Petersburg Medical
Center Newsletter
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▲ CEO Phil Hofstetter visiting with Lisa Murkowski and PMC Board Member Marlene Cushing at the Petersburg Community Foundation grant awards gathering. |
▲ Pedal/Paddle Battle prizes on display at the PMC Foundation’s Health Fair booth. |
▲ PMC Community Wellness staff receiving the grant award for their ORCA POD (Play Outside Day) summer camp in partnership with Kinderskog. |
NEWSLETTER BANNER PHOTO: PMC’s Radiology Manager Sonja Paul and son Henry staff their booth at the Health Fair event
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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Spring Brings Rejuvenation
of PMC Activities
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Specialty Clinics Return
This past month we had ENT Dr. Raster in the Joy Janssen Clinic and Optometrist Dr. Kapp in the Visiting Physicians Clinic. Next up is working with Dr. Head to prepare for the return of colonoscopies in-house later this summer. PMC is very excited about this return of specialties in the facility.
Health Fair
The in-person Health Fair was on Saturday, June 4th at the Community Gym. PMC did over 500 blood draws in the month leading up to the Health Fair and about 200 people showed up to the in-person event. Thanks to all the PMC Departments, community partners and out of town guests who presented and/or held a booth to make our health fair a success!
Pedal/Paddle Battle
Save the Date for the 8th annual PMC Foundation Paddle Battle fundraiser on August 6th. This year we are adding in a biking option and deeming it the first “Pedal/Paddle Battle.” We have secured three prize giveaways for the event: Fat Tire Bike (Fatback 18in Corvus Rhino FLT), an Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board, and 2 Roundtrip AK Airlines tickets. Both participants and donors will have chances to enter this drawing. Stay tuned for info on how to register and/or donate to this great event! All funds raised go to support continuing education for staff and scholarships for graduating seniors.
Legislative Updates
PMC was approved for $8 million through Senator Murkowski’s appropriations. This will be used for the next steps towards a new hospital including geotechnical work, environmental study, site selection and preparation. This will be a key topic during the June 14th work session with the PMC Board and the Petersburg Borough Assembly.
Commissioner Adam Crum, State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and Senator Lisa Murkowski made visits to PMC this past month. These visits were great opportunities to share all the wonderful things going on at PMC and discuss challenges in healthcare and opportunities for State and Legislative support.
Staffing Updates
We have an amazing staff here at PMC! Angela Menish passed her Nurse Practitioner boards and is excited about developing her skills at PMC. She started as a CNA, RN and now is a NP. Angela is an excellent example of the opportunity for growth and continuing education offered at PMC. She also recently received a national award for nursing from the Daisy Foundation. Kim Randrup received her RHIT certification and has transitioned into Janet Kvernvik’s position as the Health Information Manager.
Childcare Updates
During the May board meeting the PMC Board of Directors approved a pilot project for after school and summer programming for school aged youth. Over the past two years, PMC’s Community Wellness team has been working with the SHARE Coalition to assess the local childcare needs, advocate for quality affordable care, and has partnered to offer afterschool programs such as Girls on the Run with WAVE and ORCA Camps with Kinderskog. PMC looks forward to developing programming and is currently working on logistics and potential partnerships to make this next step a reality.
— Phil Hofstetter, CEO, PMC
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▲ PMC’s began offering a new Lifestyle Balance program this February and plans to start a second class in January |
▲ Resistance Bands were given out to Lifestyle Balance class participants during a recent session on strength training |
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
PMC’s New “Lifestyle Balance” Program Helping Prevent Disease
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PMC new Lifestyle Balance program is designed to help people improve their health by learning about healthy eating and strategies to increase exercise. The national program boasts a 58% success rate in helping people decrease their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and has a great track record for decreasing risk of heart disease. While aimed at those with pre-diabetes, the program is also open to anyone over the age of 18 that is at risk for developing diabetes due to factors such as age, weight, or family history. The year-long class includes topics such as reading nutrition labels, tips for eating out, ways to stay motivated, mindful eating, problem solving, managing slips and stress.
PMC’s first Lifestyle Balance class kicked off on in February. Participants are asked to track food and beverages intake along with their physical activity minutes. They are weighed at each session and receive regular feedback and encouragement from the lifestyle coach on their progress.
