Learn about SPH strategic plan

As a third generation local born right here in Homer, it has been an honor to serve on the board of South Peninsula Hospital over the last four years. 

After SPH supported the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s bond proposal to expand services and consolidate locations in 2024, we heard you say you wanted to better understand the hospital’s long-range plan. In the past several months, we have been offering community conversations and presentations to share the hospital’s plan and get public feedback. To date we’ve hosted public forums and special meetings in Homer and Anchor Point.  We have board members available to present at any gathering. Call Derotha Ferraro, the hospital’s Public Information Officer, at 907-399-6212 to schedule.

Also, you are invited to the next community conversation on Wednesday, March 18 at the Kachemak Bay Campus of the Kenai Peninsula College. Doors open at 11:45 a.m, lunch is provided and the program starts at 12:15 p.m.  This is a chance for our board and leadership to share SPH plans, to get feedback and hear your input about plans or anything else hospital related.

You can visit sphosp.org and go to the strategic plan page; there you will find the materials, zoom recordings of past meetings and a feedback form.

The hospital’s board of directors meets monthly in person and on Zoom. The meetings are open to the public and  the next meeting is March 25. All the information is at sphosp.org.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Aaron Weisser
President, South Peninsula Hospital Inc. Board of Directors

Kevin Bell Area appreciates Homer Foundation support

The Kevin Bell Arena would like to thank the Homer Foundation for its generous support through grants from the Kevin Bell & Family Hockey Fund, the Julie Booth Ulmer Memorial Fund, and the Opportunity Fund. This funding is dedicated to replacing the rink’s rental skates, a significant and necessary investment for our facility and the community.

While the arena hosts many organized events for seasoned skaters, we also provide frequent opportunities for the public to enjoy the ice and borrow skates. Every Friday night and Sunday afternoon, the rink is bustling with locals and visitors participating in open skating. Throughout the winter, we also welcome busloads of school aged students who rely on our rental skates for their school-sponsored events.

As attendance has grown over the past few years, our rental ​skates ha​ve reached a point where replacement is essential. We are thrilled and grateful for the grant funding that makes this possible. As this winter season comes to a close, we look forward to opening our doors next fall with brand-new rental skates for skaters of all ages.

Lacey Velsko

Homer Hockey Association

Beyond Town Hall

I went to Sarah Vance’s town hall. She’s done great pushing bills that punish perpetrators. There is one more thing she can do to make Alaska the pennant bearer of legislatures. She needs to say, “No thank you Donald.”  We don’t need a perp as President.  We won’t be a party to a alleged pedophile at the helm who has allegedly raped teens. We won’t be your party no matter what wars, redactions or coverups you throw up. We won’t be the party that hides the facts and then prays to God you haven’t. We’re not going down on your ship.  Why would we?

Gordy Vernon

Where’s Walter Cronkite when you need him?
Can you tell the difference between actual “news” segments and opinion pieces? Fox, CNN, Newsmax, MSNBC and most other cable news outlets were created to 1) provide ‘round the clock presentation and 2) allow a platform that is not legally held to standards of accurate and thorough coverage. From 1949 to 1987 the Fairness Doctrine was in place to insure accurate and balanced coverage of the issues.

Since 1987, broadcasters such as Rush Limbaugh and the like were able to claim “free speech” in their commentary without concern for reality, truth or sensibility. If we are unable or unwilling to differentiate between whole truth, selective truth and crap, maybe re-installation of something like the Fairness Doctrine would help.

Note: Fat chance we could get our current legislators to agree on (or admit to) what is truth. Again, we must (s)elect better.

Calvin Schmidt