Mental Health

CVS to pay Alaska $10M in settlement for role in opioid crisis

Alaska reached a settlement with CVS March 7, for the role the company played in the opioid crisis in the state. CVS settled the complaint and did not admit wrongdoing.
a man

The U.S. prison population is rapidly graying. Prisons aren’t built for what’s coming.

By one measure, about a third of all prisoners will be considered geriatric by 2030. Prisons are grappling with how to care for them — and how to pay for it.

As public guardians in Alaska remain buried in cases, their director searches for solutions

A state program that serves some of the most vulnerable people in Alaska is overwhelmed. Its director is searching for solutions.
Rohit Chopra

Why a financial regulator is going after health care debt

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created after the Great Recession of 2007-09, has increasingly started policing the health care system.
a trial

After Brian Smith’s Anchorage murder conviction, MMIP advocates hope for change

Family members and advocates for Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk attended every day of Brian Smith's horrific trial in their deaths.
Lori Townsend and Dustin Morris sit at a desk, while a TV monitor with Susanna Marchuk on it sits to their side.

Resources for suicide prevention and healing | Alaska Insight

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss resources for preventing suicide and promoting healing.
A midwife holds a pregnant mother's hand.

Alaska midwives speak out against an executive order that would dissolve their board

The executive order dissolving the midwife board is one of 12 that the governor submitted in January to the Legislature. 
A woman lowers a metal lid onto a machine with both hands.

An Anchorage woman is working to offer water cremation and other natural death care options in Alaska

Rachel Bernhardt is starting to offer water cremation and natural burial, which have lower environmental footprints.

More women in Alaska will be covered by Medicaid during pregnancy and for the year after giving birth

The expansion will cover mothers during their first year, when they’re vulnerable to physical and mental illness.
A building with a bike rack and a large pile of snow. A sign on the building says "Partners Reentry Center"

Community supports for people leaving incarceration | Talk of Alaska

On this Talk of Alaska, we discuss how organizations and individuals can best support people as they reenter the community.

Psychedelic medicine task force would lay groundwork for therapeutic use in Alaska

The task force would look at the role psychedelics could play in addressing Alaska’s mental health crisis.

Alaska organization trains salon and beauty professionals to recognize domestic abuse signs

The training will focus on identifying signs of emotional and physical abuse, how to talk with people about abuse safely, and how to direct people to resources.

New programs aim to help more mentally ill Alaskans become competent to stand trial

Alaska's only state-run psychiatric hospital plans to launch two new programs for people without the mental capacity to stand trial. The one-year pilot would triple the state’s capacity.

Under a new executive director, Alaska’s LGBTQ+ health clinic is researching what queer Alaskans need

Alaska’s only health clinic centered on the needs of LGBTQ+ people has a new executive director. Identity Alaska in Anchorage serves patients in person and statewide through telehealth.

State investigation reveals social service gaps that left an elder to die alone in the cold

A new report from the state ombudsman says Adult Protective Services failed to prioritize and follow up on the case of an elder in danger.
a house

As the permafrost melts, the houses in Nunapitchuk are breaking down

Settling homes across the Western Alaska village have suffered damage that makes them leak, leading to mold and long-term health issues.
A group of bees in the snow

Alaska beekeepers kill their colonies every fall, but an Anchorage man has another way

An Anchorage beekeeper has learned how to help his honeybee colonies survive to see spring, and he’s teaching others to do the same.
A sculpture / fountain, with an elevated walkway visible behind it.

Navigating college with disabilities | Line One: Your Health Connection

On this Line One, host Prentiss Pemberton and his guest discuss the ways that students with disabilities can prepare for and succeed in college.
the Alaska State Capitol

From natural gas to psychedelic medicine, a look at some of the bills filed ahead of Alaska’s legislative session

Ahead of their return to the Capitol, lawmakers are using pre-session bill filings to lay out priorities for the months to come.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin is high in some subsistence harvests, according to Knik Tribe’s data

The tribe’s scientists looked at shellfish samples that showed levels of the biotoxin almost 50 times higher than the recommended limit.
a toy bunny

State compiles first comprehensive account of Alaska children’s stress and trauma

A new bulletin presents baseline information about adverse childhood experiences in Alaska that are known to lead to poor health outcomes.

After Wrangell’s deadly landslide, dogs helped the search and rescue team

After Wrangell’s deadly landslide last month, search and rescue teams worked around the clock for days looking through debris for six missing people. Teams of dogs assisted.

Anchorage therapist suggests how to survive the holidays when feeling sad

For Alaskans who have recently experienced tragedy or loss, the holidays can be especially hard. An Anchorage therapist has advice about how to make them manageable.
an illustration

How to cope with SAD or seasonal affective disorder

Experts say seasonal affective disorder has three main causes: genetic vulnerability, lack of light and stress. Here are some steps that can help.

Alaska’s Public Guardians are overloaded with cases, but a new court order mandates they must take on more

Alaska's Supreme Court has ordered the Office of Public Advocacy to begin assigning public guardians for patients again.

Alaska Public Media’s mental health coverage is supported by a grant from the Alaska Mental Health Trust and our members.

there is hope

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