Daily Sitka Sentinel

Expert Advising City On Hospital Issues

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

How would hiring practices and access to health care work under a new organization representing both Sitka Community Hospital and SEARHC?

That’s among the questions city and Sitka Community Hospital representatives hope to discuss when they meet with attorney Myra Munson at a work session 6 p.m. today at Centennial Hall.

City Administrator Mark Gorman said he’s looking forward to hearing Munson’s insight on questions asked by the SCH board and Assembly at recent meetings about hiring practices and access to care.

“These are go, no-go questions that have to be answered to the satisfaction of the general Sitka community,” Gorman said.

Munson, a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, is a Juneau attorney in private practice. Her website said her “nationwide practice emphasizes self-determination and self-governance, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Medicaid and other third-party reimbursement issues, and other tribal health program operations issues.”

“I’m hoping we learn a little bit more about what SEARHC can and can’t do,” agreed Sitka Community Hospital CEO Rob Allen. “That’s been a constant question that’s come up a couple of times.”

Over the years, the two hospitals have been talking about possible ways to work together in ways that would benefit them both while expanding the range of health services available to the general public, as well as SEARHC beneficiaries.

A Seattle-based consultant hired by SEARHC and Sitka Community has been meeting with the boards and staffs of both hospitals over the past couple of months, and more recently with the Assembly, explaining that the cooperative option that would result in the most benefit for all concerned would be the creation of a new health care entity, with both organizations having a stake.

The SEARHC board has signed a nonbinding letter of intent, and the SCH board is scheduled to take up a similar letter at its regular Thursday board meeting.

Allen said he’s hoping Sitka Community gets some guidance from the Assembly tonight so the hospital board can discuss and decide Thursday on whether to move ahead with the letter of intent.

“I hope our board can make a decision to move forward or not,” he said. “It’s good to hear what some concerns are from the Assembly. We’re hoping to have some good discussion between the two boards as well.”

The six-page letter of intent under review by SCH pledges the hospital will enter into negotiations with SEARHC for a “proposed affiliation.” The letter cites some of the ongoing challenges facing Sitka Community and rural hospitals across the country, such as the duplication of services by having two separate hospitals, the rising cost of health care, the aging population, state economic challenges, recruitment challenges, infrastructure costs and the uncertainty of Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Among the proposed goals are to “develop enhanced medical expertise, specialties and complementary resources for improved patient outcomes and better patient care experiences; preserve and enhance the quality of health care provided to patients” and to “create a financially thriving enterprise with operational efficiencies that enables the expansion of services with the intent of optimizing patient care and enhancing access to capital.”

Another goal is to “preserve equal access to health care services for all individuals in the communities and provide high-quality, culturally appropriate care.”

Assembly member Kevin Knox said he’s looking forward to “keeping the dialogue going” at this point.

“This process is a lot more about how we address the community’s concerns on both sides, and how services end up being delivered,” he said.

The Assembly will not take formal action tonight since it is a work session.