Editing Sitka, Alaska (section)

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
Sitka is only accessible by boat or plane as it is on a pair of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Vehicles are usually brought to Sitka via the [[Alaska Marine Highway]] ferry system or the barge. However, a vehicle is not an absolute necessity in Sitka, as there are only {{convert|14|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} of road from one end of the island to another. Almost everything is within walking distance from the downtown area, which is where the majority of employers are situated. Public transportation is also available.

By air, [[Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport]] offers scheduled passenger jet service operated year-round by [[Alaska Airlines]] and seasonally by [[Delta Connection]].

Delays in fall and winter due to Sitka's weather are frequent. The airport is located on Japonski Island, which is connected to Baranof Island by the [[John O'Connell Bridge|O'Connell Bridge]]. The O'Connell Bridge, completed in 1972, was the first vehicular cable-stayed bridge in the United States. The [[Sitka Seaplane Base]] is a [[seaplane]] landing area situated in the Sitka Channel, adjacent to the airport.

Ferry travel back and forth to Juneau, Ketchikan and other towns in Southeast Alaska is provided through the [[Alaska Marine Highway System]]. The ferry terminal is located {{convert|7|mi|km}} north of downtown and a ferry ticket costs about $89 per person each way to Juneau (as of February 2023). Vehicles, pets and bicycles can also be taken on the ferry for an additional charge.

Sitka's location on the outer coast of the Alaska Panhandle is removed from routes running through Chatham Strait. The tides of Peril Strait allow mainline vessels through only at slack tide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tides - Suemez Island, Port Santa Cruz, Sitka, Alaska |url=http://www.geotides.com/usalaska/alaska/sitka/portsantacruz/suemezisland/tidestation/ |access-date=November 6, 2022 |website=www.geotides.com}}</ref>

Alaska Marine Lines, a barge and freight company, has the ability to move cars to other communities connected to the mainland by road systems.

A three-way partnership of non-profits (Center for Community, [[Sitka Tribe of Alaska]], and Southeast Senior Services) offers public bus transit, funded by the [[Federal Transit Administration]] and the [[Alaska Department of Transportation]]. All buses are fully accessible, with service from 6:30&nbsp;a.m. to 7:30&nbsp;p.m., Monday through Friday.

In 2008, the [[League of American Bicyclists]] awarded Sitka the bronze level in bicycle friendliness, making Sitka the first [[League of American Bicyclists#Bicycle Friendly Communities|bicycle-friendly community]] in Alaska. In 2013, the Walk Friendly Communities<ref>{{cite web|url=http://walkfriendly.org/communities/sitka-ak/|title=Walk Friendly Communities|date=January 5, 2017|website=www.walkfriendly.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408073522/http://walkfriendly.org/communities/sitka-ak/|archive-date=April 8, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> program awarded Sitka with a bronze award, making Sitka the first Alaska community with a Walk Friendly Communities designation. Sitka is the only Alaska community to have both a Bicycle Friendly Community and a Walk Friendly Communities designation.

===Healthcare===
There is currently one hospital serving Sitka, Edgecumbe Hospital, which sits on Japonski Island across Sitka Harbor from the city. The facility is part of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, or SEARHC, a non-profit tribal health consortium of 18 Native communities. The hospital serves as a regional referral center for people throughout Southeast Alaska, and also provides primary outpatient care. Numerous specialty clinics are offered at the hospital that are not available in the smaller communities such as neurology, orthopedic, dermatology, ophthalmology and denture clinics.

The former Sitka Community Hospital was purchased by the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) in April 2019, and now functions as a long-term care facility for patients of Edgecumbe hospital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcaw.org/2019/04/16/assembly-approves-sale-of-sitka-community-hospital/#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Sitka%20is%20moving%20forward%20with,must%20go%20to%20the%20SEARHC%20board%20for%20approval.|title = Assembly approves sale of Sitka Community Hospital|date = April 16, 2019}}</ref>