NSHC board votes to approve housing stipend for employees
The Norton Sound Health Corporation Board held their regular quarterly meeting in Nome last week September 17-19. Alongside many actions and topics noted, the board approved an employee housing stipend, discussed a proposal to take over NSEDC’s share of Pilgrim Hot Springs and heard an update on the transition of local ambulance services to the hospital.
The numbers
NSHC approved a $277,816,763 operating budget, and a $87,197,512 capital budget for Fiscal Year 2025.
The board approved a monthly stipend for housing in Nome which will provide full time employees with $1,500, employees working 80 percent of the time will receive $1,200 and part time employees $937.50.
“We would love to reduce contractors for registered nurses and LPNs, and what we propose to the board for housing bonus is, in our opinion, really going to change that,” Gorn said to the board; using the acronym for Licensed Practical Nurses.
The motion passed with an impact on the budget of $8.4 million.
Ambulance
NSHC took over ambulance services from the City of Nome in May, following public complaints about response times and reduced volunteer capacity. Since the transfer, CEO Angie Gorn reported to the board that there’s been an average of 110 ambulance runs a month, not including Medevac transfers. “We haven’t received any complaints about response time,” Gorn said.
Pilgrim Hot Springs
NSEDC President and CEO Janis Ivanoff approached Gorn with a proposal to have NSHC take over NSEDC’s share of Pilgrim Hot Springs. “Back in 2019 they had approached us to see if we were interested in purchasing their share,” Gorn said. Now, the shares would be a gift as NSEDC is looking to pull out of the consortium.
The hot springs are currently managed through a joint partnership with NSEDC, Kawerak, Sitnasuak Native Corporation, Bering Straits Native Corporation and multiple tribes. In the capital call process, Pilgrim, managed by Kawerak, puts out a request to all shareholders each year. The larger entities pay more to maintain the hot springs. Gorn said the biggest concerns she shared with Ivanoff were costs and capital improvements.
Board members Mary D. Charles and Berda Willson both expressed there wasn’t enough information to make a decision and inquired about the cost to NSHC and how much Pilgrim cost to operate last year. The conversation wound around the table, with many board members agreeing the road to get to the Hot Springs is in need of an overhaul. Heather Payenna, among others, spoke about the healing benefits Pilgrim provides to the region’s tribal members, citing how Tribal Healers have traveled there to treat patients.
“I just think that the importance of the area and the use by our local residents and our regional residents can’t be overstated. And so while I understand that we want to see more of the budget and the capital calls, I really think that we need to also keep in perspective how important the history and the area is to all of our people,” Payenna said.
Kirsten Timbers, vice president of community health at NSHC and previously a representative on the board for Pilgrim, added that the last capital call request made to NSEDC for 2024-2025 was $39,732. “They’re proposing that NSHC have the same number percentage ownership, I believe,” Timbers said.
With many board members still unsure about taking over ownership, Gorn said she will gather more information and present the details at the next board meeting.
Runway woes
Brevig Mission’s runway was shut down for three weeks in August, preventing patients from getting to medical appointments and back home. The runway was recently updated with new gravel placed, but there wasn’t enough time for the area to settle before the heavy summer rainfall got to it and it was too soft for planes to land, Gorn said. After a few weeks of patients traveling by boat to Teller to make it to medical appointments, NSHC chartered a helicopter from Bering Air to bring in patients from NSHC and pick some up. “I’m just thankful that runway hardened up and we didn’t have to continue those special charters,” Gorn said.
Staffing
The board approved and celebrated the addition of a new staff position, an elder advocate, in the patient supportive services department. The employee in that role will communicate with elders and their families and evaluating elder care as well as performing home visits, Gorn said.
“I am just absolutely thrilled to see that position, because our elders need a voice, and some of them are not able to communicate,” board member Willson said.
In addition to the elder advocate position, the board approved the addition of six new positions: Office of Environmental Health specialist, Ancillary Administrative assistant to help Rehabilitation Therapy Services, Audiology and Eye Care, licensed practical nurse to help with the chronic weight management clinic, traveling village maintenance technician, prevention program coordinator for the CAMP department and a dental office administrative specialist.
Elections and participation
The three-day meeting began with the annual officer elections. Tony Haugen, representative for Unalakleet, was reelected as chair of the board. King Island Community representative Heather Payenna was elected first vice chair. Matilda Hardy, representative for Native Village of Shaktoolik, was voted into second chair. The rest of the elected positions are as follows: Secretary: Berda Willson, Native Village of Council; Treasurer: Mary D. Charles, Native Village of White Mountain; Assistant Secretary/Treasurer: Mollie Ningeulook, Native Village of Shishmaref; Executive Committee: Charlie Brown, Chinik Eskimo Community; Preston Rookok, Native Village of Savoonga; Fredrick “Buster” Murray, Native Village of Elim and Joanne Keys, Native Village of Wales.
