Chamber News. Membership Luncheon. Culinary Arts Program

Transcription

1 Volume 15 Issue 2 February 2012 Delta Chamber of Commerce Chamber News Board of Directors President: Chuck Creamer Vice President Eileen Herman Secretary/Treasurer Kathy Sonnichsen Board Members Courtney Durham Rhonda Swearingen Janet Sisneros John Sloan Dan James Dale Diviney Flower Cole Member in Charge Chuck Creamer Executive Director Brenda Peterson Events Coordinator Amanda Myers Chamber Office PO Box 987 Delta Junction, AK Phone: Fax: deltacc@deltachamber.org Mission Statement The Delta Chamber of Commerce is a business organization that supports and represents its membership by promoting business growth and community development through leadership, programs, education and the dissemination of information. Membership Luncheon The next membership luncheon will be held on February 16th at noon at the Delta/Greely High School Board Room. Lunch will be prepared by the School s Culinary Arts Program students for $ Please RSVP to the Chamber office if you wish to attend. To be eligible for the free lunch drawing you must RSVP by February 14th at 4pm. Culinary Arts Program Guest presentation will be by the Culinary Arts Program students. The culinary program at the school is a curriculum created by the National Restaurant Association that prepares students for careers in the hospitality industry. They learn about preparing all the basic foods and presentation as well as knife skills, sanitation, customer service, business math, etc. The Culinary Arts II (second year) students will be preparing the meal and Culinary Arts I will help with prep and serving. Second year students are preparing for a culinary competition in Anchorage and will be making the same menu for practice for the luncheon. Sam Vose carves ice at the Visitor Information Center for the Festival of Lights. Stop by and watch Sam as he demonstrates how it s done!

2 Chamber News Lockheed Martin Corporation New Member Midnight Sun Taxi Art Griswold, Representative PO Box 1420 Delta Junction, Alaska Taxi Service Page 2 To Tony Porreca, TnT Technical Services, for winning the door prize provided by the Chamber and to Flower Cole, Bald Eagle Ranch B & B, for winning the free lunch at the Chamber s Annual Membership Luncheon in January at the Snowhook Club. Don't forget about all the fun things going on this weekend, February 10 12, 2012, beginning with the Delta Presbyterian Church Spaghetti Feed at 4pm on Friday night. On Saturday, the Festival of Lights Galleria and Trade Show is all booked and spaces are full, so there will be many vendors selling their wares. It starts at 10 AM and will go all day until 4:30 PM. Stick around to watch the top 3 voted lucky people take the Polar Bear Plunge at 4 PM, which is always loads of fun. To wrap up the night of the 11th you and the family can come out to the City Park and watch the most spectacular fireworks show at 7 PM. On Sunday at 10:30 am, the Delta Lions Club breakfast/brunch rounds out the weekend. Check out the Festival of Lights schedule (on page 4) to find all the fun things happening around town this weekend. Be sure to stop by the Visitor Center to see and photograph the beautiful ice sculptures by Delta s own Sam Vose.

3 Chamber News 2012 Event Sponsors J&J Specialties, LLC ~ The Bunk House ~ North Haven Communities Buffalo Center Drive-In ~ IGA Food Cache ~ J-L Ventures Family Medical Center ~ Delta Meat & Sausage ~ Granite View Sports & Gifts Mt. Hayes Inc.-Realtors ~ Whitestone Furs ~ Sophie Station Suites City of Delta Junction ~ Delta /Greely School District ~ Tammy & Scott Skaleski Summit Construction Contractors ~ Cold Regions Test Center ~ Delta Lodging Tanana Adventure Sports ~ Heritage General Contracting ~ Marlin & Pam Dunklebarger Doug & Nancy Jewell ~ Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises ~ Debra & Darrell Darland A Higher Knead Massage Therapy & Facials ~ Steven & Julie Baugh ~ Carol Dufendach Interior Building Supply ~ Dave & Michele Trainor ~ Sam & Diane Vose ~ Tina & Rick Seward Women of The Moose ~ Linda & Michael Dugger ~ Alaska Railroad Corporation Living Waters Assembly of God Church ~ Ashley & Thomas Walker ~ Fran Hallgren North Star Bookkeeping ~ Bob & Ann Geise Page 3

