ANTHC’s Environmental Health and Engineering work focuses on bringing health solutions to rural communities through access to clean water that supports health and well-being. For many homes and communities, this is possible through upgrades and improvements to water and wastewater systems. For communities without existing systems, new construction may not be available due to environmental challenges, decreasing availability of capital funding or the high cost of operation. In these cases, alternatives must be tailored to the environmental conditions, homeowner needs, ...

The relocation of the southwest Alaska village of Newtok to the new site of Mertarvik, nine miles downriver on Nelson Island, has been planned for many years to preserve the sustainability and safety of the community due to more frequent storm erosion damage. In fall 2016, ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering became part of the relocation team and continues to be a key community partner as the project progresses. “From the outset, our goal was gaining the trust of the ...

When Eek Elder, Elias Keyes, turned on his new faucet for the first time and watched the water flow down his sink, he saw his relative’s prophetic words come to life. “My grandfather used to say a time would come when we could push a button and everything would happen. Now, I see that it is,” Keyes said. “When I’m gone, I won’t have to worry about my grandchildren having safe water.” In March, workers on the project to bring ...

The ANTHC Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic (BHWC) offers counseling services for our Alaska Native and American Indian patients across Alaska. This includes a variety of groups that you can access from the convenience of your personal computer or smartphone. To register for a group or to learn more information about the services available, call (907) 729-2492 or visit www.anthc.org/bhwc.  The BHWC is currently inviting adults to register for two new group sessions. ACT on Your Recovery ACT on Your Recovery ...

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) recently named Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer as the Director for Climate Initiatives. ANTHC partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which provided funding and support for this new position.Schaeffer is Iñupiaq with family roots from Kotzebue. She has served the Consortium for the past six years as the Community Development Manager, working with Tribal partners on innovative sanitation systems, helping with relocation plans and performing outreach and education on climate change related ...

After years of planning and months of construction, the patient housing facility at ANMC is now open for guests. This new building for patient lodging officially opened on Jan. 2 with more than 100 guests in rooms on the Alaska Native Health Campus. The leadership of our health system’s Tribal governance, represented by ANTHC’s Board of Directors, recognized that providing safe lodging is an important piece of access to care for our people. Thanks to their vision, safe and convenient ...