Ketchikan resident urges hospital committee to back a PeaceHealth-paid ombudsperson

A Ketchikan resident on Thursday urged the city's Healthcare Advisory Committee to support a patient ombudsperson for the city-owned hospital, paid for by PeaceHealth, to field safety concerns and make sure they get follow-up.

The committee oversees the lease under which PeaceHealth runs Ketchikan Medical Center, and its quarterly meeting came as the city prepares for the Gateway Review the lease requires every five years. City Manager Abner Hoage said the review will be scoped next month and held in late January or early February.

Patients and caregivers have described dangerous misdiagnosis, mistreatment and missed lifesaving medications, "that in some instances even resulted in death," the resident said. At a Community Health Board town hall the night before, the resident said, PeaceHealth outlined renewed quality and safety efforts, but with "way too much defensiveness." The resident had called there for an ordinance creating the ombudsperson position, and repeated the idea to the committee. "How will you require the explanations when patients and caregivers have been unable to obtain them?" the resident asked.

A second resident, Weaver, said accountability also relies on citizens. "We had about a 17 to 23% voter turnout last election for city council," Weaver said. Ketchikan "will get the healthcare that it's voted for, or in our case, not voted for." He said he would ask for a structured financial review of the lease.

Two emergency physicians with Apollo MD, the group that staffs the hospital's emergency room, praised the hospital's staff and their work with PeaceHealth.

No committee member responded to the ombudsperson idea during the meeting. In May, a City Council member submitted an agenda item to look into contracting a health care ombudsman for the city and PeaceHealth patients.

Later, PeaceHealth Ketchikan administrator Sarah Cook presented the hospital's fiscal 2026 report card, showing $112.6 million in operating revenue and a $3.9 million operating gain. The committee postponed accepting it until January so corrections could be made.

Residents at the committee's July meeting raised similar questions about the hospital's money and care, Alaska News reported July 27.