Rural Health

Alaska health news that specifically deals with health in rural Alaska. (This category is broken out because it is a grant requirement. These stories should also be categorized as “health.)

A man is in front of a group of people in a welcoming center.

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.
an ambulance

King Cove celebrates new ambulance

King Cove's fire chief said the renovated ambulance holds greater significance in the remote community than it might someplace else.

Hometown, Alaska: Discussing mental health awareness and suicide prevention

The stigmas and statistics of mental health awareness are important issues for Alaskans, especially as it relates to suicide prevention. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska host Justin Williams leads a conversation about how to discuss mental health and suicide prevention with Blaze Bell of Standing Together Against Rape and Recover Alaska as well as Shana Cooper of the Alaska Native Justice Center. They share their professional insight and personal experiences to explain how to approach these issues and share what resources are out there.
a bus

Classes start at Unalaska’s new Head Start facility with a focus on Unangax culture

Unalaska’s Head Start is run by the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, a regional, nonprofit tribal organization.
Akiachak

Water hookups come to Alaska Yup’ik village, and residents are thrilled to ditch their honey buckets

Most of Akiachak’s nearly 700 people began getting modern plumbing for the first time this spring and summer — and finding their lives transformed.
a food tray

Haines’ sole daycare loses its food assistance program

The inspections necessary to qualify for the program will not be offered virtually anymore.

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. 
a condo

After a disaster like Juneau’s August flood, mental health can be a neglected part of the recovery

Mental health experts say many people who experience a disaster feel a grief that lasts for weeks, months and even years.
cigarette buts in a blue bucket

Sitka’s tourism boom has brought a staggering increase in cigarette butts

What started as a community cleanup has become a legitimate scientific study.
a woman standing near a building

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 person with glasses, a pink and blue collared shirt, and a t-shirt that reads "PROTECT TRANS KIDS" sits on the edge of a bed.

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.
line one logo

Line One: Eating disorders in boys and men

Eating disorders are a complex and widely misunderstood group of disorders that affect people from all walks of life. Eating disorders pose a huge risk to those who experience them and, as a group, have the second highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, trailing only behind opioid addiction. Eating disorders impact everyone, including boys and men, though their experiences are often left out of conversations. On this episode of Line One, host Prentiss Pemberton discusses how eating disorders can affect boys and men, and looks at the resources available for anyone seeking treatment or information about eating disorders.
the Alaska State Capitol

Dunleavy vetoes statewide ban on pollution-causing firefighting foam

PFAS, a chemical used in many forms of firefighting foam, has already contaminated drinking water sources throughout Alaska.
A nasal injector for Naloxone

Talk of Alaska: Fighting the opioid epidemic

The CDC reports nearly 110,000 Americans died in 2022 from overdoses. The highly lethal drug Fentanyl was the cause for the majority of the overdose deaths and is the top illicit opioid of concern. What’s the latest information on addiction prevention, treatment and the efforts of law enforcement to stop the flow of these dangerous drugs to Alaska? We discuss combating overdose deaths and addiction on this Talk of Alaska.
firefighters

Hotter climate means a never-ending fire season for the National Guard

California used to rely on prison inmates for firelines, which involved a lot more supervision. With National Guardsmen, it’s a military operation.

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.

Business leaders say Alaska’s child care crisis is hurting employers and economy

“This is a problem that is impacting their bottom line," said Kati Capozzi, president of the Alaska Chamber.
a man and woman sit at a meeting table, listening

U.S. attorney general announces $22M to help tribes respond to crime and support victims

The U.S. attorney general says he came to Alaska mainly to listen, but also to give tribes what they’ve wanted for a long time: funding to help build a strong foundation for delivering tribal justice.
School buses parked next to each other.

Line One: Back to school mental health for teens

As a new school year begins, students, particularly adolescents face a range of emotions and challenges. Academic pressures, peer pressure, body image and self-esteem issues, performance anxiety and bullying are just a few of the challenges that students can encounter. According to the National Institute for Mental Health approximately 20% of adolescents experience mental health disorders, typically beginning around age 14. On this Line One, host Dr. Jillian Woodruff explores the most common mental health disorders that affect adolescents, the crucial evaluations that help identify these issues, and the diverse range of treatments that can make a positive impact on their lives.
a woman holds a photograph of a man

SEARHC to close Sitka’s home health department

Some Sitkans are concerned that both the expense and quality of end-of-life care will change dramatically.