SEARHC confirms affiliation with city on hospital

In a press release last Friday, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium announced it will officially move forward with formalizing an affiliation with the City and Borough of Wrangell regarding the future of its municipal hospital.

The decision follows one reached unanimously by the Wrangell Assembly on June 12, and sets into motion a transfer of operations of Wrangell Medical Center to SEARHC. Initially, the regional provider will acquire the local hospital and assume its operational, financial and legal responsibilities.

Meanwhile, SEARHC will fund construction of a new healthcare campus adjacent to the Alaska Island Community Services clinic. SEARHC had acquired the privately-run AICS organization in a deal struck in 2017. The expanded campus will continue current clinical services, and include a critical access hospital and long-term care facility. The goal is to transfer the hospital to SEARHC on or after November 1 of this year, and to have the new campus completed within four years.

"We have been working with SEARHC since the beginning of this year to develop creative options for a community healthcare solution, including construction of a new hospital, to address the ongoing challenges in the healthcare industry," city manager Lisa Von Bargen was quoted as saying in the release. "Our collaboration has been highly productive, and we are fortunate to join hands with SEARHC in creating a viable, long-term healthcare solution for our community."

In April, representatives from the city, SEARHC and WMC engaged in a three-day process that included community stakeholders providing input on the proposal, outlining programming needs and preferences. SEARHC also examined the state of the hospital's facilities and finances, determining in the long-term that a joint effort would be viable. A timeline for the transition was subsequently agreed-upon, and both organizations are now working together to facilitate a smooth transition for SEARHC to assume responsibility of WMC.

"Our patients and families are the true beneficiaries of this affiliation," commented WMC's director for long-term care, Dr. Lynn Prysunka. Prysunka is also employed by AICS at the clinic. "By expanding and improving access to quality healthcare services, our patients' lives will be further enriched."

"This is a tremendous opportunity," remarked SEARHC president and chief executive officer Charles Clement. "SEARHC is resolute in our commitment to work with the CBW in developing a healthcare system that responds to our patients' and community's health needs and results in economies of scale."

A nonprofit operated by the city, WMC has provided services to the community of Wrangell for nearly 90 years. In need of new facilities – its current building celebrates its 50-year anniversary next month – and experiencing declining revenues in recent years, its transition over to the regional care provider is expected to ensure continued services in the community. WMC now has a total of 22 beds, or eight acute and 14 long-term beds. As part of the transition, WMC will retain its name and continue operating out of its existing facility for the near future.