Anchorage Native Primary Care Clinic

Native individuals and tribal leadership, throughout the design process, drove the design process along with the architecture team of NBBJ to ensure the building met their cultural and functional needs. Extensive glazing, rounded forms which reference the circle of life belief, and earth tones are found throughout the facility.

Roughly 45,000 patients are served at the Anchorage Native Primary Care Center in Anchorage, Alaska and the new physical space will constantly evolve. All walls within the new space will be moveable with plumbing and communications dropping from the ceiling. The provider offices will be arranged around the perimeter of the space with the exam rooms in the middle. Everything will happen in the same room bringing all the services to the patient. The physician, nurse case manager, nutritionist, and behaviorist will all see the patient within the same room - and imbedding a pharmacist in this process will be tested as well.

Southcentral Foundation believes that a personal relationship must be created to deliver the best possible care. For eight years the guarantee of same day access in person or on the phone to their care provider/team has promoted consistency and continuity in care. Many exam rooms, half of which will be called "talking rooms" will contain only a chair, furnishings, and a medical supply cabinet but not an exam table. The idea here is to lower the power differential and continue the process of building a relationship with the patient.

The waiting areas within the new clinic space will have mini-health information centers to further put information and control in the customer-owner's hands. A central staircase has been designed to encourage walking and exercise. There is an angled ceiling in the center of the building to reflect natural light and take advantage of the summer and winter solstices. High end finishes within public spaces reinforce self-confidence and pride within the community in which the clinic serves.