Alaska Native and Native American residents living in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and beyond will have access to a new $50 million medical clinic offering an expanded array of services in 2013. The new 93,652-square-foot Valley Native Primary Care Center, a project by Southcentral Foundation (SCF), will break ground spring 2011.
The new clinic will employ 250 medical and office personnel. The new full-service clinic will replace the small 5,457-square-foot clinic located in leased space in a strip mall in Wasilla. The current clinic employs 31 medical and office personnel and offers basic outpatient primary care services and some behavioral health services.
The new clinic, which will be located on 33 acres at the corner of Knik-Goose Bay Road and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, will provide primary care, dental, optometry, behavioral health and radiological care.
The new clinic is made possible by a $40 million loan from the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Program as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The rest of the project is financed by a $10 million loan from Wells Fargo and with additional support for staffing from the Indian Health Service.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is the fastest growing borough in the state. The Alaska Native and Native American population in the Mat-Su borough is growing at a much faster rate than the general population and is expected to nearly double in the next ten years. SCF currently serves about 6,643 Alaska Native people and American Indians living in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley at its primary care clinic located at Tudor Road and Elmore Road in Anchorage.
“The plans for the new primary care center were conceptualized in collaboration with the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council and the Knik Tribal Council after a careful review of the data and listening sessions with our customers from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough,” said Charles Clement, Southcentral Foundation vice president of operations and chief operations officer. “We are looking forward to the construction of this facility, knowing what an important role it will play in meeting the needs of this growing population.”
When open in 2013, the new Valley Native Primary Care Center is projected to be the 14th biggest employer in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
