OPINION: South Anchorage deserves an emergency room

As residents of South Anchorage, we know our area’s needs better than anyone. And for far too long, our need for a nearby emergency room has been dismissed or delayed. But we can’t be ignored any longer.

We are calling for the proposed Alaska Regional South Anchorage Emergency Room to become a reality — not just for convenience, but to do what it’s meant to do: save lives.

Every day, we live with the knowledge that the nearest emergency room is more than 20 minutes away from where we live, work and where we send our children to school.

That’s unacceptable.

In an emergency medical situation, every second counts. If a family member suffers a stroke, a heart attack, or a life-threatening emergency, those 20 minutes could mean the difference between life and death. In a moment of crisis, seconds matter, and this community deserves a fighting chance.

South Anchorage has grown and with growth, comes a responsibility to ensure our health care infrastructure grows with it. We’ve reached a point where other hospitals are turning patients away at the door. Meanwhile, Alaska Regional’s emergency room continues to operate at peak capacity, often providing South Anchorage with its last lifeline.

If a child has a severe asthma attack at midnight, or if an elderly neighbor falls and fractures a hip, we shouldn’t be relying on the hope that traffic from South Anchorage won’t be an issue or that the roads won’t be icy. This is Alaska, after all. A true emergency room, located close to our homes, and staffed with emergency-trained physicians, is what we need. It’s what we deserve.

Yet despite the overwhelming support from the people who live here, some opposing hospital executives and special interest groups are opposing this ER. We ask, why? Why are their voices being elevated over ours? Why is it that those who live far from South Anchorage are attempting to make decisions about our health care, while we — the people who will be most impacted — are sidelined? It seems they are more concerned with protecting their own interest than safeguarding our community’s health and well-being.

During the public comment period, more than 225 Anchorage residents voiced their support for this much-needed facility. That’s 225 voices standing together, demanding better health care access. While the people of Anchorage stood in support, the executives of the opposing hospitals spoke against the ER, more concerned about “competition” and their bottom line.

This is not about business or market share. This is about saving lives.

We don’t care about profits. We care about our children, our parents, our neighbors, and our most vulnerable residents. We care about having peace of mind knowing that when an emergency happens — and it will — we won’t have to worry about how far away help is. We care about knowing that help is right here in South Anchorage, where it belongs.

Healthcare is not a privilege for the few — it’s a right that every single person should have.

We call on our fellow residents to keep speaking up. Make your voices heard because no one should decide our fate but us. We urge you to stand with us and continue to support Alaska Regional’s South Anchorage Emergency Room.

This is about life and death. This is about ensuring families and neighbors have access to the best possible care that Alaska Regional provides — when and where it matters most.

South Anchorage deserves better, and we won’t wait any longer.

Karen Andrade, Tina Thomas and Cindi Whitt are South Anchorage residents.

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