© 2025 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
STAND WITH PUBLIC MEDIA | PROTECTMYPUBLICMEDIA.ORG

COVID-19 cases are declining nationwide — but Alaska's health care system is at a breaking point

While COVID-19 cases are declining nationwide, health care workers in Alaska are still scrambling after a recent surge of mostly unvaccinated patients has overwhelmed the state’s medical system.

Limited resources have forced doctors to make grim choices about who receives care, which means some patients are left without the medical attention they desperately need.

Dr. Steven Floerchinger, a trauma and acute care surgeon working with patients at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, tells us what is happening on the ground.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.