The public comment period was offered on Tuesday, September 7 at 9:30 a.m. with preregistration required, no comments were brought to the board.
CEO report
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is looking into switching their electronic medical records database, which would fragment the statewide system making it more difficult for NSHC to access patient records from outside the region, Gorn reported. NSHC is communicating these challenges to ANTHC, and the transition is currently on pause, to be discussed at an October tribal health organization meeting. Board member Robert Keith asked if the system change would cost Norton Sound money, to which Gorn responded, yes, because NSHC would need to perform a work-around to get records out of the different system, costing time and money. “We don’t want to put any expense into having to get the same information to make care as good as it can be,” Gorn said. NSHC will continue conversations with ANTHC, voicing their opposition to the change. Chief Operating Officer Chris Bolton chimed in on the topic via Zoom, saying “There will be significant more expense for us if ANTHC does this.”
The current employee count is 775. NSHC works on an initiative to hire more youth workers, many coming from regional villages, which requires flying them in for training. More were hired this year than the previous year.
Since 2014 NSHC has invested $3.9 million into scholarships for students going into the healthcare field; 73 percent of the scholarships supported tribal members.
Following Gorn’s report, Rookok brought up the topic of illegal drugs entering communities. He said he wanted to present this at the start of the meeting so the board can keep it in mind over the next few days.
“I don’t know how to begin, it’s a very touchy subject, but I’m going to bring it out, I don’t want to leave it under the table. We have a crisis, not a crisis crisis, but we do have concerns in our community that street drugs are in our communities,” Rookok said “What can we do? Can we put in education? It’s very concerning to me. I think we need some kind of help here in our region.” In response Gorn said the corporation is looking into creating drug prevention education for students.
“I’ve actually been working in administration for 19 and a half years,” Gorn said. “I just want to take time to thank all of you for your vision and your leadership. We have an outstanding board, and our staff are amazing.”
Construction projects
Director of Engineering and Capital projects at NSHC Matt Emrick presented on the numerous construction projects going on across the region. He reported 40 active projects and that what was discussed in the meeting, “barely scratches the surface on the work and the projects we have,” he said.
The Wales clinic opened in May, a 3,500 square foot building with three exam rooms, two trauma beds, clinic and behavioral health spaces. The new 3,000 square foot three-unit residential space also opened.
The renovation of the building formerly housing the Behavioral Health Service, located at 607 Division Street, is complete and added more patient housing. Another project will begin at the building behind it, with completion expected next summer.
Gravel placement the west of the hospital is the beginning of the construction of housing complexes with eight 20-unit apartments proposed.
The Quyanna Care expansion was also discussed, with progress well underway to expand the facilities capacity by 12 beds. “We project a year from now we’re going to be moving residents into that space,” Gorn told the board.
NSHC is looking to expand employee housing in Teller through the purchase of an old city building, adjacent to the current clinic. The plan is to connect the buildings and install water and sewer services. “Another benefit of the building is it’s connected to the Alaska Native tribal Health Consortium waste heat system and so there’s a heat exchanger and glycol loop that’s taking excess heat from the utilities.” Emrick said. “It’s a really nice added feature that helps to supplement and, in some cases, completely heat during certain times of year some of our buildings, so it offsets some of our utility costs,” he said.
Chairman Haugen added that though the new buy is in the floodplain, it sits elevated enough to have remained above water level during the last storms.
In Gambell, housing is being constructed but construction is delayed flowing challenges establishing the foundation. This will push the project completion to 2025.
Human Resources
“There’s nothing easy about human resources in any company, let alone the biggest company in the region, and I give credit to all the staff,” Director of Human Resources Charlie Cross said in his report.
Cross emphasized to the board the thoroughness of each process they oversee, hiring, onboarding, trainings, status changes and more.
In the latest three-month period, 45 employees left the corporation, 14 of those were fired. Cross explained the process for removal is “exhaustive” with multiple reports and people reviewing and agreeing on the separation.
Also in that period, 35 permanent positions were filled. The corporation follows a policy for Native hire preference, in accordance with federal law which is in place for the corporation, where services are intended for compacting tribes.
Twenty-two disciplinary actions were reported in the period of three months, half related to attendance. “We provide an avenue for employees to provide more information, to challenge the discipline that was issued, and we typically resolve it within one or two steps,” Cross said.
Cross discussed how, with the goal of lowering turnover rate, NSHC uses site visits to bring potential candidates to the region before they sign on. “It costs money, takes time, but we find that it helps with the expectations of people who are joining our corporation.”
Awards
Alice Fitka, representative of St. Michael, was voted by her peers as Board member of the Year. “Thank you for those of you that picked me for being selected as Board member of the Year. That was a surprise for me, and it made me feel appreciated and that I have been making a difference for my community as well,” Fitka said over Zoom.
A $65,000 donation to NEST was approved by the board.
The board also approved a $134,200 scholarship to support a student through dental health aid education in 2026.
The next full board meeting is slated to begin January 28, 2025.