How Public Health Is Organized in Alaska

Public health in Alaska works differently from most of the country. The state, not the county, is the main provider. The Alaska Department of Health, through its Division of Public Health, operates a network of public health centers staffed largely by public health nurses. Before a 2022 reorganization, that work sat inside the Department of Health and Social Services, which is why many offices in our database still carry the older name.

Alaska also has no county governments. The "county" labels on this page are boroughs and census areas, which the federal government uses to group places for statistics. Some boroughs run their own health agencies, but most of the state is covered by a state nursing office, a tribal health organization, or a mix of the two. Knowing which one serves your community saves time on the phone.

The listings fall into three broad types:

Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Road-System Offices

Most Alaskans live along the road system, and that is where public health centers are easiest to reach. Anchorage Municipality County has four listings, including the State of Alaska Health and Social Services Itinerant Services / Southwest Region office at 3601 C Street (907-334-2260). The word "itinerant" matters here. Nurses attached to that program travel to communities in the southwest, so the office may work more as a regional base than a drop-in clinic. Call before you drive over to confirm what is offered on site.

In the Interior, the Alaska State Health Department listing at 931 Sheenjek Drive in Fairbanks (907-474-7017) sits in Fairbanks North Star County. Farther out, the Interior Region centers at Delta Junction (2857 Alaska Highway, 907-895-4292) and Tok (1314 Alaska Highway, 907-883-4101) belong to the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area County group. Both lie on the Alaska Highway corridor, so winter driving conditions can shape your trip as much as clinic hours do.

North of Fairbanks, the picture changes. Fort Yukon Public Health Office on Spruce Street (907-662-2460) and Galena Public Health Center on Antoski Road (907-656-1366) are both in Yukon-Koyukuk (CA) County. Neither town is on the road system. Patients, supplies and nurses move by air, and in some seasons by river.

The Kenai Peninsula has four listings: Homer Public Health Center on East Bunnell Avenue, Kenai Public Health Center on Barnacle Way, the Division of Public Health Seward Health Center on 3rd Avenue, and Tyonek Health Department. Tyonek sits across Cook Inlet from the peninsula and has no road connection, so reaching it usually means a small plane or boat. The other three are in separate towns, so check which is closest before you plan your day.

North of Anchorage, the Chickaloon Village Health Department on the Glenn Highway in Sutton-Alpine is the Matanuska-Susitna Borough County listing. A tribal government runs it rather than the state, so its eligibility rules and services follow tribal policy.

Southeast, Southwest and Arctic Alaska: Where Distance Shapes Care

Outside the road system, a public health center may be the only publicly run clinic for many miles. Southeast Alaska shows this well. Juneau Public Health Center on Glacier Highway (907-465-3353) is in Juneau City and Borough County, yet the capital has no road link to the rest of the state. Sitka hosts the Southeast Region office at 210 Moller Drive (907-747-3255). Ketchikan, Petersburg, Craig and Haines each have their own center, and people moving between island communities rely on ferries or small aircraft.

Petersburg Public Health Center on Fram Street falls under Wrangell-Petersburg (C County in our records, a truncated label for a census area. Craig Public Health Center on Spruce Street serves Prince of Wales Island and is grouped under Prince of Wales-Hyder County.

Valdez and Cordova share a grouping, Valdez-Cordova (CA) County, an older census-area name the Census Bureau retired in 2019 when it split the area in two. Valdez Public Health Center on Meals Avenue (907-835-4612) sits on the highway network. Cordova Public Health Nurse on Nicholoff Way (907-424-4547) does not; Cordova cannot be reached by road from the rest of the state.

In western and northern Alaska, travel is mostly by air. Bethel Public Health Center and Itinerant Nursing Services at 1490 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway (907-543-2110) covers a region of scattered villages, and its nurses fly out to see patients. Dillingham, Nome and Kotzebue have centers on Main Street East, West 5th Avenue and 5th Avenue. Kodiak Public Health Center on Mission Road serves an island community. The North Slope Borough agency in Barrow, which officially took back its Iñupiaq name Utqiagvik in 2016, is the borough's own health agency, and you can find it under North Slope County.

Villages without a public health office are usually served by a local clinic staffed by community health aides. These aides are part of the tribal health system, and itinerant public health nurses visit on a schedule. Weather can cancel flights, so confirm visit dates in advance and keep a backup plan.

