Southeast Alaska’s Native-run health consortium is acquiring two Juneau care providers.
Juneau Youth Services and Juneau Obstetrics and Gynecology will join the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, or SEARHC.
The addition of Juneau Obstetrics and Gynecology will expand SEARHC’s women’s health care significantly in Juneau. Previously its only board-certified OB/GYN was in Sitka.
“We are very excited to expand the breadth and depth of women’s health services for our patients,” said Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC’s Chief Medical Officer, in a press release.
Bruhl said Juneau patients were often referred outside of SEARHC for services that go beyond general women’s health care — things like high risk pregnancies or fertility treatment. Now, he said, patients will be able to access them more easily.
SEARHC Vice President of Primary Care Martin Benning said the transition should be complete by this spring. He said Juneau Obstetrics and Gynecology patients can continue care with SEARHC.
“We’re fully set up to take care of everyone in the community,” said Martin Benning. “Our intent is to make sure those patients continue to get the care that they’re getting now.”
Juneau Youth Services will also join SEARHC in the coming weeks. The mental health nonprofit offers services from therapy to residential care for youth.
“The needs for residential services are important in the local Juneau and Southeast environment. They also fill a critical need in the state,” said Eric Gettis, SEARHC’s Vice President of Behavioral Health.
Gettis said the addition of JYS’s residential services will allow SEARHC to keep more youth behavioral health patients in Alaska and close to home for in-patient care.
He said JYS reached out to SEARHC for support as it navigated inflation costs and the tight labor market.
“We have a set of infrastructures that small organizations really just struggle with,” Gettis said. “So examples of that might be information technology, or IT software, human resources, facilities, expensive facilities, expertise, additional clinical support.”
JYS Executive Director Amy Simonds Taylor said she expects to open another treatment unit soon. JYS is accepting referrals for youth who need residential care and has open positions for behavioral health associates, case coordinators and supervisors.
Current patients will not lose access to care. The transition is scheduled to be complete in the coming weeks.