Published on October 26, 2026
This year’s Great Candy Exchange will be hosted by Homer Medical Center (4136 Bartlett St) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3. Kids aged 10 and under are invited to bring their Halloween candy, weigh it on a big scale, and trade it in for fun prizes. During their visit, kids can also get their free flu shots, and families can learn how to access their records in VacTrAK, Alaska’s online vaccine records database.
Past years’ candy exchanges have been held at the Rotary Health Fair, but since the fair was held on October 10 of this year, the candy exchange is now a stand-alone event.
Candy collected at this event will be donated to families in need during the holiday season.
Thank you to Captains Toy Chest, who generously donated some of the prizes. The remaining prizes are provided by South Peninsula Hospital.
This year’s Great Candy Exchange will be hosted by Homer Medical Center (4136 Bartlett St) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3. Kids aged 10 and under are invited to bring their Halloween candy, weigh it on a big scale, and trade it in for fun prizes. During their visit, kids can also get their free flu shots, and families can learn how to access their records in VacTrAK, Alaska’s online vaccine records database.
We want you to know that we care. We have been with you in the past, are with you now, and will remain here for you in the years to come.
Join Dr. Giulia Tortora of Homer Medical Center for an informative session that breaks down the meaning behind common blood tests and screenings. The event is Wednesday, October 21 at 5:30pm at the Kenai Peninsula College on Pioneer Avenue in Homer. This one hour presentation is part of South Peninsula Hospital’s weekly health talks at Wellness Wednesdays.
South Peninsula Hospital hosted a virtual community information session and Q&A on Tuesday, October 20, at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. The session provided an opportunity for community members to learn more about hospital governance and operations, ask questions, and share feedback with hospital leadership.
The 43rd Annual Rotary Health Fair, hosted by the Homer Kachemak Bay Rotary Club in cooperation with South Peninsula Hospital, will be Saturday, October 10 at the Homer High School from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Admission is free and open to the public. New this year, on site discount blood testing and the Blood Bank of Alaska will host a blood drive at the fair.
South Peninsula Hospital and Central Peninsula Hospital are offering a Cancer Care Support Group for people affected by cancer on the southern Kenai Peninsula. The group provides a safe and welcoming space to share experiences, learn from one another, and find encouragement throughout the cancer journey. All are welcome, including current and past patients, caregivers, family members, and friends.
Save on essential blood tests at the annual Rotary Health Fair, including cholesterol, A1C, thyroid, vitamin D, iron, PSA and more. Appointments are recommended for October 10, with results available through MyChart.
Cherie’ Inglis, MD and Carol Klamser, DNP, have joined the provider team at Homer Medical Center. This merging of all primary care providers in one location is essential to improve care and services for patients and to meet the changing needs of the community.
South Peninsula Hospital, Hospice of Homer, and Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska are partnering to bring two days of free dementia and older-adult mental health education to Homer September 21–22, made possible through the Alaska Statewide Dementia Training Project. Designed for caregivers, families, professionals, direct-care staff, and anyone in the community who wants to better understand and support older adults, these trainings offer practical tools, hands-on experiences, and greater confidence in navigating dementia, mental health, communication, caregiving, and memory concerns. With opportunities to experience what living with dementia can feel like through Dementia Live, participate in individual memory screenings, learn how to recognize and respond to mental health challenges, and build practical dementia care skills, there is something for everyone.
All are welcome, and these trainings are free to participants thanks to the Alaska Statewide Dementia Training Project.
This year’s Senior Wellness Day will take place at Kachemak Bay Campus on Thursday, September 17 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Hosted by South Peninsula Hospital in partnership with Hospice of Homer, Independent Living Center (ILC), Public Health, Homer Senior Center, and the Center for Safe Alaskans, this program will focus on healthy aging, connection, and practical wellness tools.
Appointments for the 43rd annual Rotary Health Fair’s greatly discounted blood tests open September 1 on RotaryHealthFair.com. This year, all appointments will be scheduled for the day of the Rotary Health Fair on October 10 at Homer High School.
South Peninsula Hospital will be partnering with several local agencies to conduct an emergency preparedness drill on Friday, August 28. The purpose of the drill is to exercise the hospital and local EMS emergency response plan for decontamination.
South Peninsula Hospital announces the grand opening of South Peninsula Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic, which offers comprehensive ear, nose, and throat care in two peninsula locations, Homer and Kenai.
The new South Peninsula Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) providers include James Zirul, DO, Fredrick Freeman, MD and Teresa Thompson, DNP. These three providers are joining South Peninsula Hospital full-time to bring collaborative, local ENT care to the entire Kenai Peninsula. Dr. Freeman will be practicing primarily in the Homer clinic, Dr. Zirul in the Kenai clinic; and Teresa Thompson, DNP will see patients in both locations.
South Peninsula Hospital hosted a virtual community information session and Q&A. Recording available here.
South Peninsula Hospital invites the community to join us in celebrating Dr. Brent Adcox’s 15 years at South Peninsula Orthopedics and wish him farewell before he returns to the Lower 48. The celebration will be at Homer Seaplane Base (1310 Lake Shore Drive) from 5:00 – 8:00 pm on Thursday, July 23rd.
South Peninsula Hospital is turning 70 in July, and to celebrate, we’re hosting a celebration for the public at the SPH campus from 4:00 - 7:00 pm on Thursdaym, July 2. Community members and visitors are welcome to enjoy a free picnic dinner, listen to live music, take a tour of the hospital, browse the SPH “hall of history,” and check out some visiting emergency vehicles.
The 50th annual Annual Homer Spit Run, which consists of the 10k to the Bay, Cosmic Hamlet Half
Marathon, and the 1 Mile Youth (Kids and Family) Run, will be held on Saturday, June 27th.
Registration is open online for both timed races at KachemakBayRunningClub.org, and these races
benefit local youth running programs.
South Peninsula Hospital is expanding access to same-day care with the opening of a walk-in Urgent Care clinic on June 1. Located at 4201 Bartlett Street, in the same building as the Family Care Clinic, Urgent Care will be open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. No appointments are necessary, and patients will have access to on-site labs and X-rays. Urgent Care will be staffed by Carrie Warren, FNP-C, who is moving from the Family Care team, and Kara Zimmerman, PA-C, who recently moved to Homer.
Thank you to the many community members who attended our free educational presentation, “End of Life Decision Making,” this spring! This event was originally scheduled for Fall 2025, and we appreciate everyone’s flexibility with the rescheduling. We were honored to have Homer Medical Center’s Dr. Giulia Tortora, local estate planning attorney Lindsay Wolter, and Hospice of Homer death doula Morgan Laffert lead this important conversation. Together, they covered key aspects of end-of-life planning, including living wills, medical power of attorney, legal and medical decision-making, and emotional considerations.
Registration for the 10th annual Homer Steps Up community walking challenge (May 4 -31) opens April 15 on HomerStepsUp.com. Coordinated by South Peninsula Hospital, with support from numerous partnering agencies, the yearly challenge is designed to motivate the community to engage in more movement to help improve overall health as well as provide a fun, interactive community event as Homer transitions into summer.
South Peninsula Hospital Board of Directors appointed two new members to the board and elected new officers at their December, 2025 board meeting. Jim Anderson and Ken Ciccoli, both of Homer, are newly appointed to three-year terms.
