Claire Stremple

Juneau has been without hospice and home care since mid-September.

That’s when Catholic Community Service shut the program down because it was unable to find enough staff. Bartlett Regional Hospital plans to take over the services, eventually.

“It’s a big loss to the community because these services are so critical to people’s health and just sort of the quality of life and dignity of our last days,” said Catholic Community Service director, Erin Walker-Tolles. “It’s really tough.”

Walker-Tolles said she directed patients back to their primary care providers when she knew CCS would have to cease services.

CCS had struggled to staff the program for a while, Walker-Tolles said, but the pandemic made the market for nurses even tighter.

“There is a massive health care worker crisis happening in this country. And it’s especially challenging in Alaska. And it is affecting people’s ability to get medical care,” she said.

Walker-Tolles said hospice and home care often used traveling nurses to bolster its local staff. But as the price for nurses increased dramatically over the past few years, she says they were priced out.

“All across the country, the health care worker shortage is affecting especially nonprofit and smaller health care providers,” she said.

The hospice and home care program served about 60 residents before the pandemic, Walker-Tolles said. By the time the program shut down, there were only 17 people using the service. She said they simply didn’t have the staff to take on new patients.

Nathan Rumsey, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s business development strategist, said the hospital’s leadership decided to take over services in mid-August and applied for licenses in mid-November. He said he’s hopeful the hospital will get its licenses in the next 60 to 90 days.

“In the meantime, that obviously puts those people, especially if they can’t seek some type of service outside of this community, that puts them at a disadvantage,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to move as quickly as we can to reestablish those services.”

Rumsey also said the lapse in service means that primary care physicians and the emergency department are now filling in.

“I am anecdotally aware that there are many patients that would otherwise be able to seek care and get care in their homes that are finding their way into the hospital for other reasons, because they can’t get that and — and that’s a frustration to everyone,” he said.

Bartlett has offered to hire staff from Catholic Community Service, but Rumsey said they will need more nurses. The hospital plans to advertise for those jobs within a few weeks.

Ultimately, he said the timeline is out of the hospital’s control until they receive licenses from the state. Once those are secured, he hopes to be up and running very quickly.

Juneau residents got to see huge, color posters of what future development on the city’s waterfront might look like. Not at a municipal meeting, but at a local bar during Gallery Walk.

In August, Huna Totem Corporation — a Juneau-based village corporation that represents Hoonah shareholders — announced an agreement with Norwegian Cruise lines to develop what’s known as the subport, next to the U.S. Coast Guard Station downtown.

HTC is calling the development Aak’w Landing. Large, full-color conceptual designs for what it could look like lined the walls of a back room at The Crystal Saloon on Friday night.

Organizers of the event said the goal was to allow more of the public engage with the plans. Huna Totem CEO Russell Dick credited Mayor Beth Weldon with the idea.

“Not everybody tunes in to the Assembly meetings,” said Dick. “So getting out here and experiencing it in this fashion and listening to folks talk about it — things they like, things they don’t like — it’s a good way to do it.”

Bluegrass concert-goers from the other room meandered through the images, with cocktails. Some chatted with Huna Totem leadership or one of the architects behind the drawings.

The event pulled John Hillman and his wife off the street while they were enjoying Gallery Walk.

“Walking by, we saw the Huna Totem sign here. We didn’t know it was gonna be here,” he said.

Hillman and his wife are shareholders, so they popped inside.

“Well, it’s exciting,” said Hillman. “Finding out for the first time what it’s going to look like and all that, and meeting with the guy that’s planning it and knowing Russell since Russell was a little young man himself, and now he’s leading the charge.”

They sipped wine and toured the images with Corey Wall of Juneau design firm Jensen Yorba Wall. Wall said the firm has been working with Huna Totem for nearly two years.

He said the current design will include elements from Norwegian Cruise Lines’ original plan for the lot.

“I think a lot of people are just trying to see now, with Huna Totem taking it over, if it’s still going to be a similar project,” he said. “And I think people are very happy to see that we still have the below-grade bus parking, and we’ve got the park over the top of it.”

Huna Totem aims to complete construction on a 10,000-foot visitor center and a new cruise ship berth with a curved trestle by 2025. Wall said cruise ship infrastructure and parking will be hidden by retail and landscaping. There’s also room in the plans for 35,000 feet of what the company calls “flex space,” which could be anything from apartments to an ocean center that could be constructed later.

That’s the plan, but there are many steps to go in the public process. There will be more opportunities for feedback on a project of this magnitude.

“The Juneau waterfront is complex,” said Alexandra Pierce, CBJ’s Tourism Director. “We need to make sure that all the uses on our working waterfront are accommodated.”

After Huna Totem Corporation submits its request for a conditional use permit, the project will begin the public process. City meetings will determine if the plans comply with code, then Assembly meetings will determine if the project serves the whole community. The Assembly will have the final say over whether the project can make use of the city’s tidelands property or build a new dock.

“It’s exciting to see the possibility of something happening there,” Pierce said. “And it’s our duty at the city to make sure that if that site’s developed, it’s developed in a way that is positive for the community.”

Huna Totem Corporation estimated that more than 450 people filtered through Friday’s event. Architect Corey Wall looked around the room at his designs.

“I think people are really excited about the park, and the idea that that’s gonna be something for Juneau,” Wall said.

More than a dozen images show intricate plans to keep tour buses out of view and scenic outlooks from big-windowed buildings.

“It looks probably far more finished than it is,” he said. “It’s still very, you know, malleable, depending on the feedback we get.”

 

This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Juneau design firm Jensen Yorba Wall.

Seasonal flu activity is increasing substantially across the state, and the rate is especially high in Southeast Alaska.

Juneau Public Health officials say this flu and respiratory virus season is likely to be more severe than usual.

