Kenaitze tribe celebrates 10 years of ‘far-fetched dream’ at wellness center

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe on Friday recognized 10 years of its Dena’ina Wellness Center, celebrating the work that’s been done at the center for the past decade while also looking forward to the continued growth of the tribe’s health care offerings.

Bernadine Atchison, chair of the Kenaitze tribal council, opened the celebration with an overview of the tribe’s history with public health, beginning in the 1970s and continuing to expand until the center was constructed.

According to the tribe’s website, the center’s programs are open to all Alaska Native and American Indian people. The facility covers 52,000 square feet and is located on the tribe’s campus in Old Town Kenai where the Tyotkas Elder Center and Kenaitze Tribal Courthouse are also located.

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Atchison said the facility offers a holistic approach to health care where primary care, mental and behavioral health, pharmacy and wellness services are all collected in one place. At the center, the tribe also offers therapy, traditional healing, optometry and dentistry. She and others said the services and footprint of the facility have grown over the years to meet the needs of the community — that it will grow further.

Dental Director Dr. Matt Richards said the tribal council is invested in ensuring the center maintains a high bar for health care, which has led to Alaska Native people traveling from other parts of the state to take advantage of that quality and the convenience of having so many services in a single facility.

The future of the Dena’ina Wellness Center, he said, is continuing to grow and continuing to offer services to meet the needs of Alaska Native people in the tribe and beyond.

Wayne Wilson Jr., a member of the tribal council and also chair of the tribe’s health board, said the Dena’ina Wellness Center was once just “a far-fetched dream.” As the project coalesced in the late 2000s, “the dream just got bigger and bigger and bigger.” He credited the resilience of the tribal council with seeing that dream to fruition without compromising it.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who attended the event, said 10 years of the wellness center represents both 10 years of “exceptional service” as well as 10 years of the impact that service has had on the community.

“This is a shining example of what your community stands for and how you come together,” she said.

Providing health care and developing tribal citizens “is an important part of our sovereignty, self-determination and self-governance,” Mary Mills, tribal council vice chair, said.

“We treat the whole person within the Dena’ina Center,” Mills said. “Physical, spiritual, emotional and social health are each viewed as contributing factors.”

Mills said that the facility’s design incorporates tradition and heritage. The landscaping includes native and traditional plants and medicines, large sculptures adorn both the interior and exterior, and even the facade of the building is designed to represent traditional fish drying racks. Elements of the construction were repurposed or reclaimed, like large support beams taken from the old cannery at the Kenai River’s mouth or agates — donated by families — that now make up part of the floor.

She said that connection to culture will remain a guiding focus as the facility and services of the tribe continue to expand.

“Our services continue to grow and extend as we work to meet the needs of our un’ina,” Mills said. “We continue to be guided by our culture, traditional values and vision to ensure that Kahtnuht’ana Dena’ina thrive forever.”

For more information about the Dena’ina Wellness Center or the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, visit kenaitze.org.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Wayne Wilson Jr., a member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s tribal council and chair of the tribe’s health board, speaks during a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 12, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom speaks during a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 12, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenaitze Indian Tribe Tribal Council Chair Bernadine Atchison receives a gift to the tribe from Southcentral Foundation Senior Medial Director of Quality Assurance Dr. Donna Galbreath during a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 12, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Drummers perform during a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 12, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)