Concerns about Ketchikan’s local hospital have spurred local leaders to evaluate their relationship with PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center. The Ketchikan City Council met to review the hospital’s lease last night in a special work session.
PeaceHealth is a nonprofit healthcare system in the Pacific Northwest. They operate the community’s hospital in a city-owned building. The lease agreement includes tenant obligations, like meeting standards of care and establishing a community health board.
Councilmember Judy Zenge says the council needs to ensure those lease requirements are being upheld.
“So if the providers are not able, for whatever reason, to provide the service that the community needs, then that, to me, falls under the lease under providing the core services,” Zenge said.
At a town hall last month, hospital staff said they felt unable to speak up about safety concerns in fear of retaliation. And patients voiced frustrations too, with some saying they felt disrespected or not listened to by local PeaceHealth staff.
Zenge said that in order to make sure the hospital is upholding their end of the lease agreement, communication between all parties need to be improved.
“It comes to transparency and reporting, or whatever you want to call it, but we need both sides need to do a better job communicating, because we’re not doing that right now,” Zenge said.
PeaceHealth leadership at the meeting asked for any concerns or complaints to be filed formally through their system, rather than on Facebook.
“We know there’s been concern and conversation about the hospital,” said PeaceHealth Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Cook. “We deeply appreciate the community for sharing their stories and we take the concerns they’ve expressed seriously. We have multiple ways for patients and caregivers to share feedback. We act on it because safety for both patients and caregivers is our highest priority.”
Councilmember Jai Mahtani said the lack of transparency and misinformation has caused problems on both ends.
“People are concerned that they will not be provided with adequate health care if they speak up or if they come forward and question or complain,” Mahtani said. “So we need to look into all these areas and clean up and clarify between hospital administration and the community.”
Other concerns brought up by council members included unclear descriptions of medical bills and lack of local response to complaints. Mahtani called the work session a “helpful step in bridging the gap” between the city and PeaceHealth.
Mayor Bob Sivertsen said he plans to meet with hospital leadership and the health advisory committee moving forward.
The lease is up for five-year renewal next October.
