RFP

South Peninsula Hospital is seeking a vendor to provide brokerage services for worker’s compensation, employer’s liability, crime, and business auto Insurance programs.
Complete details here.  Deadline to submit is May 15, 2023.

Free Community Yoga Wednesdays in April

Free community yoga continues in April, presented by Erin Brege of Icy Mermaid Yoga. Erin is a certified yoga instructor, local Spanish teacher and global traveler who believes fully in the wellness power of yoga. Free community Yoga is every April in Wednesday from 6-7pm at SPARC, 600 Sterling Highway. All ages and abilities are welcome. Please bring a yoga mat if you have one, a water bottle and some extra layers to this free event.  Questions, call (907) 235-0285 or email wellness@sphosp.org.

View brochure

Request for Proposal

South Peninsula Hospital is seeking a vendor to replace the exterior lobby door. The RFP is attached. Deadline to submit is March 3. Questions regarding this RFP may be directed in writing to Harrison Smith, Facilities Manager, at hsm@sphosp.org . All emails must identify the RFP title in the subject line and include the contact information for the person submitting the question. Questions may be submitted as needed until 5:00pm Alaska Standard Time (AKST), March 3, 2023.

Covid-19 testing site set to close January 13th; Testing still offered through other venues

South Peninsula Hospital’s walk-up Covid-19 testing clinic on Bartlett Street is set to close on Friday, January 13th at 5pm.

The hospital started offering walk-up testing in March of 2020 at the start of the worldwide pandemic under a tent at the hospital’s main entrance. It relocated the service in October of 2020 to the current location at 4201 Bartlett Street.  Additionally, the hospital offered numerous off-campus “pop-up” testing clinics throughout the service area, and processed over 50,000 Covid test swabs during this time.

Demand for testing is low, there is now ample availability of testing services locally, there is easy access to free vaccines and boosters, a variety of effective therapeutics are available for the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, there’s proven infection prevention strategies and the current strain circulating here at this time is causing a milder illness for most people.

Covid-19 testing will still be available at the hospital after the walk-up clinic closes through the self-referral program “Request-A-Test” at the hospital’s laboratory. This service is for self-pay only, insurance will not be billed, and will cost only $50.  In addition to a single Covid-19 test, a respiratory four-plex test for Influenza-A, Influenza-B, RSV and Covid-19 is offered, as well as other self-referred tests. A complete list can be found at https://www.sphosp.org/services/laboratory/

Most local clinics now offer Covid and flu testing as part of a visit for covid-like illness, which is usually covered by most insurances. Free test kits are offered at the hospital’s main entrance seven days a week, round the clock, while supplies last. Free kits can also be found at Homer Public Library and the Homer Chamber of Commerce. Free at-home test kits can be ordered online at www.covid.gov/tests, and they can be purchased locally, with the cost covered by most insurances.

Vaccines are also being discontinued, and the last day at the Bartlett Street clinic will be Friday, December 30. Between the community mass vaccine events in 2021 and at the clinic, SPH administered over 15,000 vaccines, including initial and booster doses. Covid vaccines are offered by appointment at all local primary care clinics, Homer Public Health and Safeway pharmacy. 

The hospital re-opened all hospital entrances in November, and the entire campus went to a self-screening mask-optional entry, asking visitors and patients to mask if experiencing Covid or flu-like symptoms, or if having a recent known exposure. Caregivers remain masked for all patient care encounters. Pre-procedure testing is still required at the hospital for some situations, and instructions are provided at time of your provider visit.

Other changes effective January 13 include the discontinuation of the hospital’s Covid information phone line.  Individuals are asked to call their provider’s office if they are in need of specific answers regarding their health, or the local public health office at (907) 235-8857.  The weekly testing results from SPH provided testing will no longer be displayed on the hospital’s website after the closure.

For more information on hospital services related to Covid-19 visit https://www.sphosp.org/covid-19-information, contact your destination office in advance or call Derotha Ferraro, Public Information Officer, at (907) 235-0397.

Free Community Yoga at SPARC Every Wednesday Evening in November & December!

We are proud to be sponsoring weekly free community yoga classes at SPARC (South Peninsula Athletic & Recreation Center, 600 Sterling Hwy) from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm each Wednesday evening through December. Please bring your own yoga mat if you have one (we will have extras!), some extra layers, and a water bottle. All ages & abilities are welcome to these drop-in classes. Check the Events Calendar or the South Peninsula Hospital Facebook page for more information.

Know Your Numbers: Understanding Lab Results

Thank you to all who attended “Know Your Numbers: Understanding Your Lab Results”, a free community forum to help individuals interpret their lab results from the annual Rotary Health Fair.

Michael Hennigan, MD, Endocrinologist, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, provided the free presentation on Tuesday, November 15th from 6:00-7:30pm at Kenai Peninsula College discussing the purpose of each test and what the results mean, followed by a question and answer period.  Dr. Hennigan is a visiting specialist to the South Peninsula Hospital, offering endocrinology clinics at the South Peninsula Family Care Clinic on a monthly basis.

To view the video recording of this presentation, click here.

For a PDF of Dr. Hennigan’s slides, click here.

Rotary Health Fair

In-Person Health Fair Returns Saturday, November 5th!

Our free in-person fair event returns on Saturday, November 5th, 2022 from 9am-1pm at the Homer High School!

Over fifty exhibits will offer health information, screenings, demonstrations and more – click here for a printable PDF of the full exhibitor list. Don’t miss the Nolan the Colon inflatable walk-through experience, free flu shots, CPR trainings, Great Candy Exchange, and more! Click here for the full event flyer and visit rotaryhealthfair.org for more information.

