May 21, 2005
Saturday

The hospital that services Ketchikan, Wrangell, POW, Metlakatla and points west has the following Speciality Departments: A Cancer Unit - with no cancer specialist. An Emergency Room - with no speciality trained ER doctor. A X-Ray unit - with no radiologist half the time. A Long Term Care Unit - with no long term care specialist. An intensive care/cardiac unit - with no no intensive care or cardiac specialist. So why can't we have a Kidney Dialysis Unit?

A hospital should provide for the needs identified by its community and service area. This community has shown that it identifies a kidney dialysis unit as a priority. The Eagles raised money and donated it to KGH for a dialysis unit. The hospital turned down the money. Two home dialysis units were donated to the hospital. No one seems to know where they went. Money was donated to the hospital to provide training in dialysis. The money was returned! Yet the City and Borough of Ketchikan have bonded debt in the amount of $17,506,012.92 for the many renovations and improvements the hospital (KGH) have identified as necessary. The yearly payments paid out of property taxes are approximately $870,000.00. We will be paying this debt until 2015. It seems a room could be identified that could house a donated kidney dialysis machine. Especially since Peace Health rents the hospital for $1.00 dollar per year.

Please call 225-6346 or fax 247-6346 or email kaajk@aol.com if you want to have a kidney dialysis unit at KGH to serve this area of Alaska.

Thank you, gunalch chee'ch, HoowWaa'

Kaaren Kubley
Ketchikan, AK - USA

 

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