Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)

Today, our business offices and Specialty Clinic are closed in recognition and appreciation of our staff on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1. Thank you to our hardworking and committed staff for your excellent work to support the health of the people we serve! Enjoy a happy and healthy Labor Day. Emergency Department and Walk-in Clinic services are available. The Walk-in Clinic at ANMC is open every day (including all holidays). The clinic is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and located in the Healthy Communities Building at 3900 Ambassador Drive.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, a coalition of community partners is hosting an event to bring community members and partner organizations together to build thousands of naloxone kits! These kits will be distributed through ANTHC and Project Hope to help prevent opioid overdose deaths and promote healing across Alaska. The event is today, Friday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fairview Community Recreation Center (1121 E 10th Avenue) in Anchorage. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. You can learn more about naloxone and order a kit at iknowmine.org/naloxone.

ANTHC business offices and Specialty Clinics at Alaska Native Medical Center will be closed in observance of Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1. Thank you for understanding and celebrating our dedicated, professional and hardworking staff with us. Emergency Department and Walk-in Clinic services will be available. The ANMC Walk-in Clinic, located in the Healthy Communities Building at 3900 Ambassador Drive, is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bulk fuel storage in rural Alaska plays an essential role in community infrastructure. To lessen the risks posed by aging and failed bulk fuel storage systems in rural Alaska, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium was awarded a $100 million grant from the Denali Commission to support bulk fuel upgrades. The 10 communities selected for upgrades are Aniak, Eek, Kivalina, Kobuk, Noatak, Quinhagak, Russian Mission, Shageluk, Tuluksak, and Wales. The funding was made possible by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and authorized under the Clean Air Act. ANTHC will serve as the primary grantee and project manager, issuing subawards to the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) and the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) to oversee construction in five communities each. The need for this historic investment was recognized by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and championed by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. The three-year performance period for the grant began August 1, 2025, and ends July 30, 2028. This funding will provide the necessary resources for the final design and construction to complete the 10 projects. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/grGwi6yA

From August 25-29, both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane on Tudor Centre Drive will be closed nightly from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., for work on the Emergency Services Expansion construction project. Lanes will reopen each day before 6 a.m. Flaggers will be present each night to assist with traffic control and ensure safety. Patients should present to the Temporary Emergency Services Department, located on the southeast side of the hospital. Access to the Temporary ESD is from the Diplomacy Drive entrance. For more information on the project, or to read updates on other capital investment projects, visit https://lnkd.in/gSMaVZwT. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this project.

Over the past few weeks, iron workers have been performing work in phases 2 and 3 of the Skilled Nursing Facility project. Concrete has been poured up to the top of the wall in phase 3, and the roof decking in phases 1 and 2 has been welded down. When phase 2 of the iron work is completed, construction crews will begin storm drain work. This week, they are installing the main plumbing branch lines and punch list framing. Recently, all concrete break tests passed. Learn more about the 80-bed, 92,000-square-foot, short-term skilled nursing facility here: https://lnkd.in/gfMpaPrX

A trip last week to see teamwork making the dreamwork, bringing a new water main to Kaltag. This is one of the many projects across Alaska that ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering teams are partnering with communities on!

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: The Emergency Services Department (ESD) opened an additional 11 emergency exam rooms on July 29. These are individual patient rooms outfitted with the latest technology and equipment. This portion of the ESD is known as Zone Charlie. So far, the Emergency Services Expansion project has added 29 rooms to the ESD. With the opening of Zone Charlie, crews are now focusing on renovating the original ED, pouring concrete for the basement of the new tower, and installing building footings and foundation walls to both the parking garage and the basement. On August 11, a crane arrived at the construction site to begin the erection of tower floors 1-3. The first part of the tower is expected to be done in the spring of 2027. Crews will begin to construct tower floors 4-6 in the winter 2026, and are scheduled to wrap up in the summer of 2027. On August 18, placement of the structural steel will begin. The first area will be the level 3 roof over framing for the new mechanical space. Steel installation will continue through December. The crane operation and steel installation will have minimal impact on hospital operations. There may be some disruption due to noise or vibration as workers attach the steel column baseplates on the level 2 and 3 roofs and make connections between framing members. The locations where the columns will be attached are shown below. Learn more at anthc.org/ese

Congratulations to Jamille “Jamie” Tucker, RN, from Labor and Delivery on her DAISY Award! Tucker was nominated by a coworker, who wrote: "I have known Jamie almost 2 years and have seen the care and compassion she shows not only patients but also her coworkers. This week was different though. Jamie and I usually work opposite shifts as she is a day shift charge nurse, but she has recently been working nights to help out staffing on the unit. This particular stretch of shifts was one of the craziest we've had, and Jamie had three particularly challenging patients for different reasons throughout the week. Each time I went in the room to help get these patients settled and help Jamie with tasks, her focus was always on the patient, despite whatever was happening around the room or outside the room. She can build a bond with an anxious patient in 3 minutes; I watched her do it with each of these patients myself. She intuitively knows how to meet these patients where they're at... and support them in the ways they need. There is no judgement from her or complaining when she's dealt a challenging situation. She takes her job seriously, as we all should in this profession, and she sets a standard of excellence that every nurse should strive for. Our job as labor and delivery nurses is not always happy and sometimes, we still see the worst of situations at the most intimate and vulnerable moment in someone's life. Jamie Tucker shows compassion, grace and extraordinary skill in every single patient interaction and it has been an honor to watch her in action with some extremely challenging situations." Patients, their families and fellow staff can nominate nurses for DAISY Awards. Nomination forms and collection boxes have been placed throughout the ANMC hospital. Nurses who are nominated for and receive the DAISY Award go above and beyond in caring for their patients. Each DAISY Award honoree is recognized quarterly at a public ceremony in their unit or department. For more information about the DAISY Award program or to nominate a nurse, please visit anmc.org/the-daisy-award/.

Congratulations to Taylor Simmons, RN, from Nephrology Clinic on her DAISY Award! Simmons was nominated by a patient, who wrote: "Taylor was very helpful. She went above and beyond to help me get my medications. I really appreciated it. She made extra phone calls, did research and followed up with me and other departments so I could get my medications to assist in my care. Thank you for everything you do." Patients, their families and fellow staff can nominate nurses for DAISY Awards. Nomination forms and collection boxes have been placed throughout the ANMC hospital. Nurses who are nominated for and receive the DAISY Award go above and beyond in caring for their patients. Each DAISY Award honoree is recognized quarterly at a public ceremony in their unit or department. For more information about the DAISY Award program or to nominate a nurse, please visit anmc.org/the-daisy-award/.