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Rachael Kincaid, DNP, APRN, has been named South Peninsula Hospital’s Chief Operating Officer. Rachael has served as the organization’s Chief Nursing Officer and Long Term Care Administrator since 2022. 

Rachael received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Medical University of South Carolina with a focus on gerontology. Prior to South Peninsula Hospital, she worked in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area, specializing in hospice and palliative care. Rachael succeeds Angela Hinnegan who recently left after five years on the hospital’s leadership team to serve as Chief Financial Officer at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna.

Amber Gall, RN, has been named the new Chief Nursing Officer. Amber has been a trusted nursing leader at SPH as Director of Surgical Services since 2020, where she successfully increased department staff retention, decreased the need for travel staff and expanded surgical services offered locally.  Prior to SPH, Amber worked in Wyoming in both critical access and surgical specialty hospitals. She looks forward to being part of the executive leadership team with a continued commitment to high standards of care, staff development, and patient-centered practices.

Ryan Smith, hospital CEO, feels fortunate to have such talented leaders already in place to make for an easy transition. “Rachael and Amber have earned deep respect and trust from both our medical staff and employees in a short period of time. Their strong ties to the community, deep understanding of our organization, and unwavering dedication to patient care position them to make a meaningful impact on the hospital’s future. We are also incredibly grateful to Angela Hinnegan for her exceptional leadership and service as COO. Her steady guidance has laid a strong foundation, and we deeply appreciate her many contributions to our mission and team.”

Join us for a Communication Disorder Support Group on the last Saturday of each month. This group offers a welcoming space for individuals with speech, voice, and communication disorders and their families to share experiences, access resources, and find encouragement to communicate in supported ways. Please contact Martie Klouser, MS, CCC-SLP at (907) 235- 0372 with questions.

Join us for our weekly Wellness Wednesday events at the Kenai Peninsula College on Pioneer Avenue. Health talks begin at 5:30pm, and Qi Gong with Kate Henry begins at 6:30pm. Free homemade soup and bread is provided. Please note that these are the last Wellness Wednesday events until the fall!

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.