Since 2013, more effective drug therapies for treating hepatitis C have increased the rate at which our people are completing treatment that leads to a cure for the deadly virus. Joining a family of highly effective direct acting antiviral therapies available at ANMC is a newly licensed drug consisting of sofosbuvir and valpatasvir (Epclusa®, Gilead Sciences, Inc.). This is a fixed-dose combination tablet that covers six hepatitis C virus genotypes and is approved for use in persons with serious liver ...

In celebration of ANTHC’s 20th year (2017-2018), we are republishing stories from our archives. A tree grows at ANMC. In fact, there are many trees that surround the Alaska Native Medical Center on Tudor Road, but one special spruce tree that began its life at the original Alaska Native Services Hospital (ANS) on 3rd Avenue in downtown Anchorage, continues to grow today on the Alaska Native Health Campus, just outside of the ANMC hospital. This wasn’t any old spruce – ...

Construction Update: Construction crews continue selective demolition of the former Orthopedics Clinic space in the ANMC hospital, which will be ongoing for several weeks. Ongoing work for the interior framing and gypsum wall board installation, taping and painting, and the installation of plumbing and ducting continues. The electrical crew is finalizing the rough-in for the gypsum wall board close up. Crews have started their demolition of concrete curbs and asphalt, and footers and columns for the new Temporary ED entry canopy have been poured. Steel erection for the new Temporary ED ...

Alaska Native people experience lung cancer at higher rates than others in Alaska. If you are a current or former smoker, screening for lung cancer could save your life. The recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography, also called a low-dose CT scan. During the scan, an X-ray machine is used to make detailed images of your lungs. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful. There is no preparation needed for the scan. ...

This week, ANTHC was recognized for innovation in development of the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network by Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator and JoAnn Chase, Director of the American Indian Environmental Office. We share this award with our LEO Network membership, consisting of more than 100 dedicated volunteer local environmental observers located across Alaska and the technical scientific support experts assisting from state and federal agencies. In addition to the award presented at the Alaska Forum for the Environment conference, ...

Obesity has become a major health problem for Alaskans; about 1 in 3 children in Alaska is overweight or obese, and 2 out of 3 Alaska adults are overweight or obese. Obesity and related chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, put children’s health at risk. To help raise awareness about the health risks of childhood obesity, ANTHC’s Alaska Native Epidemiology Center used funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to partner with the Alaska Department of Health ...