Rotary Health Fair is in it’s 39th year and is sponsored by Homer Kachemak Bay Rotary in cooperation with South Peninsula Hospital. This year marks the return of the in person fair after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic.

End of Life community forum with Dr. Giulia Tortora

In September, South Peninsula Hospital hosted “End of Life Decision Making” presentation to discuss living wills, medical power of attorney and medical and legal components related to end of life. Presenters were Dr. Giulia Tortora, family practice physician at Homer Medical Center and Lindsay Wolter, local estate planning attorney. A recording of the event, and handouts are posted below.

Click here for PDF flyer.

Watch the video recording below or at this link.

Handouts:

PDF Slides of Dr. Tortora’s presentation

Alaska POLST (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) Form

Alaska Advance Health Care Directive

The Five Wishes Document

Estate Planning Handout

Dr. Christy Martinez and Dr. Sarah Roberts named as full time hospitalists

Dr. Christy Martinez and Dr. Sarah Roberts, board certified family medicine physicians at Homer Medical Center, have accepted full time positions as hospitalists at South Peninsula Hospital. Their move from family medicine to inpatient will begin on October 1. A third hospitalist, Dr. Kira Bendixen, will be joining them in November to complete the hospitalist team.

South Peninsula Hospital shifted to a hybrid hospitalist model over three years ago, when the providers from Homer Medical started rotating week-long coverage at the hospital. This was the first step towards having dedicated hospitalists, who work exclusively in the inpatient setting. However, it has been a continuing desire of the medical staff to have a more consistent, permanent team for inpatient care. The COVID19 Pandemic challenged the hospital to increase the capacity to care for critically ill and complex medical patients locally, particularly when the option to send these patients north to larger and more specialized hospitals was delayed or not available.  Additionally, Homer Medical was in need of a more consistent schedule of providers to offer patients, especially for scheduling recurring appointments. Dr. Christina Tuomi, Chief Medical Officer at the hospital and one of the primary care providers at Homer Medical Center, is excited about the decision. “With this change, the hospital is further developing services and expertise in our inpatient-based care, while offering more consistent access to providers and long range scheduling of appointments in the clinic setting. All to best serve our patients and the community.”

Dr. Martinez and Dr. Roberts have a combined 16 years of practicing family medicine at Homer Medical Center, Dr. Martinez with six and Dr. Roberts with ten. Dr. Martinez was born at South Peninsula Hospital and raised on the southern Kenai Peninsula, so brings lifelong connections to the community outside her practice. Their experience and personal knowledge of hundreds of patients and families will be an important addition to their medical expertise in their role as hospitalists. Martinez has been serving in the role of Hospital Medicine Director for the last four years, overseeing the inpatient area, and both have been part of the rotating schedule providing hospital coverage.   

Martinez reflects, “I will greatly miss the opportunity to care for local residents as their family physician, but I look forward to being a part of increasing Homer’s inpatient based services that will grow our local care to meet the needs of our community in new and necessary ways.” Roberts expressed, “I am honored to continue providing care for individuals and families during some of the most joyful, trying and difficult times, and hope that being a familiar face will make a difference.”

Both providers have added clinic days during the month of September to allow for necessary appointments to assist with the transition. Homer Medical Center is adding new providers to ensure choice and access for patients. Joe Llenos, MD, board certified in family medicine, and Bonnie Turner, family nurse practitioner, are joining the team and will begin seeing patients at the end of August. Additionally, Drs. Tortora, Swain and Tuomi will now have increased capacity to see more patients at Homer Medical as they will no longer have hospital rotations.  For a complete list of providers at Homer Medical Center, visit www.homermedical.org.

 

Welcome Joe Llenos, MD, new physician at Homer Medical Center

Joe Llenos, MD, board certified in family medicine, joins the provider team at the area’s largest primary care clinic, bringing with him over a decade of family practice experience. Dr. Llenos grew up in the Philippines, went to medical school at West Visayas State University, and did his Residency at The Institute for Family Health, New York. Dr. Llenos has a particular interest in geriatric care but enjoys helping people of all ages to manage chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and more. His approach is to partner with his patients to set and reach goals to optimize their health through lifestyle changes with the support of medical assistance as needed.

Dr. Llenos and his wife, Cindy, moved to Homer earlier this month from Idaho, where he spent 13 years practicing family medicine. Healthcare and helping others run in the family, as Cindy is a nurse, and their son is in his third year of medical school in Ohio. When not caring for others, the family enjoys hiking, mountaineering, climbing, and all things in the great outdoors. Dr. Llenos especially enjoys landscape and night sky photography. His images emphasize the importance of nature, the night sky, and how important it is to minimize light pollution, as it disrupts biological rhythms. His photography can be seen on Instagram at Ancient_Fog_Photgraphy. His winning essay on the importance of dark skies is featured in saveastar.net, Astro2021 competition.

When asked about their interest in moving to Homer, Llenos credits the philosophy behind the patient care he saw last year during a site visit to SPH and hospital-owned clinics, a philosophy which is often not offered in larger healthcare systems. Llenos states, “I was impressed by your response to the pandemic, to your focus on truly helping people.” And regarding Homer, it was a slam-dunk decision given the lifestyle and access to the great outdoors.

Homer Medical Center is adding new providers to ensure seamless care for their patients in preparation for the departure of two of their long-time providers, Dr. Christy Martinez and Dr. Sarah Roberts, who are transitioning to full time inpatient hospital care in October.

Appointments are now being scheduled with Dr. Llenos by calling (907) 235-8586. Information on him and all the providers at Homer Medical Center can be found at www.homermedical.org. New patients are welcome at the clinic