Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital marks 25 years of providing care to Alaska’s kids

The state’s only hospital for children continues delivering state-of-the-art, high-quality treatment to our most vulnerable patients

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital will soon mark 25 years of service to Alaska’s kids and their families as the only hospital in the state that was built specifically for the treatment of children.  

The hospital – originally called The Children’s Hospital at Providence – celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 23, 1998. Upon opening, the hospital-within-a-hospital occupied much of the same space it does today, on the third floor of Providence Alaska Medical Center. Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital was designed to provide care in a family-friendly environment that would reduce the stress children experience at the hospital.  

“A lot has changed during our first 25 years, everything from bringing new, innovative treatment options to Alaska to managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our patients and families,” said Esther Pitts, executive director of Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital. 

“One thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to making sure Alaska’s kids, from birth all the way through their teen years, get the best care possible. Our patients are some of the most vulnerable in our hospital, and it’s important that we can provide the care they need close to home,” she added. 

Today the hospital includes a 146-bed inpatient facility providing family-centered care in every area of pediatric medicine. Departments that are part of Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital include:

• Obstetrics (OB) Triage
• Prenatal Unit 
• Labor & Delivery Unit
• Lactation Clinic 
• Mother-Baby Unit 
• Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit  
• Children’s Emergency Care (Level II Pediatric Trauma Center)
• Child Life Program 
• Pediatrics 
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit 
• Pediatric Subspecialties Clinic 
• Pediatric Therapies  
• Alaska CARES, a Children’s Advocacy Center 

From the beginning, the commitment to ensure Alaska's children had access to the best care possible has been shared by community members. In addition to the capital campaign that supported construction on Providence Alaska Children's Hospital 25 years ago, donations to Providence Alaska Foundation continue to support Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital including Alaska’s only Children’s Miracle Network hospital designation.

Local fundraising efforts provide Alaskans with the opportunity to contribute and support care especially designed for pediatric patients and their families, such as the Child Life Program.

To learn more about Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital, please visit providence.org/locations/ak/alaska-childrens-hospital.