Anchorage health officials outline phased plan for Alaska Center for Treatment at Golden Lion

Summary

Anchorage officials described design, funding and operational steps for converting the Golden Lion site into the Alaska Center for Treatment, including a phased decompression of current residents, design work for a second‑floor treatment space and plans to pursue Medicaid billing and other funding sources for sustainability.

Anchorage health officials on March 5 told the Public Health and Safety Committee they are moving toward a phased redevelopment of the Golden Lion facility into the Alaska Center for Treatment, a low‑barrier substance use disorder treatment site funded in part by proceeds from the Municipality’s past sale of Municipal Light & Power.

"We have 4 main goal areas," Thea Agnewbemben of the mayor’s office told the committee while introducing the city’s broader public health strategy; Anchorage Health Department Director Kimberly Rasch then detailed the Golden Lion plan. Rasch said the municipality has engaged architects and engineers and expects site and structural work to continue before an operator is selected via a forthcoming request for proposals.

Why it matters: The Golden Lion project is intended to provide integrated transitional housing and outpatient substance use treatment for South Central Alaska, a region officials said previously lacked sufficient treatment capacity. Committee members pressed officials on how the facility will be funded and whether short‑term federal rental assistance or…

Anchorage health officials outline phased plan for Alaska Center for Treatment at Golden Lion

Summary

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