FAIRBANKS, ALASKA -- Alaska staff joined with members of the Ft. Wainwright and Fairbanks community June 9, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the new Bassett Army Community Hospital (ACH) which opened its doors for the first time May 30, 2007.
"Today marks a great day in both Army Medicine and Ft. Wainwright history," said Col. Christopher Jarvis commander of MEDDAC-AK, to the over 300 guests in attendance. "Ten years ago, the doors to the new hospital opened, and since then Bassett has been leading the way in providing world-class health care."
While the current Bassett ACH has been open for a decade, the operation of the building is only a fraction of its history, having been around since 1963.
"Old Bassett served the Ft. Wainwright community well during its nearly 50 years of operation," said Jarvis.
In 1994, 43 years after the building was initially built as an Air Force Hospital to serve Ladd Air Field, talk began of the need for a hospital to better meet the needs of the military community, with the focus changing from inpatient care to outpatient treatment.
Ground was broken and site development for the new Bassett ACH began in April 2000, but when bids for the building came in much higher than the $133 million appropriated by congress for the project, work came to a halt.
It was then that Senator Ted Stevens, a long-time proponent for military in Alaska and a staunch supporter of the need for a new Bassett, citing the old building was no longer adequate, lobbied congress for the additional $82 million to proceed with the project, stating a new hospital was essential to Fort Wainwright's survival.
Stevens secured the additional $82 million to proceed with the project and was on hand to cut the ribbon and celebrate the opening of the new Bassett ACH, the only Army hospital in Alaska, in 2007.
Catherine Stevens, the senator's widow, came back to Fairbanks recently to join in the hospital's 10th anniversary as a guest speaker, where she remembered her husband's love for the Bassett ACH project.
"Ted would be so happy to see this," said Stevens. "Ted was the grandfather of earmarks and you can thank him for that. This was one of the projects (that was) like, 'lead, follow or get out my way, this hospital will be built'," said Stevens.
"The new Bassett ACH, which took four years to build, is nothing short of amazing," said Jarvis.
"The design of the building and the capabilities it houses assists us in providing the highest quality of care to ensure a globally ready force. However, it's what is inside these walls that are most impressive," stated Jarvis.
"For the last 11 months, I've had the honor of commanding an award winning hospital, full of award winning professionals, often looked at to lead the way for Army Medicine. Team Bassett, past and present, is comprised of individuals who strive every day to live our mission and be patient-centered in all they do, and I believe they are the reason why we can look forward to another 10 years of safe, quality care," added Jarvis.
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