Inside Alaska business: June 2017.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: General Communications Inc merge with Liberty Interactive Corp. Liberty Ventures Group - PacRim Coal LP planning suspends coal mining operations - Opening of the dental clinics in Alaska

SEARHC

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SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is delighted to announce the opening of their new Children's Dental Clinic in Juneau. The new clinic is on the first floor of the SEARHC Dental building at 3245 Hospital Drive. Pediatric dental staff began seeing patients in the new space in May, with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house planned for June 22.

The expansion into a larger space had been in the planning stages since 2014 and was the logical next step toward providing all children in the community with adequate access to dental care, many of them recipients of Denali Kid Care. Simply put, more space and more dentists mean SEARHC can care for the oral health of more children in Southeast Alaska. It also allows for more flexibility and convenience when scheduling appointments, which will be helpful for parents trying to juggle busy schedules, searhc.org

GCI

General Communication, Inc. (GCI) and Liberty Interactive Corporation announced the signing of an agreement that will combine GCI's business with certain assets and liabilities of the Liberty Ventures Group into a company to be called GCI Liberty.

"This transaction is a win for our shareholders, customers, and employees," said Ron Duncan, GCI co-founder, president, and chief executive officer. GCI will remain a freestanding operation within GCI Liberty. GCI's leadership team, brand, operations, and products and services will not change as a result of the transaction. GCI will remain headquartered in Anchorage. This transaction is subject to regulatory review and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018. gci.com

PACRIM COAL

PacRim Coal suspended all permitting activities related to the Chuitna Coal Project as of March 31. The company says, "Following several months of internal review and discussions, the partners in PacRim Coal, LP have decided to suspend pursuit of its permitting efforts to invest in other projects."

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough has a new eCommerce site through which businesses can purchase or renew their Mat-Su business license using a credit card. Some 8,000 businesses hold licenses in the Borough. "We anticipate 10 percent to 15 percent participation the first year, increasing to 30 percent to 35 percent in year three. The goal is to exceed 60 percent participation," said Joe Quickel, the Borough's eCommerce Project Manager. The new eCommerce site is located at https://ecommerce. matsugov.us/Pages/default.aspx matsugov.us

ALASKA HEART & VASCULAR INSTITUTE

The Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute has acquired a state-of-the-art rapid CT scanner that virtually eliminates patient claustrophobia and uses substantially lower doses of radiation. The newly procured Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash CT uses the world's first fully-integrated Stellar detector, which allows for exceptional image quality and a simplified patient process. This fast, non-invasive CT scanner became available April 10 at the Anchorage office. "The advancements associated with the Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash CT have the potential to change the way physicians evaluate patients with chest pain and with heart and vascular problems," said Dr. Finley, medical director, CT department.

alaskaheart.com

PEOPLE MOVER

Mayor Berkowitz and Transit Director Hassan announced a new transit system for the Municipality of Anchorage that will...