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 basketball hoop

Alaska House committee advances, expands proposal to bar trans girls from girls sports

An amended bill would add elementary, middle school and collegiate sports to limits in place for high school.
A doctor with a brown sweater stands in front of an emergency room

Public health officials revamp efforts to protect Alaskans against lead poisoning

Fewer children get tested for lead in Alaska, so officials are launching new programs to encourage testing and provide follow-up care.
a housing complex

Sitka’s housing crunch hits tribal citizens hardest, study says

The survey also found that tribal citizens are leaving Sitka at a higher rate than other residents.
a man

Lawmakers weigh whether to reduce or acknowledge rights of growing Alaska homeless population

As the state’s major cities scramble to house people, advocates say Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s protest bill would further criminalize the homeless.
a gun show

Here’s the new plan to boost background checks for guns bought at shows or online

The Justice Department's new rule requires background checks for all gun sales, not just ones sold at gun stores.
A woman nurses a three-month-old baby and holds his hand.

A collective of doulas and midwives is helping Alaska Native mothers stay connected to their roots

The Indigenous birthworkers will attend medical appointments with mothers, advocate for them and help connect them to traditional practices.

Alaska Native remains repatriated from Oregon asylum but many Lost Alaskans still buried

Patients who died at places like Morningside Hospital in Portland, were often buried there and never returned home.
a poster

New Dillingham group calls for unified approach to overdose prevention

A group of Dillingham residents is advocating for a united effort within the entire community to protect people and help them recover.
liquor

Bill would require Alaska beverage sellers to post warning signs about alcohol-related cancer risks

Bill sponsor Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, says too few people know about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.
a man

Black market cannabis thrives in California despite legalization

Marijuana legalization was expected to bring the industry out of the shadows. But in some states, the black market is alive and well.
pig fat sitting in jars

This farm is the only Grade “A” goat dairy in Alaska

“I kind of joked that I started a Grade “A” dairy with a “C” team,” said Kelli Foreman who runs Kodiak's Heritage Farm and Ranch.
a man

After years of trying, the U.S. government may finally mandate safer table saws

After years of false starts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission looks poised to mandate a blade safety brake on all new table saws sold in the U.S.
a hospital

2 Alaska health care providers sue feds over millions in unpaid costs

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium are seeking about $34 million in contract support costs.
cows

A person in Texas caught bird flu after exposure to cows that were thought to be ill

Livestock in Texas, Kansas and Michigan are confirmed to have the virus, and herds in New Mexico and Idaho have also tested positive.
A person leaves the sliding glass doors ofa pink building witha white sign above that says "Anchorage Health Department

Anchorage Health Department to offer low-cost baby check-ups

Families can bring babies up to 2 years old to the clinic for routine and preventative care.
a hospital

Juneau’s hospital gets $4M from feds to improve emergency department

The project will expand and renovate the south side of Bartlett Regional Hospital's emergency department with ventilation and electrical upgrades.
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Volunteers uncover fate of Lost Alaskans sent to Oregon mental hospital a century ago

A 15-year volunteer effort is helping identify the fates of thousands of Alaskans who were shipped to a psychiatric hospital in Oregon.
a basketball hoop

Bills targeting trans people are on the rise nationwide and in Alaska — most focus on children

A state House committee has advanced legislation that would restrict the rights of Alaska trans kids.
Silhouette of a school building with a dusk sky.

Southcentral Foundation to place a school nurse and counselors in 3 rural schools

The grant-funded program will provide a registered nurse and behavioral health consultants to McGrath, Nikolai and Takotna.