AICS to take ownership of Juneau homeless clinic

A Juneau clinic will be merging with a Wrangell-headquartered medical service.

Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) announced Monday it will be assuming ownership of Juneau’s Front Street Community Health Center. Founded in 2003 in the capital’s downtown area, the non-profit facility specialized in providing services for people experiencing homelessness. At present, it is the only federally-qualified health center in the city.

AICS currently offers different levels of medical, dental, pharmacological and behavioral health services in Wrangell, Northern Prince of Wales and Gustavus. AICS has been providing operational and management support for the Front Street clinic since May 2015, helping to stabilize its finances and maintain its programming. Since taking over its management, AICS has expanded the facility’s services into behavioral health, with the expectation of implementing dental services in the coming months.

In a release about the merger, AICS reported the clinic will retain its name. It is expected the merger will enable the Front Street clinic to be managed more efficiently by integrating its clinical and business systems under one administrative umbrella. The business transactions in support of the merger are expected to be completed this week.