Assembly passes on support for treatment facility

MAT-SU -- The Mat-Su Borough Assembly sidestepped a potentially political decision at its Tuesday meeting.

One item before the assembly in the consent agenda was a resolution supporting North Star Behavioral Health System's certificate of need, which was filed recently with the state.

The certificate of need requests state approval to open a 60-bed residential psychiatric treatment center in Anchorage, and several assembly members felt supporting the certificate of need could lead to bad blood between Mat-Su and Anchorage assembly members.

"I don't think it's in our best interest to be recommending to Anchorage what it should or should not do," Assembly Member Bill Allen said.

North Star Chief Operating Officer Elaine Christian said the company operates a 29-bed residential treatment facility off Clark-Wolverine Road, on Lazy Mountain. The treatment center in Anchorage would be located adjacent to North Star Hospital on DeBarr Road.

The property, owned by North Star, is zoned appropriately, Christian said, and already has underground utilities in.

"We're waiting for approval from the commissioner," Christian said. "We'll be ready to break ground this spring."

North Star has submitted its certificate of need to the state, but Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Joel Gilbertson put the brakes on the approval process recently, announcing a moratorium on all certificates of need until current laws pertaining to Alaska's health-care system have been reviewed and, possibly, changed.

Assistant Borough Manager Marian Romano said the ordinance was placed on the agenda after a discussion with officials from North Star, when borough officials were asking North Star officials to consider adding additional beds in the Mat-Su area.

Support for the certificate of need, Romano said, conveyed support for what North Star brings to Southcentral Alaska.

Assembly Member Mary Kvalheim said she supported North Star, and saw a need for what it provides.

"I feel we're not trying to tell Anchorage what to do, we're trying to influence or support an entity already in our borough," Kvalheim said. "Right now, they're at a standstill with the state, with the Department of Health and Social Services, and they're not going to make a decision on this."

Assembly Member Jody Simpson agreed with Kvalheim, stating that the borough assembly has a record of support for treatment of youth and others with mental illness.

Allen said he still wasn't sold on the idea.

"I'm very supportive of that," Allen said. "[But] I can just imagine how members of this assembly would respond, should the Anchorage assembly send us a resolution about something going on in the Valley."

Allen asked whether North Star would be considered a competing provider to Mat-Su Behavioral Health, another similar provider in the Valley. Assembly Member Talis Colberg said he was reluctant to put his name to a resolution supporting one of the companies but not the other.

"I don't want to make them mad, either," Colberg said.

Assembly Member Betty Vehrs moved to postpone the resolution indefinitely, effectively killing it, but leaving a possibility for it to come back to the table in another form. The motion passed unanimously.