The town of Newtok, Alaska, named for the vast delta grasses and the sound they make in wind, clearly hears another sound: the river. Newtok, Yup’ik for “rustling of the grass,” is located within the 19 million-acre Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, a spongy lowland dotted with rivers, sloughs, streams and lakes. Water is everywhere. When it was established in the 1940s, Newtok was well inland, located near a sweeping bend of the Ninglick River. However, over the last 40 ...

After a successful first year as a direct host site for AmeriCorps VISTA members, ANTHC is again hosting VISTAs who will support our vision that Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world. AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members devote a year of their time to tackling pressing issues in rural communities impacted by poverty. This year, ANTHC hosts seven members who will work on projects spanning the state. They will work with a variety of ...

ANMC’s nurses provide culturally appropriate, family-centered care in a unique hospital environment, and they are constantly seeking ways to improve the services and care we provide. In an effort to further recognize our nurses for their outstanding work, ANMC partnered with the DAISY Award, an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. Congratulations to DAISY Award honoree, Barbara Christensen, an RN on ANMC’s Critical Care Unit, who was recognized ...

In 2017, there were 102 overdose deaths involving opioids throughout the state of Alaska—a rate of 13.9 per 100,000 persons. Prescription opioids (such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine) are prescribed by doctors to treat moderate to severe pain. However, they have serious risks and side effects, including dependency, addiction, overdose and accidental poisoning. In order to assist in the prevention of substance misuse and accidental poisoning, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium now provides free medicine disposal products through the iknowmine ...

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 ...

It is difficult to see a family member or loved one deal with substance misuse. Often, living close to someone who misuses substances, such as alcohol, drugs or prescription opioids, puts a strain on the entire family. A new therapy being offered in Anchorage at the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA), in partnership with ANTHC, offers hope to families who have someone that suffers from substance misuse. Family members and friends know their loved ones best, making them some of ...