Volcano Emergency Preparedness

As volcanic activity increases in our region, South Peninsula Hospital urges everyone to be aware of the potential health risks associated with volcanic ash. Ash fallout can cause serious health hazards, particularly for the respiratory system, eyes, and skin.

Health Hazards of Ash:

  • Respiratory Issues: Inhalation of fine ash particles can irritate your lungs, leading to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and aggravated asthma. Individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions like COPD or asthma are at higher risk.
  • Eye Irritation: Ash particles can irritate the eyes, causing redness, itching, and discomfort. In some cases, prolonged exposure can lead to more serious eye damage.
  • Skin Problems: Ash can cause skin irritation, rashes, and even abrasions, especially if it’s left on the skin for extended periods.
  • General Discomfort: Ash fallout can lead to headaches, fatigue, and dizziness due to exposure to fine particles in the air.

Protect Your Health:

  • Stay indoors during ash fall and limit outdoor activity.
  • Wear an N95 mask or respirator to reduce inhalation of ash particles.
  • Close windows and doors to prevent ash from entering your home.
  • Wash your hands and face thoroughly after being outdoors to remove ash from your skin.
  • Keep windows and doors closed, and ensure air filtration systems are set to circulate clean air.

For more detailed information on how to protect your family, home, and business, please refer to the full emergency preparedness guide here: Ash Alert: How to Protect Your Family, Home, and Business.

Stay informed and stay safe.

Additional resources:

Mt. Spurr FAQ (updated 3/19/25)

Ash Alert FAQ

Mt. Spurr Fact Sheet

USGS Ash fall website

Wellness Wednesday: Circadian Wellness with Heather Forbes

Join us for an informative talk from local midwife Heather Forbes to gain a foundational understanding of how light/dark impacts our health. 

Local graduate offers total hip replacement surgery at SPH

Lars Matkin, MD, performed a hip replacement surgery at South Peninsula Hospital in January, rounding out the full suite of orthopedic surgeries now offered here.  This event marks the first total hip replacement in recent times.  Michael Craig, the recipient of the new hip, is a local resident of Homer and expressed delight in being able to access this expertise in Homer.  Craig was up and walking hours after the surgery, and reported nothing but good outcomes at his follow-up appointment.

“I really don’t like driving and I really want to get my care locally,” Michael shared while visiting with the surgeon the day after surgery.  Michael already had a relationship with SPH’s Dr. Brent Adcox and Dr. Kurt Mentzer for other orthopedic care, and he really appreciated the quickness and ease in which they were able to connect him to Dr. Matkin for assessment and scheduling.  Though he’d never met Dr. Matkin before, Craig had been acquainted with his father for many years. Between knowing his dad, and being referred by Dr. Adcox, he felt very comfortable and was excited to be the first patient to have this surgery here. 

Homer born and raised, Matkin attended medical school at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and credits time spent with Dr. Adcox as his inspiration to practicing orthopedics. He practices mostly in Anchorage, but now joins the SPH orthopedics team in Homer on a twice monthly basis, focusing on patients with hip issues.

Matkin joins South Peninsula Orthopedics where two full time orthopedic surgeons, Brent Adcox and Kurt Mentzer, offer a full range of orthopedic services including sports medicine, orthopedic surgeries, total joint replacements and care of cervical and lumbar spinal disorders.  Adcox, the founding provider at South Peninsula Orthopedics, completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University Of Texas Health Sciences Center, and completed his spine fellowship at South Texas Spinal Clinic. Mentzer earned a Fellowship at Hand Center of San Antonio and completed residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center.

Matkin really appreciates the levels of support here as compared to other places. From a very effective and talented surgical staff and the familiarity of relationships found only in a small town, to a very diverse physical rehabilitation team which offers all types of specialties and even does home visits, Matkin is super impressed with the whole patient care experience here and looks forward to expanding his practice in the coming years.

South Peninsula Orthopedics is located at 4201 Bartlett Street, Homer.  Appointments can be made by calling (907) 235-0310. 

