Hospital construction nearly complete

Construction of the new Wrangell Medical Center is nearly done, according to a press release from the SouthEast Alaska Health Consortium. They are about 85 percent complete with the project, the release reads, and the entire project remains on budget and slightly ahead of schedule. The hospital, according to previous reports, is aiming to be ready for use by early-2021.

Drywall work is nearly complete, according to the press release. Siding on the hospital's exterior is finished everywhere except for the courtyard and mezzanine. Equipment is also currently being installed in the kitchens, laundry room, and the radiology department. Renovations to the existing AICS clinic are moving along, as well. It will enter "Phase 3" of its renovations in mid-November. This next phase was reportedly pushed back a few weeks due to shipping delays and the scope of work needed in the remodeled space. Currently, the press release reads, workers and interior painters are focusing on the connecting corridor between the clinic and the new hospital.

"Extra efforts are being made by construction crews to advance the move-in date for the new facility, which is early spring," SEARHC Vice President and WMC Hospital Administrator Leatha Merculieff said in the press release. "WMC employees are excited to provide care in the new facility with state-of-the-art equipment. The new healthcare campus will maximize our staff's ability to treat our Long-Term Care residents and patients."