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 ...

ANTHC’s pharmacists are continually working to further their education and training to improve their skill sets and provide the best care to our people. Aimee Young, ANMC Inpatient Pain Pharmacist, recently passed her exam to become a Certified Pain Educator (CPE). Young is the first health care professional in Alaska to receive this certification. A pain educator is a health care professional who provides education about pain assessment, evaluation, and management through consultations within a clinical practice or via formal ...

Photo caption: Annette Island Service Unit (AISU) leadership and ANTHC patient experience met on March 31 during a visit to the Metlakatla Indian Community in southeast Alaska. Pictured from left to right, Melody Leask, AISU Medical Records Director; Lisa Allen, RN, AISU Director of Nursing; Carol Dunn-Hale, ANTHC Manager of Travel Management Office; Tammy Philemonof, ANTHC Supervisor of Customer Service; Allison Knox, ANTHC Vice President of Customer Experience; Rachael Askren, AISU Service Unit Director; Amanda Dauti, ANTHC SR. Patient Travel ...

Thanks to a new visual history installation, visitors to the Alaska Native Medical Center can take a stroll through the history of our health and medical achievement at the ANMC hospital. A timeline chronicling important events in Alaska Native health and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium now hangs in the north side, first-floor hospital hallway, just before the sky bridge to Patient Housing at ANMC. The seven-panel installation includes historical photos of the progress of our people in the ...

“I love remote monitoring!” That was the reaction of Erik Weber, Buckland’s water plant operator, after ANTHC Tribal Utility Support personnel recently installed more than 30 sensors in the community’s water treatment facility. Remote monitoring systems collect information such as temperatures, pressures and flow rates and, using an internet connection, display them on a webpage. This allows operators and others to troubleshoot problems at a distance and to track and collect data which could help reduce fuel and electricity waste. ...

March 12-18 marked Patient Safety Awareness Week, an annual education and awareness campaign for health care safety led by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). ANMC’s Quality Department worked to create awareness on campus by utilizing NPSF educational resources to educate hospital staff and patients. This year’s theme was “United for Patient Safety: Every Day is Patient Safety Day.” The focus of the campaign is to highlight and reinforce that everyone within the health care system has a role to ...

The St. Michael water and sewer system froze in mid-January, leaving the entire community without water or sewer service. Local operators, supported by ANTHC’s Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC), started thawing water and sewer mains immediately. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that thawing the entire 10 miles of water and sewer lines would not be possible until early summer. Community leaders, operators and regional partners took action to assist community residents during the crisis. The Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority ...

Whether we live in rural Alaska or a large city center, protecting our families at home is important to us all. While many think of protecting our homes from outside threats, there are many things inside our homes that could harm our families. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Behavioral Health and ANTHC Injury Prevention want you to think about keeping your home and family safe during National Poison Prevention Week, March 19-25. A growing risk to our health is accidental ...

Our growth at ANMC is not only focused on improving access to care for our people, but also seeks to improve the quality and experience of the care we provide. The ANMC hospital turns 20 years old this fall and over the past several years, our Strategic Access team has been making needed improvements and expansions to the hospital. The latest project is an expansion project of ANMC’s Critical Care Unit (CCU), now underway at the ANMC hospital. The CCU ...

A severe cold snap in January wreaked havoc on several water systems around the state. In the community of Koyuk, water plant operators discovered a frozen raw water line and an underground leak that nearly drained their water storage tank. Their quick action and assistance from ANTHC’s Tribal Utility Support staff helped maintain the system and avoid costly repairs. The frozen line and water leak impeded water flow through the system. Without adequate water circulating through the system, the other ...