Cross Road Health Ministries, Inc. currently provides services at three road-accessible clinics.
In the upper part of the Copper River Valley, in Southcentral Alaska, weekday outpatient and 24x7 urgent care services are provided at our main clinic, Cross Road Medical Center, in the town of Glennallen. Weekday outpatient services are also offered two days per week at North Country Clinic, a small cabin at Grizzly Lake.
In Interior Alaska, outpatient and urgent care services are provided at Interior Alaska Medical Clinic in the city of Delta Junction.
Like most outpatient clinics, weekdays are usually filled with the general problems familiar to any family practice clinic. We see patients in all age groups, newborn to geriatric, with acute and chronic health needs. We also provide preventive health screening and education. For advanced care, patients are referred to specialists and specialty clinics in the nearest cities, usually several road hours away. Often interspersed with this are emergency and critical situations. Patients with cardiac, trauma, medical, obstetric and other emergencies are stabilized and then transported by medevac to hospitals located in major cities.
The resident population in rural Alaska is sparse and widely dispersed. Long driving distances combined with inclement weather and challenging road conditions during the long, cold winters and sometimes limited access to reliable personal transportation at any time of the year can present barriers to patients wishing to access healthcare.
Glennallen sits at the junction of two of Alaska’s most important highways and serves as a jumping-off point to the largest national park in the United States, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Glennallen is known for its outstanding scenery, great fishing and of course, its friendly people. It is located in the Copper River Basin, at the junction of the Glenn and Richardson Highways. As the major population center of the Copper River Basin, Glennallen is a great place to live as you explore the area. The world famous Copper River, the tenth longest river in the United States, winds through the region. This 290-mile river is also called the Ahtna River and is best known for Copper River Salmon which is served in some of the finest restaurants in North America.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve boasts nine out of the highest 16 peaks in the United States. The park is situated at the crossroads of three great mountain ranges: the Wrangell Mountains to the north, the Chugach Mountains to the south and the St. Elias Mountains arching up from the Gulf of Alaska. Many of these peaks are visible from Glennallen and lend the town an imposing backdrop. Glennallen is also near the famed Copper River, where anglers happily pluck what some believe to be the tastiest of all Alaska salmon – the famous Copper River red salmon.
Glennallen comes alive in January when it serves as the starting point for the Copper Basin 300 Dog Sled Race. Often referred to as the toughest 300 miles in Alaska, the race follows a loop that heads north to Summit Lake and then east before returning to Glennallen and finishing at Tolsona Lake Resort to the east. In winter, Glennallen is also a great vantage point for viewing the northern lights.