WELCOME NEW STAFF!
Oksana Zagorodnyaya and Karen Le Bon, reception

Ptarmigan Pediatrics saw it's first patient on September 18, 2008. Since then we've added numerous staff and expanded our suite. We are proud to be a successful, thriving, and rapidly growing practice serving the now world famous population of Alaska's Mat-Su Valley, yet we're committed to offering that hometown, small-clinic, personalized service that our patients find so appealing. If you are looking for a pediatrician, our friendly staff will gladly answer any questions you may have. Call 907-357-4kid (4543). Ptarmigan Pediatrics is always just a phone call away, 24/7, through our after-hour answering service. (Set your cell phone to accept calls from "blocked numbers" if you expect a return call from us after hours).

OUR PROVIDERS:  Ptarmigan Pediatrics has been the brainchild of US Air Force pediatricians Dr. Laura Peterson, M.D. and Dr. Bruce Hess, D.O. for several years. Dr. Peterson separated from active duty in 2008 and started the practice. Dr. Hess followed in the summer of 2009. Together they have over 21 years active duty military service in pediatrics, most recently at Elmendorf AFB Medical Center in Anchorage. Their service to our country continues as flight docs in the USAF Reserve. Drs. Peterson and Hess are excited to continue providing medical care to the children of southcentral Alaska in private practice.

Pediatric nurse practitioner Randy Twenhafel joined Ptarmigan Pediatrics in December 2010. Nurse Twenhafel served with distinction alongside Drs. Peterson and Hess at Elmendorf AFB Medical Center where he was often the most requested provider. His strong work ethic, excellent bed-side manner and patient care priorities help Ptarmigan Pediatrics meet the immediate needs of a growing patient population. Randy continues to be a very popular provider in our clinic. 

Pediatrician Dr. Elowyn Smith, D.O. joined our practice in late August. Dr. Smith most recently served the valley as a pediatrician with Providence Matanuska Health Care, and we are pleased to bring her expertise to our clinic. Family nurse practitioner Lea Anne Abernathy, also from PMHC, joined our practice in mid August. Her experience with older patients will certainly be greatly appreciated by the parents of our teenage pediatric patients. We are certain that you will appreciate the addition of these new providers to our clinic.

 SERVICES:  We provide routine, acute, and well-child exams, school & sports physicals, immunizations, and immunotherapy injections (for both adults and children in coordination with the Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center of Alaska). We also have in-house laboratory tests for strep, flu, mono, rsv, and simple urinalysis. More extensive lab tests can be drawn here and sent outside for analysis.

We can provide in-patient and delivery / nursery services at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer if you specify one of our doctors as your child's personal pediatrician. Are you expecting? We will gladly arrange a complimentary prenatal visit in our clinic so you can meet with either of our doctors and get a tour prior to delivery.

Ptarmigan Pediatrics uses state-of-the-art electronic medical records for keeping our patients' files. Any prescriptions you may need are electronically submitted directly to the pharmacy of your choice (there is even one right across the hall from our clinic). Be watching for a new "Patient Portal" which will allow our patients to have secure online access to their medical records, lab results, etc., day or night if desired. We look forward to this possibility in the near future.

We are pleased to share our suite once a week with the Anchorage-based Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska. Doctors Melinda Rathkopf and Eric Meier see Valley patients in our facility, saving them that long drive to Anchorage. We continue to be an immunotherapy injection site for their patients of all ages during our regular business hours. Allergies acting up? You can find the local pollen counts on the municipality of Anchorage website.

HOURS:  Our office is open Monday - Friday 8 AM to 6 PM, with limited appointments available Friday after 3 PM.  You can call for appointments as early as 7:30 AM.  We are closed Saturday and Sunday, as well as some major federal holidays -- all holiday and any other irregular closures are announced on our Facebook page.

LOCATION:  Our clinic is located in the Mat-Su Regional Outpatient Center at the corner of Bogard Road and Crusey Street in Wasilla, Alaska. Enter the main door from the Bogard Road entrance and you'll immediately notice our well decorated clinic on the left across from "My Doktor's Pharmacy." We are in the old AIC / Urgent Care suite which has now moved downstairs.

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Did you know that Willow Ptarmigan is the state bird of the great state of Alaska? We hope you enjoy the ptarmigan and other Alaska wildlife photographs throughout both the clinic and this website. The Alaska State Website can tell you more about our state's symbols, such as the state tree (Sitka Spruce), state insect (Four-spotted Skimmer), etc.