Meet the Candidates - Wrangell Medical Center Board, four-year term

Maxi Wiederspohn

Occupation: Retired

Why do you want to sit on the WMC Board?

"I worked there 50 years and I thought maybe if there's another way to help, I plan to start going to their meetings after the election. Maybe I can continue to help in a different way."

What would you identify as the hospital's most pressing need, and what role do you feel the board should take in addressing that?

"As always, money and patient care are number one on top of the lists, whether as a worker or a board member. The billing was always a major concern for me because I always tried to help the ladies out front when I could. They have to answer the phone, admit patients that come in for lab and X-ray, as well as do their work. Now the hospital's gotten a billing company, so that's going to help, but they're still going to have to get stuff ready for them. They're still going to have a lot of work out front."

Longer term, what issues would you like to see the board address over the next four years?

"I'm just trying to see if I have anything I can do to help."

Woody Wilson, Reelection

Occupation:

Education contractor with the State of Alaska

Why do you want to sit on the WMC Board?

"It is good for boards to have people on them who have what is called institutional memory. When large numbers of board members change every election it is not healthy for the organization. I want to serve another term to give WMC that kind of stability that longevity on the board creates. I have years of experience on boards and working with boards that I believe can be helpful to the WMC leadership and staff. Our hospital is important to the community's health and to the community's economy."

What would you identify as the hospital's most pressing need, and what role do you feel the board should take in addressing that?

"We need a new building that will better and more efficiently meet the needs of our community's healthcare needs. The board will have to look at grants, loans, and revenue projections. The board needs to do its due diligence to ensure that what we build is both affordable and sustainable into the future."

Longer term, what issues would you like to see the board address over the next four years?

"Our most pressing need it to offer the very best health care we can with the facility and staff we have. Having said that we need a new building. A new structure would allow expansion of current healthcare offerings and services. A new building would allow more of our healthcare to be delivered here at home as opposed to having to travel outside or to a larger city for treatment.

A new building would allow more long-term care. This is an important service to both Wrangell and to surrounding communities when they have a shortage of beds. Also, when we receive patients from other communities it provides additional revenue to support our health care here. More and better healthcare here is also an economic driver. The more services provided here in Wrangell, the more revenue that is generated to sustain our programs. More employees in turn leads to more jobs, more jobs leads to more business opportunities in our communities. Economists say that for every new job that is created an additional one half job is also created. As an example, for every ten new jobs there would be the equivalent of fifteen total new jobs in the community. Jobs and economic growth allow more of our own Wrangell young people to live in our community and make a living right here at home."