Central Peninsula Hospital gets OK for an ear, nose and throat clinic in Soldotna

Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna plans to open an ear, nose and throat clinic, after the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved it Oct. 6. Services are estimated to begin in 2027, Borough Attorney Sean Kelley wrote in a memo to the Assembly.

The hospital says the clinic is needed "to ensure continued access to ENT services" for central peninsula residents. Its 2025 community health needs assessment shows why. A physician wrote that the area's ear, nose and throat doctor "is nearing retirement and when he stops the only resource will be Anchorage." Another pointed to "only one hearing testing location with long delays for appointments."

The assessment surveyed 798 central peninsula residents. About half said someone in their household left the area for health care in the past year, and most often it was because the service wasn't available locally. Pediatric ENT was among the services residents said they most need nearby.

The clinic would cost about $329,000, including a 15% contingency, paid from the hospital's operating account. It did not ask the borough for money. The borough owns the hospital, and a nonprofit runs it; their agreement requires Assembly approval for new services with expected capital costs over $250,000. The hospital board approved the clinic Aug. 27 and has signed a lease for clinic space, but its resolution does not say where.

The Assembly approved the clinic 7-0 as part of a package of routine items, and the minutes record no discussion. In July, the Assembly approved a dermatology clinic at the hospital the same way.