Ken Eichner. (PeaceHealth photo)
A longtime Ketchikan family has made a sizable donation to the PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center Foundation to create a special garden at the hospital for patients, their families and hospital caregivers.
According to the hospital foundation, the Eichner family made the gift in the name of the late Ken Eichner, a pilot and local business owner who volunteered independently and with the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad to help people in trouble throughout rural Southeast Alaska.
Through the donation, Ken Eichner’s family hopes that people who visit the garden will find that it promotes healing and refreshment, according to the foundation.
The Ken Eichner Healing Garden should be completed in May 2016. It will be close to Tongass Avenue between the existing inpatient-care wing and the new building, with access through the cafeteria. Portions of the garden will be covered by glass awnings, making the space usable year round, and it will offer views of surrounding mountains and Ketchikan’s busy waterfront.
