The Fairbanks Native Association is holding a mental health resource fair this weekend to help locals stave off the winter blues. But the event almost got canceled after the Trump administration sent out hundreds of letters Tuesday night terminating roughly $2B in federal grants for health services — and then reversed the cuts a day later.
In the brief window before the rollback, a Fairbanks Native Association release posted to Facebook said the terminations would impact many of its behavioral health programs, and that the upcoming resource fair was canceled.
In the release, Executive Director Melissa Charlie said the loss of the behavioral health grants would hurt Fairbanks Native Association's ability to serve its clients.
"These terminations have a devastating impact on our mission, the people we serve, and the delivery of mental health services in our community," she said.
But on Wednesday, just a day later, the Trump administration said it had reversed the cuts nationwide. The Fairbanks Native Association made another Facebook post celebrating the restoration of the grants announcing it was un-canceling the community resource fair in the nick of time.
Locals took to social media to voice their confusion and frustration with the back-and-forth.
The event, called Chase Away the Winter Blues, will take place on Saturday in Fairbanks at the Pioneer Park Civic Center, from noon to 4 p.m. A Fairbanks Native Association news release said it will showcase mental health resources from various community organizations. It will also have interactive, family-friendly events like movement therapy, a therapy dog meet-and-greet, and an escape room.
Charlie, the executive director, declined to answer any questions about the event or about the sudden reversal and then reinstatement of the federal grants.
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