Lisa Murkowski: “This new hospital project will be an economic boon for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Currently, there is a hospital in…”

“This new hospital project will be an economic boon for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Currently, there is a hospital in Palmer, which is one of the larger communities in the borough. However, this is the only full-service hospital in the entire borough. This borough, which is the home to many people who commute to work in Anchorage, has grown a great deal over the years. In fact, the borough's population is projected to double in the next ten years. Therefore, a new hospital is needed in this borough. This proposed hospital will be located halfway between the communities of Wasilla and Palmer and will be more easily accessible to more of the borough's residents. Currently, the site on which the proposed hospital will be located does not have a water or sewer connection. Therefore, such a connection is critical to the success of the hospital project, which will serve so many people in a high-growth area in my State. Please allow me to share with you some details on the economic effect that this hospital project will have on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It will create 680 full time and part time construction jobs during the first phase of the construction. Once the hospital is complete, 1,200 to 1,800 new jobs will be created through new hospital operations. It will add $22.8 million in construction labor income.…”