The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has a new, easy-to-remember number: 988. 988 is more than just a number—it is a direct connection to compassionate, accessible support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress, including thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.  Call or text 988 to reach the Lifeline, which is a free and confidential. The Lifeline is staffed with trained crisis counselors who treat callers with respect and listen without judgment. ...

Heidi Kritz was recently hired as ANTHC’s regional liaison for the Dillingham area. Kritz grew up in Aleknagik and Togiak, but has lived in Dillingham since 2009. Having lived in the region as well as working for the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA), Kritz is eager to lend her knowledge and assistance to the people of her community. Prior to working for ANTHC, Kritz worked for BBNA in natural resources and worked with Tribal members focusing on subsistence and Native ...

In 1925, a large outbreak of the now-vaccine-preventable disease, diphtheria, occurred in Nome. The community was in need of an antitoxin to help control the widespread occurrence of the disease. To transport the antitoxin to Nome in a timely manner, 20 mushers ran their sled dogs in a relay 674 miles across Alaska from Nenana to Nome, which inspired the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In the 1920s, the United States used to see as many as 200,000 cases ...

Congratulations to ANMC DAISY Award winner, Stephanie Davis, RN.  DAISY Awards are considered from nominations received directly from patients and colleagues. Davis was nominated by a patient. 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 ...

The ANTHC Pathways to Leadership program is open to Alaska Native and American Indian employees that work for Alaska Tribal Health System organizations. Registration is open through June 26. Pathways participants are at all levels of their career, with or without formal education, seeking to improve their leadership, management, and supervisory knowledge and skills. Pathways is a nine-month program, starting with the kickoff in September and ending with the graduation in May. Participants attend monthly core trainings, meet with a mentor, complete a job shadow, attend an ...

Week 4, May 23-31: What to do if needing help and where to go What we will learn: Identify what to do if you need helpDecide where to go to seek help When living with a mental health condition or facing a mental health concern, it’s common to feel like no one understands what you are going through.  Mental health conditions can be hard and confusing. Talking about mental health in the open is becoming more common. Stigma or judgment ...

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 special group series that begin in June. Healing Complicated Grief: June ...

Week 3, May 16-22: Recognizing when you need help What we will learn: Identify when you are stressed and out of balanceRecognize when your thoughts, feelings and behaviors change Pay attention to your usual thoughts, feelings and behaviors. How is your typical mood? Energy level? Appetite? Sleep routine? Social life? Physical health? How do your thoughts change when you experience something that causes you stress? Recognizing when our thoughts, feelings and behaviors have changed significantly is the first step to ...

Mental health plays a big role in overall well-being. As we go through life we have both good and bad experiences. By balancing our experiences with the basics of mental health, we can incorporate positive habits as a way to support our own mental wellness and lead a healthy life. Please join us through the month of May to honor Mental Health Awareness Month with weekly activities aimed to enhance your overall wellness. Starting Monday, May 2, surveys will be ...

Being a nurse under normal circumstances is hard work. Long shifts. Sick and injured patients to care for. Sometimes after doing everything you could to save them, your patients pass away. Time-consuming technology that can take you away from the bedside. Stressful days and nights. And these last two years being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic added multiple layers of unique challenges. Nurses’ Week is celebrated annually from May 6, National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of ...