Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 416
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission held a special meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 3. It was a short meeting, with only two final plats to be approved. The first plat was of the Wrangell Medical Center subdivision. The commission explained that, essentially, this final plat involved consolidating seven lots into a single lot, comprising where the medical center currently sits. An alleyway was vacated from the plat, and some utility easements were added. This final plat was approved with little discussion. The second plat was a replat of...
BRAVE is a Wrangell-based organization that works to connect people with resources to help themselves and their families. Their work was put on display last Tuesday night at the Nolan Center as a "family resilience fair" was held. The fair brought together about 20 organizations that offered one form of support for Wrangell families or another. The organizations ranged from religious groups, medical organizations, government entities, and sports groups. Organizations that participated include...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday night for its regularly scheduled meeting. A public hearing was held to discuss the city’s application for funding through the Community Development Block Grant program. Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore said that the grant program was a difficult one to successfully apply for, as there is only $2.6 million dollars to go around the entire state of Alaska each year. The purpose of the CDBG program, she said, is to give low-to-moderate income communities funds to help enhance life in their a...
With polls closing at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, preliminary results for Wrangell’s city election have come in. The election saw seats open for the positions of mayor, the borough assembly, school board, port commission, and hospital board. Also on the ballot was Proposition 1, which would allow for the lease of the Wrangell Medical Center and construction of a new hospital. There were 649 ballots cast on election day, with an additional 117 absentee ballots. The preliminary results of the election are as follows: There were two candidates for m...
BRAVE, the Wrangell organization advocating for stronger community relationships, will be hosting a Family Resilience Fair on Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Nolan Center. According to volunteer Maleah Wenzel, the fair is meant to provide Wrangell families with information about what resources are available to them. She added that the event was originally going to be held at the high school commons, but it has outgrown the space and was moved to the Nolan Center. “Basically the purpose of this is to make sure people in town know what resources t...
To the Editor: Proposition 1 on the City’s ballot October 2nd is one of the most important decisions the citizens of Wrangell will make for its future. Currently, Wrangell’s hospital and many independent hospitals like it are struggling to stay open because of many reasons. With a yes vote, not only will Wrangell’s hospital be more financially viable, it will also lead to a new hospital which is desperately needed. SEARHC has more resources available and based on the success of AICS with their relationship with SEARHC, the hospital shoul...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met Wednesday night, Sept. 19, for their annual review of the medical center. The review covered a wide variety of topics, such as the medical center’s 2018 strategic goals. The three main goals were divided into the categories of cash flow, recruitment and retention, and the new facility. CEO Robert Rang said that the medical center has had cash flow issues since before he came onboard. However, he said thanks to work with the billing department that the time between “patient interaction” and when...
Beginning this fall, according to a press release from the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, specialty services in Southeast Alaska will be expanded thanks to collaboration between SEARHC and Swedish Medical Center. The press release stated that a letter of intent was signed on Sept. 10 to expand both specialty services and clinics across the region. The services listed in the press release include neurology, urology, cardiology, rheumatology, and dermatology. Dan Neumeister, senior executive vice president with SEARHC, said that...
According to documents provided by Erin Michael, the public health nurse for Petersburg and Wrangell, opioids were involved in 42,000 deaths in the United States in 2016. In Alaska, in 2017, there were 108 opioid-related deaths. The National Institute of Drug Abuse said that opioids are highly addictive and can be found in illegal substances like heroin. It is also found in prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. To combat the increasing abuse of opioids in the area, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has...
The Nolan Center was packed Monday night as Wold Architects held a meeting to update the community on plans for the new hospital. Members of the city government, SEARHC, the Wrangell Medical Center, and many residents came to hear the update. According to WMC CEO Robert Rang, there were about 60 people in attendance. Josh Ripplinger, with Wold Architects, gave the update. Ripplinger started the meeting by reviewing a timeline of how the hospital would eventually be constructed. He said that they were currently in the “schematic design p...
Wrangell High School held an assembly last Monday afternoon for a special guest. September 10 is "Suicide Prevention Day," and the entire month of September is dedicated to suicide prevention. Darian Gerald came to the high school to talk to students, as well as parents and staff members in the crowd, about her own story. "I've actually only ever shared this story with my mom, my therapist, and my husband," she said. Gerald is an alumnus of Wrangell High School, having graduated in 2015. She...
The city and borough of Wrangell will be holding an election on Oct 2. There are several positions needing to be filled, and there are many people seeking to fill them with 13 people running for office. The Wrangell Sentinel has created a roundup of candidates to help better inform local voters. Mayor There are two candidates seeking the position of mayor. Carl Carlisle has been in Wrangell for about three years, he said, but has lived all around Alaska before then. Coming from a military background, he said that his main concerns for Wrangell...
