There is a growing need for emergency care in Anchorage and Alaska Regional is working to meet that need.

The hospital wants to build a full-service emergency department along the Old Seward Highway in South Anchorage. This new emergency department would include imaging and diagnostic labs and five emergency department beds.

In addition, trained staff and doctors are available to provide emergency care around the clock.

“The South Anchorage Emergency Department will be able to provide all the functions of a main campus emergency department. It will treat heart attacks, strokes, broken bones and other emergencies,” a statement on the hospital's website said. “This emergency department will bring hospital-level emergency care to communities that otherwise do not have easy access to life-saving treatment options. The South Anchorage Emergency Department will be staffed by board-certified physicians and will be connected to the nationally recognized care and capabilities of Alaska Regional Hospital.”

“This will allow the citizens of South Anchorage to receive care closer to home. The second benefit, in my opinion, is that patients can be evenly distributed throughout the city,” explained Hank Grinold of Alaska Regional Hospital. “They have a choice of ambulances and firefighters, but also patients and family members who are seeking care.”

State officials are expected to make a decision on the proposed emergency facility in South Anchorage this fall.

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