The Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage is undergoing a significant $257 million expansion to enhance its emergency department. This development, approved earlier this year by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), aims to address the pressing need for more rooms, beds, and space due to the facility’s capacity challenges.
Valerie Nurr’araluk Davidson, president and CEO of ANTHC, highlighted the urgency of the expansion, noting the increased demand from a growing population that has outpaced the hospital’s capacity since its inception three decades ago. The strain on the facility’s operations was evident when, in February, hospital administrator Alan Vierling alerted staff to high admission rates forcing the cancellation of non-emergency surgeries and patients being held in the emergency room due to a lack of inpatient beds. Despite a quick return to normal operations, Vierling cautioned that without significant infrastructure enhancements, the hospital could face similar challenges in the future.
The project, which has already commenced, seeks to alleviate overcrowding and improve patient and staff spaces, which have become increasingly cramped. Davidson described scenes of beds in hallways due to insufficient emergency department rooms and outdated room configurations that no longer meet community hospital standards.
Significant to the expansion is the congressional funding of nearly $30 million, secured with the help of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. The project will introduce 21 additional rooms to the emergency department, expanded behavioral health treatment, and surgery recovery areas. An updated ambulance bay designed for efficiency and rapid patient care will replace the current single-entry bay, likened to a home garage by Davidson, which complicates the unloading of multiple ambulances.
Davidson also emphasized the importance of new behavioral health rooms to provide a conducive environment for stabilizing patients in crisis, mentioning the need for quiet and dim lighting to minimize stress.
Looking ahead, ANTHC plans to seek an additional $200 million in funding for a subsequent phase of the expansion. This next step includes adding three floors to the emergency department, increasing room availability, incorporating a helipad for patients from remote areas, and adding dozens more inpatient beds, further enhancing the hospital’s capacity to serve Alaska’s Native population effectively.