So far, the group of ten has lost over 110 pounds together and many have reported very positive results beyond the scale. Several participants recently got their blood drawn for the health fair and said their blood sugars and cholesterol were the best they have been in years. One participant, Elise Kubo, says “It’s been good practice paying attention to what I’m eating and consciously choosing what to eat. Tracking my intake and activity has been really good too, because it makes me actually think about it rather than just snacking on autopilot.” She said the class has inspired her to learn to cook more and start attending water aerobics classes, which she is really enjoying.
The Lifestyle Balance program is not a weight loss program or a diet, it is more of a lifestyle overhaul. The class focuses on small manageable lifestyle changes and skills that are things people can hopefully keep up forever so they can remain healthy as they age and prevent diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
The lead lifestyle coach for the program is Julie Walker, PMC’s Community Wellness Coordinator. Walker says that starting this class fit well with her educational background and that “seeing the successes of the participants is very rewarding. The group has a lot of fun together in a supportive learning environment.” PMC’s Community Wellness team members Julie Walker and Becky Turland completed training from the University of Pittsburg on the CDC approved Lifestyle Balance curriculum and look forward to offering the class again in early 2023.
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MEET THE STAFF
Rufina Sturgeon
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Rufina Sturgeon has been working in the Environmental Services (EVS) Department, also known as Housekeeping, of Petersburg Medical Center since she started here four years ago. Rufina moved to Petersburg in December of 2000 after living in Montana and doing a little traveling. Originally from a small boarder town in Mexico that is near El Paso, Texas; Rufina moved to the United States in 1996, when her daughter was nine. Rufina had always dreamed of traveling in the United States and visiting Alaska, now she can say she is living her dream.
When Rufina first came to Petersburg, she worked at Norquest (now known as Trident) before getting a position in the Deli at Hammer & Wikan grocery store, where she worked closely with the bakery department as well. Rufina worked at Hammer & Wikan for 17 years before she made the transition to Petersburg Medical Center.
Rufina really enjoys her job here at the hospital. She notes that it keeps her very active and moving all the time, and that she gets along well with her coworkers. After being at PMC for a period of time there was discussion of her going through CNA program and she thought about it but the class was then put on hold. Rufina decided to stay in her current position once the class was offered again, noting that the technology and learning a new position wasn’t quite what she was wanting at the time. She is happy with her decision and really does enjoy being able to interact with so many different people throughout the facility in her current role here.
Most of Rufina’s family still lives in Mexico though she lives here in Petersburg with her husband, Mark, of twenty years. They have a mini-pit bull together named Chico. Rufina enjoys getting out, meeting and talking to people in Petersburg and this is helped by her walks with her dog, who often sounds like a little pig when he’s walking. Rufina states that “everyone who meets him, loves him.” She also has a daughter, a son-in-law and two grandchildren who live in Oregon. She doesn’t get to see them as much as she’d like but is looking forward to planning a trip to go see them when the time is right. Petersburg Medical Center is grateful to have Rufina, and her smiling self, as part of our staff caring for the facility, staff and patients in all that she does.
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▲ Rufina & husband Mark at the last Christmas party they attended of Norquest (now Trident) |
▲ 26 year old Rufina in Mexico |
▲ Chico, Rufina's mini-pit bull, that loves to sit & people watch in the window. |
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DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT
Long Term Care
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The level of care provided in Long Term Care (LTC) can’t be met at home or in a typical assisted living facility. For residents to qualify for Long Term Care they must need assistance with at least three activities of daily living such as getting in and out of bed, walking, eating or personal hygiene. LTC staff are knowledgeable and caring and work hard to meet the needs of each individual resident’s personality and lifestyles and to make LTC a warm, loving, and happy home environment.
Currently, PMC has seven LTC residents who live at the hospital and LTC staff work hard to ensure that the residents feel like they are at home. To facilitate this, the hospital has been making updates to the resident rooms including flooring, window treatments, and lighting to make them feel more like apartments. There are also updates happening throughout the main areas of LTC in an ongoing effort to make the environment more home-like.
LTC is operated with a day shift team of two CNA’s, a Registered Nurse, and two Activities Aides as well as a night shift crew of two CNA’s and one Registered Nurse. Staff are knowledgeable and skilled at tailoring their care to each resident’s personality and their needs at that given time. Alice Neidiffer, LTC and Skilled Activities Coordinator, recently received a certification in Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care (PAC) to help with the unique demands and challenges of caring for the residents with dementia. Alice has trained other staff at PMC on these approaches and now has the tools to help staff when the are faced with challenging situations with residents. The LTC Activities team has also created ways to facilitate old hobbies for those individuals that may not remember them.
