ANTHC opens first field office
July 22, 2019Claude “Bob” Bocatch was recently hired as ANTHC’s first Regional Liaison. After spending a few weeks at ANTHC’s offices in Anchorage, Bocatch started in Dillingham the week of June 17.
ANTHC recognized the need to better support our partners by providing service locally. The diversity of services that ANTHC provides can make it difficult for a Tribal health organization to navigate. It can be a challenge to know and understand all that ANTHC does, let alone who to contact to receive services or resolve issues. By establishing regional liaisons, ANTHC will employ a local resource in the community who knows how to navigate the Consortium, can enhance the knowledge of services available and improve specialty care referrals between the regions and the Alaska Native Medical Center.
Patients often have questions regarding their reservations for travel and housing arrangements or scheduled clinic and diagnostic appointments at ANMC. Bocatch will be able to view these schedules and work with case managers and patients, should any of the arrangements need to be changed. While he will not arrange the travel, housing or appointments, he will have access to all of this information and can enhance communication between the patient or staff from the region and ANMC. Additionally, after care has been received at ANMC, he can also help ensure the information regarding follow-up care is received by the correct staff members within Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation (BBAHC).
Prior to joining ANTHC, Bocatch was a pharmacy technician for BBAHC and worked to support patients and their pharmacy needs. He has also worked for a variety of other companies in Dillingham, including Peninsula Air, as Public Works Assistant Director for the City of Dillingham, and as a corrections officer.
Bocatch grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, and has lived in Dillingham for more than 10 years. He looks forward to staying in Dillingham and supporting people of the Bristol Bay region and connecting them to the resources ANTHC provides. Bocatch is a Dena’ina Tribal member and shareholder of the Kenitze Indian Tribe and regional shareholder of CIRI.
He will be located within Kanakanak Hospital inside the Case Management Office to better support patients in the Bristol Bay region.
The regional liaison will also be able to assist with connecting members of the Bristol Bay region with any other ANTHC service they may need assistance on, including trainings, environmental health and engineering and more. All ANTHC staff traveling to do work for the BBAHC should check-in with Bocatch first before traveling so he can help with coordinating the visit and resources needed by our partner.
Bocatch can be reached at 907-842-9570 or crbocatch@anthc.org.
If your region is interested in a Regional Liaison, please contact Jenni Harrison, ANTHC Senior Tribal Health Liaison at jdharrison@anthc.org or (907) 223-7144.