Rachel Cassandra, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Rachel Cassandra, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
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Rachel Cassandra covers health and wellness for Alaska Public Media. Reach her at rcassandra@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Rachel here.
alcohol pads, tourniquets and cookers

Alaska crests fourth wave of opioid epidemic as more people combine methamphetamine with opioids

The rate of methamphetamine found in tests with fentanyl has increased seven fold in the Pacific region since 2015, which worries experts in the field.

Co-occurring mental disorders | Line One

We discuss the challenges of diagnosing and treating individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions.
Cars on a highway with snow

Percentage of Alaska high schoolers texting while driving jumps to a new high

Last year over 40% of high school drivers reported that they texted or emailed while on the road.
A lawn with an elevated pedestrian walkway over it.

UAA launches Alaska’s first in-state training program for school psychologists

University officials say they hope the master’s degree program will boost the number of school psychologists who understand the needs of Alaska schools.

Baffled by health insurance costs and choices? We want to hear your questions.

Email us or fill out a form to help shape our reporting and topics for interview shows like Line One.
A vaccine for whooping cough.

Experts offer advice as Alaskans head deeper into respiratory disease season

It’s important to stop the spread of disease but make sure kids can be in school and parents can work.
An at home drug test.

Alaskans are increasingly abusing multiple drugs, complicating treatment

Combining drugs increases risk of overdose and makes withdrawal and getting medication assisted therapy more complex.

Providence Alaska introduces telenurses, but bedside nurses protest the change

The telenurses collaborate with bedside nurses. But a nurse union at the hospital filed an unfair labor practice charge in response.
Goose Creek Prison. Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA - Anchorage.

ACLU raises concerns as Alaska department of corrections works to keep fentanyl out of jails and prisons

Fentanyl is so concentrated that it poses new trafficking challenges. But new screening tactics raise red flags with the ACLU of Alaska.
A woman stands in a tall meadow.

Yup’ik elder talks about her childhood with her grandson, and gives advice

Akiak elder Helen Ivan shares stories about learning English and tells young people to follow their dreams and avoid drugs.

Alaska healthcare facilities conserve IV fluids during national shortage

After Hurricane Helene hit a major production facility, hospitals aim to prevent a severe crisis.
A homeless camp near downtown Anchorage.

Unhoused Alaskans are 8 times more likely than housed people to get serious cold injuries

Recent data from Alaska’s Section of Epidemiology shows serious risks for people living outside.
an opioid overdose kit

Overdose deaths jumped in Alaska last year, even as they declined nationally

The state is seeing high rates of overdose and more fentanyl cut with xylazine, a dangerous animal tranquilizer.
A brown wooden building in the woods

Alaska Department of Corrections has a new chief medical officer

Dr. Timothy Ballard will head a complex system of care in the state’s 15 jails, prisons and pre-trial facilities.
A vaccine for whooping cough.

Alaska’s vaccination rates for whooping cough are well below CDC recommendations

“I think this is a good reminder that if the vaccination rate drops, these diseases can rear their ugly heads again,” Dr. Janet Shen said. 
A vaccine for whooping cough.

Whooping cough spike reaches epidemic level in Alaska, public health experts warn

The total number of cases reported has reached 286. Officials say case numbers are rising in Anchorage, but falling statewide.
a building

New supportive housing opens for elders experiencing homelessness in Anchorage

The supportive housing complex is a collaboration between Providence Alaska, Southcentral Foundation and other community partners.
Two blister packs of birth control pills, in a tree

Governor vetoes bill requiring insurance to provide a year of birth control

Supporters of the bill said it would increase access to birth control, especially for rural Alaskans, and reduce reliance on abortions.
A sign says Anchorage School District.

Anchorage School District student tests positive for whooping cough

One confirmed case and two suspected cases of the infection were reported to the district this week.