CHRISTIAN HEALTH ASSOCIATES HISTORY
Christian Health Associates (CHA) was established as a nonprofit corporation in 1994. The founders formed the corporation after a year of meetings to brainstorm and pray about ways counselors might practice their profession in a Christian atmosphere. The concept grew to include a medical clinic along with local and international missions.
CHA’s counseling and administrative offices were first located at the corner of Duben and Muldoon in East Anchorage. In 1995, the young corporation remodeled the medical offices of Dr. W. J. Mills and moved downtown to K Street. This was the start of Cornerstone Clinic, a medical and counseling center, providing “care for the whole person.” Cornerstone Clinic started with one doctor and two counselors but outgrew the downtown facility within two years.
In early 1997, employees and friends of CHA completed a second remodel project at Academy Drive in South Anchorage. At this new location, CHA and Cornerstone Clinic continued to grow, doubling in facility and staff size.
Within the vision of CHA, a Community Liaison ministry soon began to develop. This ministry’s purpose is “connecting resource to need.” The community liaison position resulted from years of bridge building between faith-based organizations and social service agencies. Today, the community liaison networks with dozens of churches and agencies in Anchorage and has been the catalyst for CHA’s involvement in developing Anchorage Project Access, a community access-to-health-care program for the low-income uninsured population.
In 1999, the staff of CHA participated in a humanitarian aid project with the mayor of Anchorage. This project sent food boxes to two Russian cities: Provideniya in Northern Siberia and Anchorage’s sister city, Magadan. This was CHA’s first step toward developing Alaska Medical Missions (AMM), a staging area for sending fully functional medical supplies to developing countries. AMM’s goal is to provide “aid to the nations.” AMM began by using temporary storage facilities, moving the inventory frequently to new locations. By 2000, AMM, after occupying numerous temporary facilities, settled into a permanent home, a 4,000 square foot warehouse next door to Cornerstone Clinic. Since then, the AMM staff and volunteers have sent hundreds of shipments of medical supplies to scores of countries around the world.
In 2010, Christian Health Associates began partnering with the Anchorage School District to offer health services to students in the schools through Anchorage School Based Health Centers. Anchorage School Based Health Centers provide professional, quality medical services to meet the unique needs of students to keep them healthy and support their success at school.
In 2016, Christian Health Associates became the fiscal sponsor for Healthy Smiles Forever, the first comprehensive direct patient care dental clinic for long-term care residents in Alaska. The program’s goal is to improve long-term care residents’ oral health through dental screening, treatment and preventive services while coordinating with other health care providers to improve residents’ overall health.
In January 2023 CHA moved into our new building at 2121 Abbott Road in South Anchorage giving us room for continued growth.
CHA’s key founders: Brian Green, Sarah Mills, Brenda Moore and Byron Perkins are still active within CHA. The staff continues to pray for God’s direction, His heart and His power, in order to accomplish that for which we were called.
