Celebration of the state’s sesquicentennial anniversary next week in Wrangell will be on the quieter side, with the 16th annual senior luncheon and yearly flu clinic both scheduled.
Island of Faith Lutheran Church is inviting area seniors to join them for lunch next Wednesday at noon. “We kind of started it when our church was newly built,” said Joan Kading, a parishioner. “It seemed like a way to honor the senior citizens of Wrangell.”
The informal meal has featured homemade soups and bread, with both a vegetarian and carnivorous option to choose from, and is followed up with dessert. Because this year’s Alaska Day marks 150 years of the territory’s association with the United States, Kading explained a special cake will be prepared for next week’s luncheon.
As integral to the celebration as the state flag, students from Mrs. Miller’s third grade class will perform songs for diners. Steering committee member Gig Decker will afterward deliver a presentation to them on progress with a proposed Mariners Memorial.
Wrangell Medical Center will also use the day to hold its annual adult immunization clinic. Held in the rumpus area of Harbor Light Assembly of God from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., hospital clinicians will be providing both regular dosage and high-dose inoculations for influenza at a lower cost than usual.
“The 18th is… a holiday for some, so we’re hoping that having it then will make it easier for folks to get there,” explained WMC outreach coordinator Kris Reed in a release. “We hope making it available earlier, over the lunch hour, will help those who have to work to take advantage of the opportunity.”
The high-dose vaccine has four times the antigens of the regular variety, and is geared toward helping seniors aged 65 and older weather the upcoming flu season. Its cost has been lowered to $45 per injection, while the regular dosage shot will cost $25. Staff on site will be able to bill people’s insurance, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and can accept other forms of payment. Visitors are advised to bring their insurance details with them to the church.
The federal Center for Disease Control recommends wide immunization early on in the flu season, which begins to pick up in the autumn and lasts into spring. People 50 years and older are particularly advised to get their annual shots, which each year are tailored to strains of the virus anticipated to be the most virulent. Those experiencing chronic medical conditions or are otherwise at high risk for complications, as well as those who live or work with them are also encouraged to get their shots. Questions on the shots can be answered by Katrina Ottesen at WMC by calling 874-7000.
Because of the holiday, residents are also advised that Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium facilities will be closed next Wednesday. The closure will affect both administrative offices and affiliated medical clinics.
Another, more recent tradition will not be held this year, due to organizational difficulties. In recent years local running group Southeast Beasts has hosted a marathon to mark the day, commemorating the United States’ purchase of the Alaska Territory from Russia in 1867. Since 2014 the group has used the run to raise money for the local hospital cancer care fund, incorporating wooden medallions for participants prepared by the high school fabrication class.
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