Heritage Place and Polaris Transitional Care Recognized for Quality Care

Heritage Place at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna and Polaris Transitional Care in Anchorage have earned the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) 2026 Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award. The distinction is the first of three progressive award levels through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program that recognizes long term and post-acute care organizations meeting progressively rigorous standards of performance to improve the lives of residents.

Alaska's two awardees are among 713 skilled nursing facilities (SNF), 150 assisted living (AL) communities, 25 combined SNF/AL providers, four intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and one residential care facility for ID/DD in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that achieved the Bronze Award.

The National Quality Award Program features three progressive levels—Bronze, Silver,

and Gold—guiding providers through a journey of continuous improvement. Organizations begin at the Bronze level, where they assess their mission, vision, and key factors that drive success. Each application is carefully evaluated by trained examiners to determine whether the organization meets the program’s thorough performance excellence criteria.

“This achievement marks an exciting first step in each provider’s quality journey,” said AHCA/NCAL President & CEO Clif Porter. “We are proud to recognize their commitment to continuous improvement and look forward to seeing how they build on this momentum to further enhance the quality of care and life for those they serve.”

This year, the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program proudly celebrates its 30th anniversary. Since its establishment in 1996, more than 8,000 providers across the country have participated in the rigorous, Baldrige-based program to strengthen their operations, improve outcomes, and enhance the lives of residents and staff. This milestone anniversary highlights the program’s lasting impact on advancing quality care throughout the long term care profession.

Learn more about the program on the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website.#QualityAward26

The National Quality Award recipients will be celebrated during Delivering Solutions 26,

the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo, October 11-14 in Boston. The 2026 National Quality Award Program is sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Members: McKesson, Prevail by First Quality, Incite Workforce Solutions Powered by SnapCare, and HealthCap.