Congressionally directed spending for construction projects - peninsula community health services of alaska, INC. (pchs) seeks to build a small medical clinic in the north kenai/nikiski area of alaska…

This $500,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthcare Systems Bureau supports the construction of a new medical clinic in North Kenai/Nikiski, Alaska by Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska, Inc. (PCHS), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The award, provided through the Congressional Directives (CFDA 93.493) program, aims to establish accessible and affordable medical and behavioral health services for the approximately 4,300 residents of the North Kenai/Nikiski area, who currently lack local healthcare providers. By building this new clinic facility, the project will address transportation barriers to care and increase utilization of critical services in this underserved Alaskan community. The award has a performance period from September 30, 2024 to September 29, 2027.

Congressionally directed spending for construction projects - peninsula community health services of alaska, INC. (pchs) seeks to build a small medical clinic in the north kenai/nikiski area of alaska in the kenai peninsula borough. The purpose of this clinic would be to provide accessible and affordable medical and behavioral health services to those located in nikiski and north kenai. There are currently no providers in this area. Making services available at this location addresses transportation barriers to care for the approximately 4,300 community members living in this area, representing 7% of the kenai peninsula borough population (26% of the local area). The prior clinic serving the area closed in 2019 and no clinics have emerged to fill the GAP. As an fqhc, pchs is a safety net provider. We work with the local hospital to fulfill the needs of our patients and meet stringent quality of care requirements established by hrsa. Our mission is to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to our community. Establishing a facility in north kenai will not only align with our mission but put IT into action. Our goal is to bring these services closer to those residing in nikiski and north kenai. Our community does not have a public transportation system. Those without transportation rely on taxi service, friends and family, and the central area rural transit system (carts). Carts requires rides to be scheduled one day ahead of time, which is not always possible. Carts also has very limited hours of operation. As of 2020, over 4,300 alaskans resided in nikiski. The city of kenai spans over 36 miles. Bringing our services to north kenai will help alleviate the barriers to care, such as: the cost of taxi service, carts, and fuel for those that do have vehicles. Having medical and behavioral health services closer will also encourage those who do not normally seek these services due to distance, to begin utilizing these services.