Saturday, May 10, 2025
5/10/2025
Congressionally Directed Spending for Construction Projects - Kodiak Island, located in the Gulf of Alaska is approximately 250 air miles southwest of Anchorage, and only accessible by boat or plane. The Kodiak Island Borough (KIB) has an estimated population of 13,101 living on the island with 5,581 residents living in the City of Kodiak by the 2020 US Census Bureau. The estimated percentage of persons living in poverty within the City of Kodiak is 9% and the majority age range of residents is 35 to 39 years of age which is an estimated 8.3% of our population. Kodiak has one critical access care hospital Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center (PKIMC). We lack various medical specialties such as gastroenterology, orthopedics, endocrinology, oncology, and more on the Island. This results in many residents having referrals to other facilities on the mainland for appointments that can be over 3 months out at times. There is always the risk of being weathered in or out of Kodiak, this results in added expenses and rescheduled appointments with longer wait times. This can put a great amount of stress, both financial and emotional, on those needing medical care we cannot offer on the island. Kodiak is home to the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska, a rocket launch facility for low-earth orbiting satellites, as well as other military, scientific, and research missions. Kodiak is also home to the largest U.S. Coast Guard base. The dependents of the Active-Duty service members assigned to this base represent a significant portion of our patient population. In 2022 the U.S. Coast Guard Base-Kodiak announced that it would be expanding its housing capacity for the homeporting of two new Fast Response Cutters and an Offshore Patrol Cutter. With this, it is anticipated that we will experience a rapid increase in patient population as we are the primary care of choice in the Kodiak community. The remoteness and unique wildlife attract a wide array of international workers, visitors, and prospective residents to Kodiak. Many residents are seasonally employed, living in Kodiak from May through September or October through March, working for the commercial fishing industry. Kodiak’s 2022 Community Needs Assessment(CNA) identified 4 primary community needs Behavioral Health (Primary Focus- Substance Use), Economic Security/ Basic Needs, Healthy Behaviors/Physical Health, and Access to Healthcare. Improving the availability, access, and use of primary care services was identified by the community as a significant concern. Long wait times, scheduling, and difficulty getting timely appointments were frequently noted in the stakeholder interviews and in the survey as barriers to access. Limited space is affecting our ability to expand services and provide this care to our growing community. The building currently occupied consists of sections built between 1969 and 2007. To meet the identified needs in the CNA we are looking at a capital expansion, adding a minimum of 10,000 sf to our clinic, with an ideal of 20,000 sf to an expanded footprint total of 27,000 sf. This will allow for not only the upcoming patient growth noted, but to utilize the space effectively in the future. To remain at the current location is ideal, enhancing the ability to provide coordinated patient care with PKIMC. It is critical to the health and well-being of the Kodiak community for our health center to continue to provide essential primary care and safety net services. To adequately meet this need we require additional space to accommodate the patient load tempo of the additional 1,000+ anticipated USCG-dependent patients. With expanded space we could provide these services on island eliminating the need to fly patients to Anchorage for care. These flights will put a strain on the limited healthcare funds available. Support of healthcare infrastructure in Kodiak returns a reduction of the financial burden on the healthcare system from travel as well as supporting the mission of the USCG.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).