Staff report

South Peninsula Hospital has started its South Peninsula Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, which offers comprehensive ear, nose and throat care in Homer and Kenai. The Homer office is open, and the Kenai office opens Aug. 10.

The new South Peninsula ENT providers include James Zirul, D.O.; Fredrick Freeman, M.D. and Teresa Thompson, D.N.P. These three providers join South Peninsula Hospital full-time to bring collaborative, local ENT care to the western Kenai Peninsula. Freeman will practice primarily in the Homer clinic, Zirul in the Kenai clinic and Thompson will see patients in both locations. 

The team specializes in both adult and pediatric patient-centered care, treating a wide range of conditions, including ear infections, hearing loss, dizziness, sinus disease, nasal congestion, allergies, tonsil disorders,  gastroesophageal reflux, swallowing disorders, thyroid care and voice conditions. The team offers both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options, including ear surgery, tonsillectomy, endoscopic sinus surgery and nasal septum repair. 

In addition to clinic care, the providers offer head and neck surgery at South Peninsula Hospital and Central Peninsula Hospital. 

Zirul has provided medical and surgical ENT care on the Kenai Peninsula since 1988, when he founded Peninsula Ear, Nose & Throat Inc. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas in 1978 and his medical degree from Kansas City University of Health Sciences in 1983. Zirul  completed his specialty training in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery and maxillofacial plastic surgery at Flint Osteopathic Hospital in Michigan. In 1989, he became one of the first ENT specialists in Alaska to  perform endoscopic sinus surgery. Zirul is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Freeman is board-certified in ENT by the American Board of Otolaryngology in head and neck surgery and has more than 30 years of medical experience. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, completed his residency at Duke University Medical Center and completed an internship at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He recently moved from Wyoming, where he was an ENT specialist for nine years. Prior to that, he practiced at Health First Holmes Regional Medical  Center in Melbourne, Florida.

Thompson is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Wyoming. She and her family moved to the Kenai Peninsula after 24 years in Wyoming to continue working alongside Freeman. She has worked in healthcare since 2008 and has been a DNP since 2016. She is a certified otorhinolaryngology nurse and surgical first assistant.  

Freeman already is seeing patients in Homer at 4201 Bartlett Street. To schedule an appointment for Homer, call 907-235-0310. The Kenai clinic opens Monday, Aug. 10, at 220 Spur Drive. Appointments  for Kenai can be made in advance by calling 907-283-5400.