The Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association (AHHA) Healthcare Champion Awards are presented each year to encourage, recognize and reward individuals and teams taking progressive and effective steps to improve patient care and outcomes across Alaska. Member health care facilities are invited to submit nominations in the summer, and a committee selects awardees to be honored at AHHA’s annual conference, which was held this year on Sept. 21. Several of Dr. Paton’s colleagues were in attendance to celebrate his achievement. Jake ...

Julia McConkey was recently hired as ANTHC’s regional liaison for the Copper River (Ahtna) area. McConkey grew up in Copper Center (Kluti-Kaah) where she has continued to reside and serve her community. McConkey is eager to lend her knowledge and assistance to the people of her community in this new role. Prior to working for ANTHC, McConkey worked for the Copper River Native Association and helped Tribal members with Purchased Referred Care. As an enrolled member of the Native Village ...

Congratulations to ANMC DAISY Award winner, Jacky Smith. DAISY Awards are considered from nominations received directly from patients and colleagues. Smith 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 services and care we provide. In an effort to further recognize the outstanding work of our nurses, ANMC partnered with the DAISY Award, an international program that celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate ...

To honor September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we are inviting our ANTHC staff and all Alaskans to join wellness activities that focus on self-care, creating connections to improve your overall mental health and how to help yourself and others who may be having thoughts of suicide and experiencing a mental health crisis. Join and complete our survey for a chance to win a $100 visa gift card! Participating also reminds us of the new, easy-to-remember number in suicide prevention: ...

Changes for COVID-19 Testing at ANMC are coming soon. Per CDC guidelines, people who are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms do not need to be tested. Sites closing soon: The ANMC Walk-up COVID-19 Testing Site located at 4043 Tudor Centre Drive will permanently close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1.The ANMC Drive-thru COVID-19 Testing Site located at 4141 Ambassador Drive will permanently close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29.Regularly scheduled hours will remain for both locations until closure. The ...

Taking inspiration from the adaptability of Alaska Native people, we continue to adapt our work at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. We’re excited to announce a reimagined way to connect with you – a newly redesigned Mukluk Telegraph newsletter from ANTHC. Read it online now or find a printed copy when you visit the Alaska Native Health Campus. In the past two years, we’ve learned a lot about how people like to get their health information from ANTHC, so ...

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 ...