Petersburg Medical Center Newsletter |
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▲ Mike Boggs, PMC plant manager, with daughter-in-law Helen Boggs, LTC nursing director.
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▲ PMC nurses Mary Kravitz, Traci Vinson and Angela Menish walk through town to give flu vaccinations. |
▲ Thank you Maura O'brien, Kathy Emmeneger and Rita Ronne for this delicious lunch and helping keep our staff fueled. |
NEWSLETTER BANNER PHOTO: PMC is family—literally! Some PMC employees who are couples, in-laws, parents/children, or siblings posed recently for this photo. From left: Mike Boggs, Helen Boggs, Chad Wright, Sarah Wright, Jennifer Bryner, Lauren Thain, Ruby Shumway, Mamie Nilsen, Don Bieber, Vikki Franklin, Jessica Franklin, Traci Vinson and Tony Vinson. |
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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Stay healthy as we head toward winter
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SCARCE RESOURCES: As COVID-19 case numbers increase in Petersburg and across Alaska, access to treatment, testing supplies, and higher levels of care has become more difficult.
- Monoclonal antibodies continue to be in extremely short supply. This treatment decreases risk of hospitalization for high-risk patients with severe COVID disease.
- Patients with severe COVID disease may require transfer to a higher level of care. Please be aware that medevac options for transporting patients to needed higher levels of care continue to be extremely limited.
- Our Cepheid Rapid PCR Test supplies are low. The PMC laboratory recently performed over 500 PCR tests. Until supplies are adequately replenished, specimens from asymptomatic patients will be sent to reference laboratories. Same-day results should not be expected.
FLU VACCINE TIME! Petersburg Medical Center is now offering this fall's flu vaccine. Three of our amazing nurses, Angela Menish, Mary Kravitz and Traci Vinson, took a cart around PMC to offer all employees the vaccine, then made their way downtown and offered the vaccine to folks around town, using all 70 doses they'd loaded on the cart. The following day they set up shop at Hammer & Wikan Grocery and gave vaccines to 90 community members. Upcoming opportunities to get this year's flu vaccine include:
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Thursday, Oct. 14 • 11:30–2pm • Pop-up (no appointment needed). Location: TREES RV at 10.5 mile Mitkof Highway
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Saturday, Oct. 16 • 9–11am • PMC Clinic. Please call 772-4299 to schedule a flu shot appointment.
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Home delivery of flu or COVID-19 shots may be arranged by calling Home Health at 772-5792
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Businesses can schedule a pop-up at their location; call Julie Walker 772-5552
COVID-19 HOTLINE: Please call our COVID-19 hotline 907-772-5788 if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, are traveling and would like to test, need asymptomatic or symptomatic testing, or are interested in receiving your first or second COVID-19 vaccine dose. Let's get to herd immunity. Stay safe!
— Phil Hofstetter, CEO, PMC
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CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
PMC clinician takes mental health message to Petersburg schools
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October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and the first week of October was Mental Illness Awareness Week. As part of these observances, Ashley Kawashima, behavioral health clinician, is offering a series of presentations in the middle and high school.
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Signs of Suicide and Building Resiliency in Mental Health focuses on ways to help people you care about who might be in a crisis and how to advocate for them and ourselves.
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Everyone has Mental Health educates students on what taking care of one's own mental health might look like, and signs and symptoms that could indicate we may need extra support.
Both presentations include information about how bullying can affect our mental health. Ashley is also offering an anonymous survey to check in with the students to see if any would like to visit with a counselor or is in need of any resources.
In November, Ashley will go back to the school to do a followup and check in with the students.
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▲ Kelsey Lambe, PMC's public relations coordinator, participated in the Beat the Odds cancer fundraising 5K walk/run on September 25. Physical exercise and spending time in nature can support good mental health.
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▲ Kaili Watkins, clinic receptionist, led a Zumba warmup before the Beat the Odds annual 5k run/walk. Participating in Zumba counts toward PMC employees' Get Physical incentive program. |
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
PMC staffers stay active thanks to wellness incentives program
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Petersburg Medical Center's Employee Wellness Program aims to promote a healthy, productive workforce and contribute to making PMC a great place to work. PMC has partnered with third-party vendor Bravo Wellness to develop a successful employee wellness program.
