Rachel Cassandra, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Rachel Cassandra covers health and wellness for Alaska Public Media. Reach her at rcassandra@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Rachel here.
Día de los Muertos celebration offers comfort and community connection
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican and Mexican-diaspora celebration of people who have died and Anchorage is celebrating it for the 19th year.
Birth and death rates fell in Alaska last year; rates of death from alcohol and overdose remain high
The report also shows that deaths from tobacco use and rates of pregnant women using tobacco declined, as did the teen birth rate.
Alaska sees fast increase in early flu cases; experts urge vaccination
Alaska’s chief medical officer, Anne Zink, is urging people to get the flu vaccine this month to protect themselves against an early season.
Alaska Native youth preserve traditions by preserving traditional food at Elders and Youth Conference
Young people from around the state learned how to filet and prepare salmon at the conference in Anchorage on Tuesday.
The wait for food stamps in Alaska is improving, but applicants still face long delays
Many applicants still have to wait for up to three months to receive benefits.
Alaska health department changes Medicaid renewal process to keep thousands covered
About 37% of Alaska’s Medicaid recipients were procedurally disenrolled in the first four months following a pause during the pandemic.
A new app is helping Alaskans with disabilities and memory loss become more independent
For lots of families in Alaska, MapHabit could become indispensable. The state has a shortage of care workers and many families are stretched thin.
Physician assistants say proposed rules could spell disaster for rural Alaska health care
Those speaking out against the regulations include PAs, physician, and health care administrators.
Opioid overdose reversal drugs are now available over-the-counter in Alaska
The opioid overdose treatment Narcan became available over the counter in pharmacies throughout Alaska last week. The treatments will cost $45 for a box of two.
Three Anchorage teens head to North Carolina to present anti-bullying lessons
West High junior Edison Wallace Moyer says youth have unique insight on bullying "just by virtue of they're the ones being bullied."
What to know about the new COVID, flu and RSV shots in Alaska this fall
Alaskans will soon be able to get the new COVID vaccine, with a new respiratory syncytial virus immunization for infants already available.
From advertising to art: A cancer diagnosis prompts a meaningful journey for one Alaskan
Jim Coe has worked in advertising for many years, so he decided early on in his treatment that he wanted to get the word out about the importance of early cancer detection.
Classes help Alaska’s growing number of refugees navigate baffling U.S. health care system
“That's the thing that I try to teach my clients: you have voice, you have rights," said Lilian Montoya with Catholic Social Services.
Good Medicine exhibit at Anchorage Museum features Indigenous healers and medicine people
Good Medicine includes paintings, illustrations, a medicine wheel, a women’s house and a men’s house – which are traditionally used for healing, teaching and meetings.
Providence breaks ground on behavioral health crisis center in Anchorage that aims to keep people out of emergency room
The center will have space for 24 people who need mental health and substance-use stabilization.
A Bethel social worker rewrites their own story as they help queer youth find peace and belonging
LGBTQ+ youth face high rates of suicide, self-harm and housing instability. But an organization in Alaska called Choosing Our Roots is helping them find safe homes.
Thousands of Alaskans may lose their Medicaid benefits this year, but not because they don’t qualify
Thousands of Alaskans are at risk of losing their Medicaid benefits this year – many because of paperwork issues.
New drug use and HIV harm reduction center opens in the Mat-Su Borough
The center serves people looking to reduce HIV and Hepatitis transmission and to reduce opioid overdoses.
Leaders in Huslia aim to convince residents to stay with affordable housing
The lack of affordable housing is a crisis across Alaska. It’s one of the reasons the state is losing working-age people every year.
U.S. assistant health secretary visits Alaska to talk with tribal leaders
Adm. Rachel Levine met with Tribal Health Organizations to learn more about the state's unique public health challenges.