Serving the Copper River region, ANTHC opens second field office
September 9, 2019
Shilah Kellso was recently hired as ANTHC’s Regional Liaison for the Copper River area. After spending a few weeks at ANTHC’s offices in Anchorage learning about the ANTHC resources available to support Tribal members in the Copper River region, Kellso is at Copper River Native Association (CRNA) as of early September.
The regional liaison will be located in CRNA’s large clinic between Glennallen and Tazlina. In addition, she will travel once a month to check in with Chistochina and Mentasta with Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium, and Chitina.
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. Kellso will be able to view these schedules and work with case managers and patients, should any of the arrangements need to be changed. While she will not arrange the travel, housing or appointments, Kellso will have access to all of this information and can enhance communication between the patient or staff from the region and ANMC. Additionally, after the patient leaves ANMC, Kellso can help ensure staff members within the Copper River area receive the correct information for follow-up care.
Prior to joining ANTHC, Kellso was a Life Skills Coach and an administrative assistant and child educator for CRNA. She brings a strong background in administrative assistance in Tribal community services and case management. Previously she worked for Southcentral Foundation and Gulkana Village Council.
Kellso grew up in Gulkana, Alaska, spent time in Anchorage, and moved back to raise her family. She is a proud mother of four children. She is Ahtna Athabascan on her mother’s side and Aleut on her father’s side from Perryville.
The regional liaison will also be able to assist with connecting members of the Copper River 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 CRNA, MSTC, or Chitina should check-in with Kellso first before traveling so she can help with coordinating the visit and resources needed by our partner.
Kellso can be reached at (907) 231-5195 or sdkellso@anthc.org.
ANTHC is also hiring Regional Liaisons in Kodiak, Norton Sound and Bethel.
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.