“This month, we’re seeing a lot more flu than what we usually would. Which makes us a little bit nervous,” said Alison Gottschlich, nurse manager for the Juneau Public Health Center. “It’s hitting us earlier.”

She said she’s seeing prolonged and severe illness this year.

“It seems like the flu this year is really hitting people, and they’re pretty miserable,” she said.

This year’s flu season is also much earlier than in previous years. Alaska typically sees the flu season start in December or January.

State health officials say it likely has not yet reached its peak.

Gottschlich said Juneau is also seeing some cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The virus is usually mild but can be dangerous for children and elders.

RSV is surging in the Lower 48. Gottschlich said that’s a red flag for Alaska.

“We’re anticipating seeing more respiratory illness, potentially severe respiratory illness in little ones, in the coming weeks. And so we want folks to know that that might be coming,” she said.

Gottschlich pointed to overwhelmed hospitals in the Lower 48, and even some Alaska hospitals that are reaching capacity — particularly for pediatric beds in Anchorage and Northern hospitals.

In Juneau the effects have not been so dire, but she said there’s anecdotal evidence that respiratory illness is circulating in the community.

“I’ve noticed there’s been a lot of school absenteeism and, you know, hearing about a lot of kiddos who are just sick and missing out on things, people calling out of work,” said Gottschlich.

Juneau School District officials say absences were elevated before Thanksgiving, but are now normal for this time of year. The district confirmed that students have tested positive for RSV.

Erin Hardin, a spokesperson from Bartlett Regional Hospital, said they see five to seven flu or RSV patients every day.

“We’re definitely seeing a lot of RSV cases coming into the emergency department, and that includes both adults and pediatric patients. Most have been able to discharge and go home after being seen. But we have had a few kids admitted into the hospital due to RSV,” she said.

She said there’s been an average of one pediatric patient who stays in the hospital per week.

Hardin said the uptick in patients has not affected hospital capacity.

Juneau Public Health offered some guidance to keep illness from spreading over the holidays: stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands, get a flu and COVID-19 vaccine and don’t kiss little children and infants on their faces or hands.

The National Weather Service says that the high speed-gusts known as Taku winds it predicted for Tuesday afternoon may not materialize.

“It’s not exactly turning out to be a Taku wind situation for us. It’s more of an outflow pattern,” said lead forecaster Brian Bezenek.

But “no Takus” doesn’t mean it won’t be windy.

Taku winds happen when cold winds from Canada come off of the east mountains and send gusts into downtown Juneau and the Gastineau Channel. But today’s wind isn’t spilling over the mountains, it’s coming through the Inside Passage.

Bezenek says the main effects will be focused on the Northeastern panhandle.

“It’s hitting coastal sites and the marine channels. And through there we are seeing winds in the Lynn Canal right now sustained of 35 knots, which would be gale force,” said Bezenek. That’s about 40 mph.

North of Juneau near Eldred Rock, he says gusts are reaching 60 mph.

He says boaters should be careful — gusts are reaching 45 knots at Taku Inlet and Point Bishop. And low temperatures mean there’s risk for moderate to heavy freezing spray in the region.

The state’s Department of Transportation canceled the dayboat ferry LeConte due to high winds and the chance of heavy freezing spray in the Lynn Canal.

“We’re looking at the potential for some low level wind shear and turbulence for the flights in and out of Juneau on Alaska Airlines,” Bezenek said.

By noon, Alaska Seaplanes had canceled a flight to Tenakee Springs and another to Pelican due to the wind.

NWS recommends securing loose objects and having a plan for power outages if the Taku winds do materialize downtown.

In this news update:

• Local naturalists reveal the life of the spruce tree that destroyed houses on Gastineau Avenue this September;
• Alaska writers of the animated children’s show “Molly of Denali” react to its two Emmy nominations;
• The number of patrons at Juneau’s main food pantry doubled over the pandemic and hasn’t gone down;
• Alaska’s two U.S. senators voted to advance a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights towards final passage.

Ken Garrison looked through a shopping cart piled high with all kinds of bread — long baguettes, herbed loaves, sliced. He was at the start of a buffet of food-laden carts in front of the Southeast Alaska Food Bank warehouse, where he picks up food twice a week for some elderly friends who don’t have cars.

He selected one white and one whole wheat, then grabbed some celery and a bag of kale salad.

“I like that they get good produce here, from Costco and through other stores in town,” he said. “They get a pretty good variety.”

Garrison is part of a long but fast-moving line. The pandemic more than doubled the food bank’s patrons. And they say they need the service as much as ever — inflation means their food dollars don’t go as far as they used to.

“We’re all squeezed with fixed income,” said Claudia Criss, who is 71-years old.

She was looking for dairy, vegetables, bread and maybe some protein.

“I think it’s a needed service,” she said. “I really appreciate being able to get it.”

Criss used to go to the Helping Hands food pantry, but she switched over when she learned they were shutting down.

Chris Schapp, who has run the food bank for the last three years, says demand is higher than ever.

“We noticed with Helping Hands closing down, we were up about 35 to 40 people more than we’ve been averaging — almost 300 [people a week],” he said.

When he started, the food bank would serve up to 90 people a week.

“Over the last two years with COVID, it’s been between 225 to 275 a week,” he said.

He says inflation is likely a factor now.

Southeast Alaska Food Bank is hosting its annual food drive this Saturday. Last year, Juneau donated more than 20,000 pounds of food. Schapp says he’s hoping for even more this year, to match the need.

“It’s busy,” Schapp said. “But we’ll take care of everybody we need to. Just make it happen.”

The annual Caring is Sharing Food Drive will take place on Saturday, November 19, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Foodland and Superbear IGA stores in Juneau.