Mr. Hertz leads the 25-bed hospital and 22-resident long-term care center on Kodiak Island, which employs 250 full- and part-time caregivers. Access to affordable housing on the remote island is a critical barrier to hiring permanent and traveling workers at the hospital. As a result, selling prices are disproportionately high and often well out of reach for hospital workers. Under Mr. Hertz’s leadership, the medical center utilized hospital-owned land to build a 16-unit apartment building to house its workers and their families. New hires are given priority and temporary employees are given secondary access to medical center-controlled housing for up to one year at affordable rates. Medical center leaders also negotiated affordable long-term leases for ad hoc apartments and guest rooms in the community. Mr. Hertz and his team are working closely with the city of Kodiak and the Kodiak Economic Development Corporation to create a Kodiak Community Land Trust that will foster continued affordable growth in mid-level housing opportunities on Kodiak Island.