Lately the current residents have preferred solitary or one-on-one activities over group gatherings. Traditionally, LTC has engaged the residents in group activities but many of the residents aren’t too keen on those or may not tolerate group settings well. LTC staff still offer group activities for those that wish to participate but, for the most part, they adjust to a more personal level and focus on one-on-one activities. Sitting on the sunny porch, playing games, and watching movies are some favorite one-on-one activities of the current residents.
LTC is a home and the residents are cared for as a family. LTC is currently open to mask-wearing visitors for those who would like to come and visit. Alice and her team planned a Memorial Day picnic at Sandy Beach for the residents and plan to host more picnics throughout the summer.
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▲ From Left to Right: Steven Williams (Activities Aide), Alice Neidiffer (Activities Coordinator), Avery Skeek (CNA), Shirley Yip (Activities Aide), Traci Vinson (RN), and Helen Boggs (LTC Manager) |
▲ New paint, flooring, lighting and mantle in LTC resident room make it cozy and inviting. |
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CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Nurses Class Ups Knowledge and Skills for Emergency Pediatric Care
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Emergency room nurses need to be prepared to care for anyone at anytime, including pediatric patients. Having the skills to quickly and systematically triage, assess, and plan necessary interventions for sick and injured children is a critical component of being a nurse at PMC. We do not see a high volume of children in our small hospital, so keeping skills and knowledge fresh is essential to being able to recognize what is needed and provide the necessary care in each unique situation. Nurses at PMC must have skills to work in all areas including acute care, skilled nursing, Emergency Room, as well as LTC.
PMC Nurses completed a two-day Emergency Pediatric Nursing Course (ENPC) this month to build on their skills and knowledge and provide hands-on practice in a supportive learning environment. ENPC teaches nurses how to recognize pediatric patients experiencing a life or limb-threatening illness or injury and provide appropriate interventions and care. The course included online modules plus 12 hours in a classroom. The class broke into small groups and reviewed real-life scenarios and practiced hands-on skills. PMC nurses gave rave reviews of the class, stating that it was very challenging and that the systematic assessment tools will be very helpful for their work.
PMC funded this training through the Hospital Preparedness Grant through the State of Alaska. The class was taught by Bartlett Regional Hospital staff Jenny Twite (RN) Nathan Hardin (RN), a previous PMC nurse and PHS graduate. PMC will continue offering this class as well as the adult version of the class to continue preparing our nurses to serve anyone that comes into the ER to the best of their ability.
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Eighteen PMC nurses took the Emergency Nursing Pediatrics Course (ENPC) this month thanks to a Hospital Preparedness Program grant PMC received. |
Rozanne Plew (RN) practices hands-on skills with the instructor during the Emergency Pediatric Nursing Course. |
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▲Vikings come to visit LTC residents Marie Moore and Roald Norheim. |
▲ Activities Aide Shirley Yip and Dr. Burt roast hotdogs with Resident Myron Lyons. |
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LONG TERM CARE UPDATE
LTC in May
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Long Term Care has been busy as summer is quickly approaching. The sun has been out and the rain has gone away for a good portion of May, so Long Term Care has made a good effort to get our staff and residents out and about to soak up some sunshine. From gardening to van rides, our residents have taken advantage of the sunshine on a daily basis. In addition to the day-to-day activities, our residents have enjoyed the busyness Petersburg has to offer during the month of May!
Little Norway Festival was a whirlwind of a week filled with visits from Vikings, cultural festivities, and lots of yummy food. After last year’s dreary festival, it was a nice change of pace to enjoy the tradition in the sunshine. Long Term Care was excited to once again participate in the Little Norway Festival parade, as well as return to the festivities in a COVID aware manner.
Long Term Care ended the month with a picnic to honor Memorial Day and all of those staff and residents know who have passed while in the Service. It was a beautiful day, full of gratitude. Petersburg Parks and Recreation ensured the Sandy Beach shelter was in tip-top shape for our residents and it was a beautiful morning to enjoy each other’s company. Once again, returning to picnics in a manner respectful of the current pandemic is a huge step for our Long Term Care residents who continue to take small steps towards “endemic” life and our activities, nursing, and dietary staff did an incredible job planning and executing this event. We look forward to the rest of the summer and more time to spend together.
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