Published on June 30, 2026
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 Thursday, 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.
Visiting emergency vehicles will include Homer Volunteer Fire Department’s ambulance, Kachemak Emergency Service’s ladder truck, and one of Guardian Flight Alaska’s helicopters. The ambulance and ladder truck will be parked outside Entrance B, and the helicopter will be on the landing pad on the roof. All vehicles will be open for the community to tour, and their staff will be available to answer questions.
This party is part of a full week of celebration: the day before will be a “parfait party” for SPH employees, and then SPH will have a float in the Homer Chamber of Commerce 4th of July Parade celebrating both the USA’s and SPH’s milestone birthdays.
SPH employs over 700 local residents, making it the area’s largest employer, and it contributes over $60,000,000 annually into the local economy in payroll alone. That, combined with service contracts, materials acquisition and leases, creates significant impact to the southern peninsula’s economic well-being. Therefore, all are welcome to attend, enjoy, and learn more about Homer’s locally operated nonprofit hospital.
Read more about South Peninsula Hospital’s history here.
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.
