Fire Marshal clarifies WMC closure threat

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 requirements),” he stated. “The current bathroom situat...