happened to me once, when I disagreed with someone who had lived here a long time.

There is one more thing I would like to mention. When this existing hospital was built, one of the original contractors told me they built a “heavy-duty” metal roof so that they could eventually build up and out to enlarge this hospital.

Why wasn’t the public notified of this before the Hospital Board decided to build this new one, which I understand is going to be just like the one we have, only bigger.

If the public had known, I am sure we would have asked to have the hospital built above the existing one, and for insurance that would enable us to have our babies born here in Wrangell, rather than having to “medi-vac” them out. Why couldn’t the public have had the chance to vote on the kind of hospital we want and need here in Wrangell?

Since you seem to be having trouble with financing, why not cancel the one you’re working on and consider building on our present hospital?

Jeanne Lindley

To the Editor:

We have lived in Wrangell for almost two years and we think that the lack of continuity between the Wrangell Medical Center and the City and Borough of Wrangell has become detrimental to providing adequate medical service to the citizens of Wrangell.

In these two years, two AICS physicians have left town and now Wrangell Medical Center’s Board has revoked Dr. Salard’s Medical Center privileges and in so doing limited the medical services he can provide. This not only affects Dr. Salard but, most importantly, denies Wrangell citizens’ medical services they require and should receive.

How can we have any confidence that in the future Wrangell Medical Center will have any local attending physicians should we need procedures at the Medical Center? How can the City and Borough of Wrangell expect to entice new physicians once the physicians are aware of the conflicts associated with the Medical Center’s Administration, AICS physicians and the City and Borough of Wrangell? How can the citizens of Wrangell stand behind building a multi-million dollar medical center which AICS physicians may not be permitted to utilize?

We hear about how Wrangell is trying to promote more industry and attract families to move to the community. In order for that to happen, Wrangell needs to provide good medical care for the current citizens so that they will support Wrangell and make this community attractive to future physicians, citizens and industry.

For the people who are most affected, the citizens of Wrangell, let’s fix this problem.

Tom and Nancy Loners