The final in a series highlighting the CIRI family of nonprofit organizations
Founded in 1982, Southcentral Foundation (SCF) provides a range of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and wellness services for Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people living in Southcentral Alaska. Its Nuka System of Care is a relationship-based, customer-owned approach to transforming health care, improving outcomes and reducing costs.
SCF manages more than 80 health care programs and services and serves 65,000 AN/AI people in Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and 55 rural villages in the Anchorage Service Unit. Together with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, it also co-owns and manages the Alaska Native Medical Center, an award-winning, state-of-the-art, 173-bed facility that provides comprehensive medical services to AN/AI people living in Alaska.
SCF is a two-time recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2011 and 2017), the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence and innovation. It is the only health organization to have received the award twice.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted AN/AI peoples and communities. SCF has been instrumental in stemming the pandemic surge, from distributing information about COVID-19 prevention to offering telehealth visits that allow customer-owners to see their health care providers from the comfort and safety of home. SCF received Alaska’s first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines late last year. While SCF prioritized vaccinations for frontline health workers and Elders, as of Feb. 1, vaccine appointments are open to employees, customer-owners and household members of customer-owners empaneled at the Anchorage Native Primary Care Center. The vaccine is available for ages 16 and older; ages 16 and 17 require parental consent. Customer-owners should contact their primary care provider or call (907) 729-3300 to make a vaccine appointment.