SPH Speech Pathologists to offer Support Group

SPH speech/language pathologists are now offering a support group for individuals and their families with speech, voice and communication disorders. This will be a chance to share experiences, access resources and find encouragement with others facing similar challenges.  The group is hosted by Martie Klousner, M.S. and Haley Jenkins, M.S., the Speech-Language Pathologists in the Rehabilitation Department at SPH. It will meet the last Saturday of every month at the SPH Training Center at 4014 Lake Street, #101.  The first support group meeting is Saturday, February 22 from 12:00-1:00pm. For more information contact the SPH Speech Therapy office at 907-235-0372. To learn more about our speech services, visit https://www.sphosp.org/services/rehabilitation-services/

     

Wellness Wednesday – February Schedule

FEBRUARY 

Yoga Instructor: Taylor Kendal Chandler

Bio: Taylor Chandler is a holistic wellness guide and movement instructor who draws on her unique background in environmental public health and communications. As a 500-hour certified yoga teacher and female core + pelvic floor specialist, she creates classes that blend yoga-based movement, strength conditioning, and restorative practices in a mindful flow format.

Drawing from her expertise in whole-body wellness and women’s pelvic health, Taylor guides both experienced yogis and newcomers with compassionate presence and deep anatomical knowledge. Her classes cultivate physical vitality and inner balance while meeting each student’s unique needs and goals.

Contact: hello@seedsandspells.com

 

February 05 

Heather Forbes CDM, CPM, BSM, Mountain Sea Midwifery and Wellness

Circadian Wellness

Join us for an informative talk from local midwife Heather Forbes to gain a foundational understanding of how light/dark impacts our health. 

 

February 12 

Jay Bechtol, CEO, SPBHS 

Talking with Your Children About Mental Health

Come enjoy a presentation designed to help anyone navigate sensitive conversations about emotional well-being with kids, parents, or primary care-givers. Experts from South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services will cover strategies for creating an open, supportive environment where children feel safe expressing their feelings. The presentation will also provide guidance on recognizing signs of mental health challenges, addressing stigma, and fostering resilience. Aimed at empowering families, this talk will equip parents with tools to communicate effectively, normalize mental health discussions, and offer the necessary support to children from 0 to 99

 

February 19 

Taylor Kendal Chandler 

The Language of Living Well

Drawing from a unique blend of environmental public health, yoga-based movement and communications expertise to explore how we can rewrite our understanding of wellness beyond conventional metrics. Through insights from longevity studies, lived experience and nature’s own rhythms, participants will be guided toward an authentic, sustainable definition of wellbeing that honors both individual needs and our interconnected world.

 

February 26 

Morgan Laffert, Hospice of Homer

Walking Each Other Home: a conversation on death

A conversation on death with Hospice of Homer staff and volunteers. Learn about the process of death, how our community supports the in-home end-of-life transition, and hear from our volunteers and their client’s loved ones about their experiences.

 

Wellness Wednesday at KPC

Wellness Wednesday: “Every Emotion Matters – How Both Positive and Negative Emotions Shape a Life” with Michelle Fellows, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Psychology, UAA/KPC

Emotions have often gotten a bad rap for being “irrational”. However, research now points to their functional and necessary role in our thinking and wellness. One important function of our emotions is to provide us with information about our needs and motivations. This is true for the entire spectrum of emotions, not just the positive, or pleasant, feelings. While we don’t usually wake up each morning hoping for a day full of unpleasant feelings, our negative emotions are just as normal and valuable as our positive emotions. In this talk, Michelle will use a psychological lens to explore how we can leverage ALL of our emotions to be more whole human beings.

Learn More: https://www.sphosp.org/community-education/wellness-wednesday/

Architectural, design and engineering services RFP

South Peninsula Hospital is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide architectural, design and engineering services for SPH projects under $1,000,000.  Services must include project inception to occupancy and include space planning; design development; civil, landscape, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering; environmental review and testing; construction documents; permit coordination; bid review; and construction administration.  Complete details here. The deadline for questions is February 14, 2025 and deadline for submission is February 28, 2025.

Homeless, At-risk of being houseless, and those in need invited

South Peninsula Hospital is working with other local agencies to offer Community Resource Connect, a free, one-day event on Tuesday, January 28th, to provide assistance to those who are homeless, at risk of being houseless, or for those in need of extra support for their daily living situation.

