I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Today, I want to introduce a very unique and meaningful hospital story from Anchorage.

This is the 'Alaska Native Medical Center,' commonly referred to as 'ANMC,' a comprehensive hospital.

As you can tell from the name, it was established to provide healthcare services specifically for Alaska Natives.

This ANMC boasts a size that ranks among the largest indigenous healthcare facilities in the entire United States.

While the hospital building is located in Anchorage, it serves as a medical hub responsible for all indigenous communities across Alaska, from remote villages near the Arctic Ocean to isolated islands.

Many of the remote villages in Alaska are inaccessible by vehicle. Therefore, when a serious patient arises in those areas, it is quite common to see them being urgently transported to the Anchorage ANMC by small planes or helicopters.

This hospital is operated by the 'Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC),' which means that eligibility for services is quite clear and strict.

Basically, only Alaska Natives or residents with American Indian ancestry can receive treatment here. Therefore, it is not a hospital that our Korean community can directly visit when we are unwell.

However, it undoubtedly plays a significant role in understanding the overall healthcare infrastructure and unique local systems of the city of Anchorage.

What impressed me the most while observing this hospital was their effort to seamlessly integrate their long-standing indigenous culture into modern advanced medical services. Upon entering the hospital, the lobby and hallways are filled with traditional crafts and paintings made with care by indigenous artists, making you feel as if you have entered a local museum.

Moreover, they provide a customized healthcare environment that deeply respects indigenous traditional healing methods and cultural sentiments, allowing patients to find psychological comfort. It is a space that goes beyond merely treating diseases mechanically, embracing the identity and roots of the patients warmly, which I believe offers many lessons.

I hope our Korean community can also preserve our precious culture well in this foreign land.