Employees were recently encouraged to participate in a 6-week challenge called Get Physical. Participants record at least 30 minutes of activity for a minimum of 30 of the 42 days. They could register solo or as a work team.
The PMC Wellness Team has been encouraging a walk on your lunch break with other employees and recently offered parking lot Zumba with Kaili Watkins in the evening after work.
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MEET THE STAFF
From janitor to night shift nurse, Carolyn Kvernvik helps where needed
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Helping her community is what drives Carolyn Kvernvik.
Carolyn was born and raised in Petersburg. She graduated from Petersburg High School in 2012. Throughout high school she played volleyball and basketball, served on the student council, and spent summers fishing with her dad.
She went on to graduate from Gonzaga University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental services, which she had intended to use somehow in the fishing world. Instead, Carolyn moved home after college, did some more fishing with her dad, and then became a substitute janitor at the school.
"I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and they were in need of some help at the school, so I thought, why not?" Carolyn said. "Shout out to all janitors—that work is no joke."
In 2016, Carolyn learned that Petersburg Medical Center had become a site for the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Nursing’s distance program.
"My goal has always been to make a living while helping out community, so when nursing presented itself, I went for it," she said.
Carolyn was accepted into Petersburg’s first UAA nursing program cohort and after two years of hard work graduated in May 2019 with an associate of applied science degree in nursing. She then continued on to pursue a bachelor of science degree in nursing, taking online classes through Utah-based Western Governors University. She graduated in 2021.
"Alaska doesn't require nurses to have a bachelor’s degree, but I have goals and thought now is the time," she said. Carolyn next hopes to pursue a wound care certificate and hopes to apply for a management position at PMC in the future.
Carolyn typically works a 6:00pm-6:00am shift at PMC—not every nurse's first choice.
"At first it was scary because I was new to nursing, but nights is where I am needed," she said. Carolyn loves being able to see the community and get to know them. Patients love telling stories about their lives and Carolyn loves to listen.
Carolyn sleeps during the day when she has shifts. When she isn't resting for shift, she takes advantage of her free daytime hours.
"I will not waste my days off," she said. Carolyn loves to kayak, hike, adventure with friends, and go fishing with her boyfriend, Aaron Phillips. Though travel adventures have taken her to Italy, Zambia, and New Zealand, she always makes her way back home to Petersburg.
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▲ Carolyn Kvernvik (right) displays her bachelor of nursing degree certificate with her proud mother, Janet Kvernvik. |
▲ Aaron Phillips and Carolyn backpacking in New Zealand. |
▲ Carolyn with her sister, Adanna, and father, Kurt, fishing for the season. |
▲ Carolyn playing in the mud on one of her days adventuring. |
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▲ LTC residents Ray Olsen and Linda Reller enjoying a Halloween movie. |
▲ Peyton Menish, CNA and Ray Olsen, LTC Resident watching over the construction workers outside of LTC as they climb around the roof of the new apartments going up.
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LONG TERM CARE UPDATE
Despite COVID uptick, LTC residents enjoy visits and fall traditions
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Fall is in full swing down at Long Term Care. Each week the residents have been embracing various aromas associated with fall. The scents and flavors of apple cider, pumpkin muffins, and savory meals have satisfied bellies, noses, and hearts as all continue to trudge on through this pandemic.
Fortunately, despite elevated community risk for the COVID-19 virus, residents continue to be able to visit with their families and those in their closest bubble. Residents have participated virtually in community events such as the Rainforest Festival and Petersburg High School sporting events. Staff and residents are beyond grateful to live at a time when advanced technology makes streaming events a breeze.
So far this fall, residents have spent lots of time in the kitchen. The colder weather has inspired indoor activities like canning jams, making quiche, and brewing apple cider. Planning has also begun for upcoming major holidays. Halloween costumes, favorite pies, and winter traditions are all topics of discussion around LTC. Exciting happenings the residents look forward to this month include the Halloween Candy Drop and Pumpkin Carving contest. More information about how community members can participate will come out soon.
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