ANTHC opens regional office in Bethel
August 25, 2020
Olinka Peterson was recently hired as ANTHC’s Regional liaison for Bethel and Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) area. After spending a week at ANTHC’s offices in Anchorage learning about the ANTHC resources available to support Tribal members in the YKHC region, Peterson is now working in Bethel as a local ANTHC resource.
Peterson was born in Bethel, grew up in Kasigluk, and spent time in Anchorage and other parts of Alaska before finding her way back to Bethel in 2010. Peterson is Yup’ik, a Calista Corporation shareholder and an enrolled member of the Native Village of Kasigluk.
Peterson looks forward to assisting and working for the patients of the YKHC region. “As a Regional liaison, I will be covering 56 villages that are covered by YKHC. Inside the 56 villages, there are 5 sub-regional clinics, this region is like the size of the state of Oregon.”
ANTHC recognizes the need to better support our partners by providing a local point of contact within the regions it serves. ANTHC’s wide range of services can make it difficult for a Tribal health organization to navigate. Regional liaisons will enhance the knowledge of services available and improve specialty care referrals between Alaska 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. Peterson can view these schedules and work with case managers and patients should any of the arrangements need to be changed. Additionally, after the patient leaves ANMC, she can help ensure that staff members within the YKHC region receive the correct information for follow-up care.
Before joining ANTHC, Peterson was a consumer service supervisor at ResCare HomeCare where she worked assisting Elders in the community. Her background focuses primarily on social work and advocating for vulnerable populations, including children and Elders. “You learn to become a voice for your people and assist them in any way possible “. Peterson also speaks, reads, and writes in her native Yup’ik language, which will be very beneficial for Elder patients.
Peterson can be reached at okpeterson@anthc.org.
ANTHC is currently recruiting for Regional Liaisons in Ketchikan, Unalaska and a second liaison in Bethel.
If your region is interested in having an ANTHC Regional Liaison, please contact Jenni Harrison, ANTHC Senior Tribal Health Liaison at jdharrison@anthc.org or (907) 223-7144.