North Slope Borough Resource Guide for Residents and Visitors
This article compiles core contacts and services for North Slope Borough communities, covering government administration, schools, health care, emergency response and wildlife guidance. It matters because timely access to official contacts and program information affects public safety, schooling, subsistence activities and civic participation across Utqiagvik, Prudhoe Bay, Point Hope, Wainwright and other villages.
North Slope Borough maintains a central set of offices and online resources that residents and visitors should use for official information and services. The borough main offices serve as the administrative hub for assembly business, clerks, port authority work, capital projects and community programs. Meeting calendars, press releases and department contact lists are published on the borough website for review and follow up.
Education and school administration are managed borough wide by the North Slope Borough School District, which handles enrollment, absentee voting notices, facility requests for proposals and district contacts. The district posts news and operational notices on its site, and the central office is the first point of contact for school related questions and voting coordination.
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital in Utqiagvik is the principal medical facility for the region, offering inpatient care, emergency services and primary care clinics. Village health aides and community clinics provide front line primary and preventive care across villages, while SSMH coordinates regional urgent medical response. Residents should contact local clinics or the hospital directly for appointments and emergency information.
Public safety responsibilities are handled locally by the North Slope Borough Police Department alongside tribal and city public safety offices for 911 coordination, search and rescue and community safety programs. In major incidents the Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Public Safety may assist or assume primary operational roles. Official emergency notices are posted on borough and local city or tribal pages.
Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay operate as the industrial logistics center for the regional oil fields and do not function as village residential service hubs. Regular air service to Utqiagvik connects villages to the rest of the state, while broadband and subsea and terrestrial fiber developments have an outsized effect on communications and community services. Residents should monitor service provider and borough notices for outages and upgrades.
Borough departments also oversee wildlife management and subsistence coordination, including polar bear safety outreach, walrus haulout guidance and coastal monitoring to support safe traditional harvest practices. For immediate authoritative information contact the North Slope Borough front page, news and meetings calendar or the North Slope Borough School District site for school specific notices. For health emergencies contact Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital or local emergency services directly. For time sensitive updates check the borough and district pages frequently.