Community Resource Connect offers a one-stop shop for individuals to gather resources, get connected with assistance, and collect necessary supplies. Winter gear, comfort packs, back packs, food to go, clothing, sleeping bags and personal hygiene kits are but a few of the free supplies to be offered. Over 20 vendors will offer resources related to food, employment, healthcare, mental health, health screenings, enrollment in to local services and more. 

This one-day event happens on Tuesday, January 28th from 11AM-3PM in two locations on the Southern Kenai Peninsula: the SPARC at 600 Sterling Highway in Homer, and in Anchor Point at the VFW at 72551 Milo Fritz Ave. A point in time homeless count and data collection will happen at these events, as part of a nationwide point-in-time homeless count.

Free transportation is offered to and from both locations. In Homer call (907) 235- 0285; in Anchor Point call (907) 756-3321.  This event is open to the public and anyone in need of extra support is welcome to attend.

This annual event is sponsored by a group of local, non-profit agencies with help from concerned citizens, and happens in conjunction with the Kenai Peninsula Project Homeless Connect. Last year’s event served over 140 people in need. Information on volunteering or donating to help cover costs can be found on the hospital’s website: www.sphosp.org or by emailing wellness@sphosp.org.

Join the FB event here to keep an eye out for more information.

Masks and other precautions encouraged due to high rates of respiratory illness

The State of Alaska, Kenai Peninsula and greater Homer area are seeing increasing rates of respiratory illnesses like influenza (the flu), RSV, and COVID-19. South Peninsula Hospital invites you to join us in our efforts to minimize transmission of these illnesses while protecting the health of patients, residents, and staff.

During this peak in cases, visitors to SPH, the Long Term Care facility, and all clinics are encouraged to:

  • Wear a mask – masks can be found at all entrances, and please ask staff if you cannot locate one;
  • Practice good hand hygiene – wash your hands often with soap and water, or hand sanitizer;
  • Stay home if you’re sick – please reschedule any non-essential visits if you are not feeling well, and let the office know in advance if you aren’t feeling well;
  • Test – Test kits for flu and covid are available for purchase at local pharmacies and free covid tests can be ordered at https://covidtests.gov/.  Homer Medical Center and SPH Family Care Clinic offer testing by appointment if experiencing illness. For additional info visit our Covid19 information page.

Thank you for your consideration to this request during this time of increased respiratory illnesses.  

SPH Long Term Care receives National Quality Award

The Long Term Care of South Peninsula Hospital was recently awarded the 2024 Commitment to Quality Award by The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for their strong commitment to improving the quality of care for their residents.

The Quality Awards program recognizes organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance to improve the lives of residents in long term and post-acute care. Recipients are subject to thorough evaluation of various aspects of quality and performance.

The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level. SPH was one of 525 skilled nursing facilities in 48 states to earn the Bronze Award, and the only one in Alaska to be named. They can now advance to be considered for the Silver Quality Award.

“The recognition of these facilities is a testament to their commitment to quality,” said Mark Parkinson, AHCA/NCAL President and CEO. “Their initial step on this journey is setting an inspiring benchmark for others in our profession. We celebrate their dedication and look forward to their continued pursuit of excellence as they strive for Gold.”

Katie Martin, RN, Director of Nursing at the hospital’s Long Term Care, said that to be considered for the award the facility had to show a clear plan for quality improvement and demonstrate effective practices that enhance the care they provide. Martin shared, “I’m so proud of the entire team in Long Term Care. They demonstrate every day their commitment to providing quality care and making a real difference in the lives of those individuals who call this home.”

South Peninsula Hospital’s Long Term Care is licensed to provide care for 28 residents, is co-located on the west side of the hospital and has been a home away from home for hundreds of residents for over 50 years. More information on South Peninsula Hospital’s Long Term Care can be found at https://www.sphosp.org/services/long-term-care/.

More information on the award can be found on AHCA/NCAL website: https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Press-Releases/Pages/AHCA-NCAL-Announces-2024-Bronze-National-Quality-Awards.aspx .