Summary

Nvision provided planning and design services on the Upper Tanana Health Clinic—to be located in Tok, Alaska—for the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC). The new 16,000 SF clinic is designed to reflect TCC’s progressive approaches to healthcare delivery and excellence in medical care. All products, materials, and building systems are designed to meet the standards of TCC, the Indian Health Service, and the Facility Guidelines Institute. Nvision worked with TCC to develop a design inspired by the cultural values of the Native Athabaskan community, the natural characteristics of the Upper Tanana landscape, and the realities of the region’s seasonally harsh environmental conditions. In collaboration with distinct user groups, Nvision determined the degree of need for addressing numerous types of care, including emergent, general wellness, physical and mental health, and aging. The result is a multi-faceted facility with departments for urgent care, primary and specialty care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, radiology, and laboratory services. The facility design provides an interior that encourages patient healing and promotes staff performance. The layout has clear and well-defined circulation paths to minimize dead-end corridors and blind spots while maximizing visibility from staff stations. The interior’s warm and welcoming finishes create a therapeutic setting intended to calm patients and promote their participation in treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. Safety and security features were carefully integrated with high-quality finishes, fixtures, and furnishings.