An important roundtable discussion on the future of public health care provision in Wrangell is set for this weekend, followed by a community meeting Monday night.
At the behest of the City and Borough Assembly, a steering committee made up of representatives of a half-dozen stakeholder groups is in the process of being formed. From the assembly itself, Roland Howell and Patty Gilbert will be joined by Dan Neumeister of Southeast Rural Health Consortium and Mark Walker from its Alaska Island Community Services clinic; Jennifer Bates and Olinda White from Wrangell Medical Center’s governing board; Lovey Brock and another to-be-determined member of Wrangell Cooperative Association; and three other community members.
These latter three community members are to be drawn from interested participants. As of Tuesday’s press time, one letter of interest had already been submitted ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. However, should any vacancies persist ahead of the weekend’s scheduled meetings, interested residents are encouraged to contact the clerk’s office at City Hall about participating.
Once the committee is assembled, members together will address the future needs of WMC, which is a municipally managed hospital. Chief among these is securing a new hospital facility, to replace its current campus on Bennett Street. A longstanding goal, the new hospital facilities would be located on property on Wood Street, neighboring the newer AICS clinic. AICS and WMC have for some years cooperated on staffing and services, and a joint campus linking the two care providers was seen as a logical next step.
A concept for the new facility was presented to the assembly in November, along with cost estimates for its construction and equipment. With interest, engineers suggested funding the project could run between $90 million and $115 million over a 30-year span, depending on the design option chosen.
The price tag is a hefty one for the city to take on by itself, leading the WMC board and borough assembly to begin the process of seeking out a partner organization. AICS was formally acquired early last year by SEARHC, a larger regional health group based in Juneau. Due to the clinic’s already pre-existing association with Wrangell’s hospital and the greater resources at SEARHC’s disposal, the consortium became the likeliest candidate for some level of partnership.
The parameters of such a partnership has taken on another dimension too, as WMC struggles to manage its finances. Since late 2014 the hospital’s cash reserves have been in a fragile state, and while subsequent efforts to improve its revenue collection and make operations more efficient have helped strengthen its position since, a slow decline in revenues and aging facility have both left the hospital with about two weeks of cash on hand to cover its expenses.
This in mind, the assembly has engaged in discussions about a possible changing up of the Wrangell hospital’s management, a conversation which has involved SEARHC. In February the city took on a consultant to provide legal assistance and advice on a transition, and late last month reached a nonbinding agreement with SEARHC to explore their options.
The steering committee being assembled will helm this process. Wold Architects and Engineers have been engaged by the borough and SEARHC to participate with them in a three-day roundtable, which begins Saturday. Participants will take into account the state’s challenging healthcare environment and the community’s needs within that, as they work through the process of developing a transition plan. Sessions held Saturday and Sunday will focus on developing a vision, principles for success, and criteria for designing a health system Wrangell can depend upon in future years.
As well as involving three stakeholder representatives on the committee itself, a critical component of the weekend’s roundtable will be gathering input from the wider community. Capping off the several-day sessions will be a community meeting Monday at 7:30 p.m., at the Nolan Center. Residents are strongly encouraged to attend – so much so, that SEARHC has as a door prize offered 40,000 Alaska Airlines air miles, which all participants will be eligible to be drawn for. Refreshments will also be provided.
For additional information, contact borough manager Lisa Von Bargen at either 874-2381 or lvonbargen@wrangell.com.
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