Alaska Native Medical Center
Encyclopedia
The Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) is a non-profit health center based in Anchorage, Alaska
which provides medical services to around 138,000 Alaska Natives
and American Indians
in Alaska. It acts as both the secondary and tertiary care referral
hospital for the Alaska Region of the Indian Health Service
(IHS). Established in 1997, ANMC is jointly owned and managed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
and Southcentral Foundation
as well as tribal governments, and their regional health organizations.
The current hospital is a 380,635 sq ft, 150-bed facility which opened in May 1997. It has a staff which includes over 250 physicians, 700 nurses and close to 30 radiology technicians. ANMC is Alaska's only level II trauma center, the highest level that can be achieved in Alaska. The building also includes an adjacent hostel for the families of patients as well as a building for the Arctic Investigations programs of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
. The ANMC has received Magnet Status for nursing excellence, a designation achieved by only about 91 percent of all hospitals nationwide, and is the only tribally operated hospital with Magnet Status in the United States. The largest hospital in United States Public Health Service
history, the center was built with 168 million in federal funds secured by Senator Ted Stevens
of Alaska after a thirty year congressional battle. The construction of the building was supervised by Native Alaskan leaders who sought to integrate natural finishes and textures typical of Native traditionals as well as Native crafts and artwork displays.
The old ANMC facility, built in 1953 as a tuberculosis
sanitarium
, was seriously damaged in the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and had been slated for replacement for many years. The five-year construction project for its relocation culminated on June 2, 1997, in a one-day move of all programs, patients and departments from the old facility in downtown Anchorage to the new building six miles away.
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
which provides medical services to around 138,000 Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
and American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in Alaska. It acts as both the secondary and tertiary care referral
Referral (medicine)
In medicine, referral is the transfer of care for a patient from one clinician to another.Tertiary care is usually done by referral from primary or secondary medical care personnel....
hospital for the Alaska Region of the Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives...
(IHS). Established in 1997, ANMC is jointly owned and managed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is a non-profit health organization based in Anchorage, Alaska which provides health services to about 130,000 Alaska Natives and American Indians in Alaska...
and Southcentral Foundation
Southcentral Foundation
Southcentral Foundation is an Alaska Native health care organization established by Cook Inlet Region, Inc. in 1982 to improve the health and social conditions of Alaska Natives, enhance culture, and empower individuals and families to take charge of their lives. Alaska Native people own, manage,...
as well as tribal governments, and their regional health organizations.
The current hospital is a 380,635 sq ft, 150-bed facility which opened in May 1997. It has a staff which includes over 250 physicians, 700 nurses and close to 30 radiology technicians. ANMC is Alaska's only level II trauma center, the highest level that can be achieved in Alaska. The building also includes an adjacent hostel for the families of patients as well as a building for the Arctic Investigations programs of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
. The ANMC has received Magnet Status for nursing excellence, a designation achieved by only about 91 percent of all hospitals nationwide, and is the only tribally operated hospital with Magnet Status in the United States. The largest hospital in United States Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service
The Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
history, the center was built with 168 million in federal funds secured by Senator Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
of Alaska after a thirty year congressional battle. The construction of the building was supervised by Native Alaskan leaders who sought to integrate natural finishes and textures typical of Native traditionals as well as Native crafts and artwork displays.
The old ANMC facility, built in 1953 as a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanitarium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, was seriously damaged in the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and had been slated for replacement for many years. The five-year construction project for its relocation culminated on June 2, 1997, in a one-day move of all programs, patients and departments from the old facility in downtown Anchorage to the new building six miles away.