What Alaska Public Health Offices Usually Do

Services vary from site to site, so confirm by phone. Public health nursing in Alaska generally covers:

Tuberculosis and vaccine-preventable disease have long been public health priorities in parts of Alaska, which is one reason nurses stay active in rural areas.

Public health centers are not emergency rooms, and they generally do not replace a primary care provider. For urgent problems, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital or clinic. Birth and death certificates come from the state's vital records office, which is separate from local nursing offices.

Before You Visit an Alaska Public Health Center

A little preparation makes a visit smoother, especially if you are traveling a long way.

The health department network in Alaska consists of the state health agency and a system of county and city health departments that together deliver public health programs, disease surveillance, and preventive services to residents statewide.

Health Departments locations are available in 27 cities across Alaska. They are spread across 19 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, which operate full-service health departments providing comprehensive clinical and environmental health services to large urban populations.

Residents of Alaska can access their local health department for vaccinations, vital records, food inspection reports, and communicable disease information. Many services are available by appointment, and some are walk-in friendly.

Health Departments by Counties

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Residents of Alaska can order certified birth and death certificates, check restaurant inspection scores, and access free or low-cost vaccination services through their local health department. Most departments offer online appointment scheduling for clinical services.

Browse Health Departments by county across Alaska to find the nearest location.

Choosing the Right Alaska Office for Your Situation

Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas, and its 32 listings here are spread thinly across it. Choosing an office starts with geography. If you live on the road system, begin with the nearest state public health center. If you live in a village or on an island, begin with your regional hub and ask whether a nurse visits your community.

Regional hubs in our database include Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Barrow and Kodiak in the west and north, Fairbanks for the Interior, and Sitka and Juneau for Southeast. Each hub can tell you which services travel and which require a trip in.

Phone numbers matter more here than in many states. Calling the number in a listing, such as 907-474-7017 for Fairbanks or 907-486-3319 for Kodiak, confirms services and hours before you spend money on travel. Areas with the most listings are a good place to compare options. See Kenai Peninsula County and Anchorage Municipality County.

Alaska Public Health Questions

No. Alaska has no county governments, so there is no county health department structure like those in many other states. Instead, the state runs public health centers through the Division of Public Health, and a few boroughs and tribal organizations run their own health agencies. The "county" names you see in our database are boroughs and census areas used for sorting listings. When you search for local help, look for the nearest state public health center first, then check whether a borough or tribal health department serves your community.

The Alaska Department of Health oversees them through its Division of Public Health, and public health nurses staff most centers. Until a 2022 reorganization, these services belonged to the Department of Health and Social Services. That history explains why several listings, including the Southeast Region office at 210 Moller Drive in Sitka, still use "Health and Social Services" in their names. Signs and older paperwork may carry the former name, but the offices are still part of the state's public health system. If you are unsure, phone the number listed.

Many villages are served by itinerant public health nurses who fly in from a regional hub on a set schedule. Local clinics, staffed by community health aides within the tribal health system, handle day-to-day needs between visits. The Bethel office (907-543-2110) and the Nome office (907-443-3221) are examples of hubs that coordinate this kind of travel. Call your hub to ask when a nurse will next visit your village and what services will be offered. Weather can delay flights, so confirm dates close to the visit.

Bring a photo ID, any insurance or Medicaid card, and your immunization records if you are seeking vaccines. For children covered by Denali KidCare, bring that card too. If you are traveling a long distance, call first to confirm the service you need is offered that day, since nurse schedules and available services can vary by office. Ask about fees before your appointment, because billing options differ by service. Having your medication list and recent test results on hand also helps the nurse give accurate advice.

Do not assume so. Vital records are handled by a separate state unit within the Alaska Department of Health, not by the public health nursing offices listed here. A center such as Juneau Public Health Center (907-465-3353) can focus on clinical services like immunizations and screening. To order a certificate, contact the state vital records office directly and ask about required identification, fees and processing time. Call the public health center only if you also need a clinical service, and ask staff whether they can direct you to the right record office.

Eligibility depends on the tribe or health organization and on how a particular program is funded. The Chickaloon Village Health Department (907-745-0704) and the Tyonek Health Department (907-583-2135) set their own policies, so the answer can differ by service. Some programs are open to the wider community, while others are limited to tribal members or Alaska Native and American Indian beneficiaries. Phone the office, describe what you need, and ask who qualifies. If you are not eligible, staff can often point you to a nearby state public health center.