Anne Hillman
Healthy Communities EditorAnne has done many things at Alaska Public Media over the past decade from covering Anchorage Assembly to hosting community conversations inside correctional facilities across the state.
After years of covering mental health and social justice issues, she’s back in school full-time for social work. At Alaska Public Media these days, you can hear her as one of the hosts of Hometown, Alaska or see her at the community wellness events she’s facilitating in communities around the state.
-
Buprenorphine is one of the medications used to treat opioid addictions. A speaker at a recent medical conference in Anchorage says getting the medication to heroin users thru their primary care providers is an essential way to reduce overdose deaths. But some addiction treatment professionals in Alaska say not so fast. Listen now -
Methadone, suboxone, vivitrol -- - they're all different types of drugs used to treat opioid addictions. But what do those medications actually do? How effective are they? Are they a solution for solving Alaska's addiction crisis? Listen Now -
A three-year-long legal argument about committing foster children to North Star Behavioral Health Hospital is one step closer to resolution. A judge ruled in late March that the Office of Children’s Services can legally commit foster kids to the psychiatric hospital without getting a judge’s approval. Listen now -
About 2,000 people participated in the March for Science in Anchorage on Saturday. Participants carried signs talking about scientific contributions to medicine, such as “Got the Plague?! Ya, me neither! Thank a scientist!” Other signs addressed the impacts of climate change saying “There is no Planet B” and “The oceans are rising and so are we.” Listen now -
The Statewide Trails Conference opens Thursday in Anchorage and will focus on issues such as making trails sustainable and active transportation. It brings together land managers, trail users, and trail builders for a three-day event.
-
The state's Department of Corrections is trying a new tactic to stop the opioid epidemic: offering Vivitrol shots. It’s a monthly injection that curbs cravings for heroin and other drugs and stops people from getting high. Inmates receive their first shots right before re-entering the community. -
The state’s Department of Health and Social Services is starting to distribute Narcan kits around Alaska. The nasal spray stops opioid overdoses. For one woman at the Covenant House, helping build the kits is personal. The drug has saved her life. Listen now -
For the past 50 years, Alaska Legal Services Corporation has offered free legal help to low-income Alaskans. Cases have ranged from private matters, like guardianship designations and protective orders, to statewide issues such as building high schools in rural Alaska. President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint eliminates federal funding for legal services programs nationwide, which would have a direct impact on Alaskans. Listen now -
A new culinary school that teaches more than the difference between saute and simmer opened in Anchorage last fall to provide classes for people who are homeless or are leaving prison. Instructors at Feed Me Hope go beyond teaching cooking skills to teach life skills. Listen now -
This week we're hearing from Tsolmon Damba in Anchorage. Demba is a nursing student from Mongolia who arrived in Alaska nearly seven years ago to attend UAA. She says the city is not what she expected. Listen now
