About Bethel

In the southwestern corner of Alaska lies Bethel. As the gateway to the Yukon Delta, Bethel is home to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. It’s a place rich with the charms of Alaska. Both modern and filled with frontier life, Bethel will take you beyond what you expect and redefine what you think of Alaska.

Boasting a vibrant population of 6,000 residents and serving as a hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Bethel is about 400 miles west of Anchorage. Accessible year-round by air and by river during the warm months, Bethel is a city where adventurous spirits will feel right at home.

In Bethel, you’ll discover a welcoming mix of modern day conveniences and services and a heritage as timeless as the land itself, where eclectic communities reflect the diverse range of opportunities for your life and career and your neighbors share your passion for excitement. Bethel and YKHC invite you to discover the true depth of your commitment to quality healthcare, while establishing your roots in a diverse and rewarding environment.

With a longstanding Alaska Native population whose rich legacy dates back centuries, Bethel’s cultural pride and spirit is a refreshing reflection of a treasured heritage. The town is particularly known for its annual Kuskokwim 300 dog sled race, which draws participants from around the world, and for its annual three-day Camai Dance Festival, which features traditional Native American costumed dancers, drummers and singers from Alaska and beyond.

Living in Bethel

The town of Bethel places great emphasis on providing its residents with the services they expect in a growing community, including many schools and multiple churches representing most of the major faiths. Living in Bethel, you’ll discover a modern community with its own police and fire departments, ambulance and animal control services, as well as a public library, cultural center and youth center. Staying connected to one another is vital to the people of Bethel, and local newspaper, telephone service, basic cellular and Internet services are available, as are cable TV and satellite dish services.

Businesses here also have much to offer those who live in Bethel. They include local banking services, groceries, movie rentals, electronics, furniture, pet supplies, auto parts, fitness, computer sales, art and native crafts, fast food, travel, insurance, home repair, sports supplies, taxi services, car rentals, general contracting and many restaurants serving a broad selection of cuisine from around the world.

Bethel is a town of endless possibilities and countless activities to indulge your active lifestyle. Average annual rainfall is just 16 inches, with snowfall of 50 inches. The average lows/highs in July are 49/63 °F, and in January the average low/high is 1/12 °F. This means there’s lots of outdoor recreation to keep you busy year-round, including snowmobiling and skiing, bicycling, kayaking and salmon fishing.

Living and working in Alaska

As you learn more about career opportunities with YKHC, we invite you to consider some of the other advantages unique to Alaska and our organization that make living in Alaska an even greater prospect than you imagined.

Alaska Permanent Fund/Taxes –
Added income is a remarkable bonus to living and working in Alaska. Beginning in 1982, Alaskan residents who have lived in the state for a minimum of 12 months and maintain constant residency qualify to receive an annual dividend payment from the Alaskan Permanent Fund, which, in recent years, has been more than $1,000.00 per person. Residents of Alaska also receive tax breaks, making this money go further than it would if you lived elsewhere. Alaska is one of only two states that has no sales tax and no individual income tax, meaning each dollar you earn stays with you a lot longer. Plus, when you travel to Washington State, your sales tax exempt status is honored wherever you go.

A Lifestyle Filled with Adventure –
Of course, recreation is one of the highlights of choosing a career at Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. World famous for its out-of-this-world vistas and positively brimming with an abundance of recreational options, Alaska has 19 National Parks, Preserves & Historic Sites, 119 State Parks and 16 National Wildlife Refuges, along with some of the world’s best outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, mountaineering, fishing, hunting, mountain biking and kayaking.

Add to that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Yukon Delta national Wildlife Refuge, the two largest wildlife refuge areas in the United States, and a longer coastline than every state combined and you can see why, in Alaska, there’s more to do, more to discover and more to love every day you live here.

Tort Claims/Loan Repayment Benefits –
All YKHC professional employees receive tort claims and malpractice coverage based upon the Federal Tort Claims Act. YKHC employees also benefit from multiple programs that aim to assist them in their repayment of student loans. Details for both the YKHC student loan repayment program, as well as the National Health Service Corps and Indian Health Services programs can be found here.