Alaska Native Medical Center Transfers to Tribal Ownership
Photo Credit: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Ownership of Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage has transferred from the federal government to Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), a handover decades in the making.
Operator-Owner
Tribal organizations have operated programs and services at ANMC under the terms of Public Law 105-83, but the US Indian Health Service officially owned the hospital building ever since the Tudor Road campus opened in the late ‘90s.
Hospital officials say the change will not interrupt patient care or eligibility, services, or employment. Patients will continue to access services as they do today.
However, the new ownership removes longstanding barriers to investing in the facility. ANTHC can now pursue federal facility-cost funding available to eligible tribally owned or leased facilities and expand the financing and philanthropic tools available to maintain, modernize, and improve the hospital.
Current Issue
September 2026
“Tribal leaders have long understood that the Alaska Native Medical Center should be owned and operated by Tribes,” says ANTHC Board Chair Kimberley Strong. “Today, that vision is a reality, reflecting a shared commitment to Tribal self-determination in healthcare sustained across generations.”
Prior to ownership, the ANTHC board approved the largest investment in the hospital’s history, more than $462 million, to expand what was a federally owned hospital. That includes $257 million to create additional patient care spaces within the emergency services department, including a dedicated drive-through ambulance entrance and spaces for patients experiencing mental health and substance use issues.
A proposed second phase would address overall capacity at ANMC by adding three floors of inpatient beds, converting to private inpatient rooms, and constructing a helipad to enhance trauma services.
“The Alaska Native Medical Center is the place where the Alaska tribal health system comes together,” says ANTHC President and CEO Natasha Singh. “The hospital is central to our system, and tribal leaders have always recognized how important it is to have this crucial facility both owned and operated by tribes. Because of their efforts, we will now have a greater ability to steward this essential statewide resource, plan for its future, and make investments that support the health needs of Alaska Native people for generations to come.”
The Indian Health Service still owns other tribal health facilities around Alaska, including Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka, Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham, Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome, and Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue.
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