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5 Health Care in rural and frontier America has been a concern for several decades. For many areas, health care services have been virtually nonexistent. Our clinic in Delta Junction has served us well for many years, but our needs are outpacing what this facility will be able to provide. Anyone needing inpatient care, CT scans, MRIs and advanced diagnostic tests, physical therapy and anything beyond basic procedures must travel close to 100 miles at best. There is no question that the need for a rural hospital exists. In fact, there are more patient visits, emergency visits and clinical tests at our local clinic than in many rural hospitals in the Lower 48. The Interior Alaska Hospital Foundation, located in Delta Junction, Alaska has completed a feasibility study on the current and future needs of health care services for Interior Alaska. It s not a new idea; there are more than 1,400 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States and many of them have a smaller population and half the clinic visits that Delta has! The feasibility study shows that Delta Junction can support a small hospital. WHAT ARE THE ECONOMICS? With an aging population among other factors, the health care sector is a growing part of our economy both in terms of percentage of GDP and employment. Increased services in this area will boost economic growth and create additional employment opportunities. Impact on Employment, Income & Retail Sales Health Sector Employment Income Employed Multiplier Impact Income Ratio Impact Sales Hospital $ 4,500, $ 5,265,000 $ 1,210,950 Retail The table above illustrates the direct and indirect benefits of an expanded medical care facility. Under the current model the hospital would directly employ of 55 FTE employees. Using the employment multiplier of 1.32 the total employment impact would be 72. The direct payroll would be $4,500,000. Applying the income multiplier of 1.17 brings the total hospital income impact to $5,265,000. Income also has an impact on retail sales. This ratio indicates the percentage of personal income spent on items that generate local retail sales. This ratio is estimated to be 23% translating to $1,210,950 in retail sales annually. The bottom line is the health sector not only contributes greatly to the medical health of the community, but also to the economic health of the community. WHY WILL THIS WORK? Many of the requirements for successfully starting a rural hospital have already been met: Significant growth rate: Delta Junction has one of the higher growth rates in Alaska with an expected population of over 6,000 people by Regional networks of larger hospitals: they will provide support services for specialty services to rural hospitals. Need for care and services: the local clinic currently has more than 16,000 visits per year Need for emergency care: the local clinic sees more than 1,800 emergency department visits per year. Need for expanded care: data shows that our area should see 812 CT scans and 325 MRIs a year. Medicare reimbursement: reimbursement rates will increase to 101%. HOW WILL THIS HELP ME? While healthcare is the first priority, there are additional benefits that are significant for everyone. Consider the current cost of a simple diagnostic test like a CT scan. There is the cost of the procedure, the cost of losing work time, the cost of fuel and the headache of making arrangements for kids, vehicles and any other aspects of daily life that must be accounted for even with a basic procedure. A local hospital would reduce these costs as well as providing: Quality local health care. Stabilization for critical cases that need to be transported Acute inpatient care Page 5 Continued on page 6

6 continued from page 5 24/7 Emergency department Diagnostic services Specialty clinics Chronic disease management Nutritional education. Wellness education. Local physical and occupational therapy Workman s comp testing Tele-Medicine: giving the ability to electronically bring in specialists without transport or delay. WHAT CAN I DO? This is a grass-roots effort with local planning, implementation and control. It will only happen if we all show our support! Become a member of the foundation as a concerned citizen; a board of directors is selected from the membership of the foundation to handle the day to day business. Serve on the committees that are developing as this project moves forward. Make a donation to the foundation to complete the plan outlined by the feasibility study. Share this information with others who are also concerned about quality healthcare options. Please see us for more information and to show your support at the upcoming Festival of Lights! You can also find more details regarding the feasibility of this project on our website at www. interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org ************************************************************************ I want to help with a donation (Donations can be sent directly to IAHF or taken to Wells Fargo Bank) I want to become a member of the IAHF foundation. Enclosed is my $25 membership fee. If you are joining the foundation, please include your name and address so you can receive updates on reports and progress. You will also receive notification of an annual meeting of the corporation to elect board members. Foundation members are always welcome to board meetings. Name: For questions and comments, please contact: Interior Alaska Hospital Foundation PO Box 671 Delta Jct., AK Phone: (907) Page 6 board@interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org Website: www. interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org

7 February Member Spotlight Service with a smile ALWAYS! They are there to greet you with a hot steaming cup of coffee in the morning and there when you need another caffeine jolt before making that Fairbanks trip. Jitter Junction, the only stand alone coffee shop in Delta Junction has been a reliable source of lattes, mochas, Americanos for quite some time and their offerings, hours and services got even better when Cable Guy Towing and Recovery Service bought the business in June After all, who knows the value of a good cup of coffee more than someone who is frequently on the road. "Actually we purchased the business as I have two teenage daughters who needed work," explained Rhonda Swearingen. "I like coffee, they like coffee and I saw potential in the business. "I extended the hours, broadened the offerings and added consistency," continued Rhonda. "You can only develop a clientele if they know you will be open during the posted hours." Besides offering an assortment of coffees and smoothies, Jitter Junction now offers some energy drinks, breakfast sandwiches and specials. The barista always have a doggie treat for the canine passenger. They are also open through the evening hours for those who like their afternoon cup of coffee or coffee for the ride home. "I know I like to reward myself for going to work," said Rhonda. "If I can get that reward from sitting in my car, all the better. And I think other people appreciate that convenience." Rhonda admits she faces the same issues other local businesses do. Freight dictates her price listing and sometimes she is unable to get to Fairbanks for supplies. But she maintains the business and customer satisfaction offset any inconvenience. Jitter Junction now has three employees. One full-time and two part-time. The coffee shop, is open Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Junction is closed Sundays. They are located next to Video Unlimited. Page 7