Early opening of primary care center in Wasilla is celebrated

WASILLA — Months ahead of schedule, representatives from Southcentral Foundation, along with tribal partners Chickaloon Village Traditional Council and Knik Tribal Council, celebrated the completion of the Valley Native Primary Care Center, Benteh Nuutah with an Aug. 1 ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by partners and supporters.

The new health center will open for its Alaska Native and American Indian customer-owners on Aug. 29.

The new health center was opened in the Mat-Su Borough because the Alaska Native and American Indian population here is expected to nearly double over the next decade — growing at a much faster rate than the general population. Now there are about 5,000 Alaska Native and American Indian customer-owners in the Mat-Su Borough, but next year that number is expected to increase to 8,500.

Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was a mechanism that allowed Southcentral Foundation to work collaboratively with Chickaloon Village Traditional Council and Knik Tribal Council to help fund improvements to health care in areas where there are shortages. In 2009, the three entities formed the Valley Native Primary Care Center Joint Operating Board.

“We have worked in close collaboration to grow from a small clinic to a primary care center that would truly meet the needs of the peoples of Knik and Chickaloon and other customer-owners living in the Mat-Su Valley and surrounding areas,” foundation president/CEO Katherine Gottlieb said.

The name Benteh Nuutah translates to “among the lakes, among the islands” and honors Knik’s Denai’ina Athabascan and Chickaloon’s Ahtna Athabascan peoples.

Growing from a 5,457-square-foot leased space in a strip mall in Wasilla, the new 84,000-square-foot facility, located at the corner of Knik-Goose Bay Road and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, expands primary care, behavioral health, dietary, radiology and pharmacy services.

Other services — such as dental, optometry, audiology, laboratory and expanded behavioral health care — will be phased in as operational funding becomes available through the Joint Venture Construction Program agreement with the Indian Health Service.

The facility will eventually house 60 exam rooms and 28 talking rooms. Additionally, the vision for the on-site Wellness Center includes fitness machines, physical therapy space and an aerobics studio.

The project was set to open in October, but the construction team of Neeser Construction, NBBJ, KPB Architects and DOWL HKM completed work sooner.