ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) has launched a multi-year project to improve and expand emergency services at the largest statewide Tribal hospital in Alaska, taking a historic step toward creating a modern system of care.

“We are continually working toward our vision that Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world,” said ANTHC Board Chair Kimberley Strong. “To achieve our mission, the ANTHC Board of Directors approved a $257 million investment to expand the emergency room space for improved access to healthcare services for Alaska Native and American Indian people.”

“We are committed to making facility investments that strengthen and expand clinical care for the patients, families, and communities we serve,” ANTHC President and CEO Valerie Nurr’araluk Davidson said. “As we make up for decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, we are expanding areas to meet immediate needs. While there is more work to do, we are making sustainable and necessary steps toward creating an exceptional system of care that meets the health needs of Alaska Native people for generations to come.”

ANTHC has begun Phase 1 of the Emergency Services Expansion (ESE) Project which includes renovations and expansions of the Emergency Services Department, floors 1-3, and the basement at the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC). Phase 1 improvements include:

• 21 additional Emergency Department patient care spaces to improve the experience of patients by making the spaces more open and easier to navigate;
• 12 new Clinical Decision Unit beds for patients to receive short-term treatments in a safe, comfortable place;
• 15 dedicated behavioral health treatment spaces for emergent mental health and substance misuse care that allow care teams to determine the next level of care;
• 10 new surgery recovery bays to improve day surgery efficiency, increasing the number of procedures that can be completed; and
• New, dedicated drive-through ambulance entrance.

ANTHC is seeking additional funding to support the construction of Phase 2 (floors 4-6), which includes:

• 60 new inpatient beds;
• Private inpatient rooms (converting from semi-private) for everyone who is recovering at the hospital;
• 32 new adult inpatient beds; and
• Helipad to enhance trauma services.

Preparation and early phases of construction are already underway inside the hospital. By this fall, the Emergency Department entrance will be relocated, and specific areas of hospital parking will be closed for construction. ANTHC will publish updates regarding building access and parking as routes gradually change over the summer. Updates will be available on ANTHC’s website.

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