About a week ago, according to Director of Public Works and Capital Facilities Amber Al-Haddad, water seepage was found in the upper reservoir dam at Wrangell’s water treatment facility. She came before the Wrangell Borough Assembly Tuesday evening to bring them up to speed on the situation. The seepage was located in the east end of the dam, and while Al-Haddad said the dam always maintained a wet consistency, the amount of water was higher than usual in this area. Al-Haddad said that once it was discovered, a series of weirs were built at t...
With another school year kicking off, a common concern for parents, teachers, and school staff is keeping children healthy. Being in a classroom environment, there are always concerns that one kid getting sick will lead to several kids getting sick. Dr. Buck Bania, with the SEARHC AICS clinic, listed some common "back to school" sicknesses people should be aware of, and common ways to prevent/cure them. The best way to avoid getting sick in school is to avoid germs as much as possible "It's...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association recently received a $50,000 grant from SEARHC. According to WCA Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton, several other communities with First Nations entities also received similar grants. The "Healthy is Here" grant is meant to help promote public health within their community. "The way that it was defined was really left up to the tribal board to determine how they wanted to promote health and culture within our community," Ashton said. "So the board went...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met July 18, at city hall for their regularly scheduled meeting. While not initially on the agenda, the board appointed a new president and vice president during this meeting. The issue was raised by board member Don McConachie, who pointed out that having a president was a part of the board's charter. He also said that since the board was trying to find a new member to fill a vacant seat, appointing a new president could help encourage people who...
In its first relatively short meeting since concluding its budget process earlier this month, the Borough Assembly nonetheless found time to wade into some sizable items Tuesday. Members approved moving ahead with a contract offer to Tamico RnR JV for float replacement and general renovation at Shoemaker Bay Harbor, in the amount of $8,355,240. (see related story) Additionally, a professional services agreement with PND Engineers to the tune of $731,328 for administration and inspection of the project was approved. A project contingency...
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,...
The City and Borough Assembly took its next serious step in redirecting Wrangell Medical Center’s future on Tuesday, authorizing a resolution to pursue a strategic affiliation with Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium. Earlier this year the city and regional healthcare provider began to cooperatively explore a new approach to managing WMC, a municipally-run critical access hospital. The hospital has been experiencing a revenue crisis for several years, and even with additional funds from city reserves has remained low on operating cash. H...
After a series of meetings and public presentations last week, a proposed acquisition of Wrangell Medical Center by a regional health group looks more probable. Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium has expressed interest in administering the municipal hospital, which has been in a prolonged state of financial difficulty. At the Wrangell Assembly's most recent meeting last Tuesday, WMC chief executive officer Robert Rang reported having only 13 days' cash on hand with which to cover...
To the Editor: It is with a sad and heavy heart I write this. As much as it is horrible it does need to be shared in the community of Wrangell. The Presbyterian Church of Wrangell has been an open door, 24-7, sanctuary for all who come. For whatever the need, whenever the need, the doors have been open. That time, a time of innocence maybe, has come to an end. About two weeks ago the vacuum and the microwave left the church through unknown means. Last night a person or persons came in and violated the trust of those open doors breaking locks...
A series of meetings between Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium and the City and Borough of Wrangell are planned for early next week. The regional health group is entertaining making an offer to assume control of Wrangell Medical Center, a municipally-run critical access hospital which has in recent years fallen into financial difficulties. Starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday, SEARHC will hold a series of meetings with city staff, hospital transition steering committee members and the wider community, in order to go...
Monday, April 23 Trespassing/Harassment. Agency assist: Ambulance requested. Turned in unwanted gun. Paper service. DV order. Eviction order. Arrested: Wilson Boon, 29: Charges of Violation of DVO. Tuesday, April 24 Citation issued: Cooper Seimears, 32: Operating vehicle with expired registration and verbal warning for driving habits. Welfare check. Wednesday, April 25 OTC paper served. Agency assist: Public Works. Civil standby requested. Thursday, April 26 Agency assist. Agency assist: Fire Department. Summons served. Agency assist: Fire...
Wrangell's emergency services were the recipients of the first-ever grant from the Walker Foundation, a benevolent fund established after the acquisition of Alaska Island Community Services last year by Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium. Governed by an appointed board, the Foundation supports activities that promote health and the welfare of the Wrangell community. "It's on a project by project basis. We currently have about $3.75M," explained Mark Walker, formerly CEO for AICS and...