Rural Health

a woman

Fort Wainwright’s spacious new child care center nears completion

Officials say the 43,000-square-foot facility will be the Army's largest of its kind. They hope it takes pressure off other Fairbanks child-care providers.

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 screening

Indigenous representation in popular media | Talk of Alaska

We talk with actors from the Alaska-focused series True Detective: Night Country about indigenous representation on this Talk of Alaska.
a man

Former executive charged with embezzling $108K from Juneau hospital accepts plea deal

Bradley Grigg's plea agreement allows him to avoid prison time, but requires him to reimburse Bartlett Regional Hospital for the stolen funds.
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.
Kevin McCabe

Proposal to define a fetus as a person in Alaska’s criminal code faces pushback

Opponents testified that the bill would threaten Alaskans’ abortion rights.
Two people walk through a prison.

Alaska prison failed to provide adequate dental care to inmates, state investigator finds

Goose Creek Correctional Center has gone years without a hygienist, forcing patients to wait for treatment.
Dillingham

Bristol Bay is getting a drug investigator

An Alaska State Trooper will hold the position, vacant since 2012 amid state staff shortages, as fentanyl and other drugs flow across the region.
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 microscopic black and white image of a syphilis bacteria, which appears as a cork screw shape coming out of a flat surface.

Addressing Alaska’s high rates of syphilis | Line One

On this Line One, host Dr. Justin Clark and his guests discuss the extent of Alaska's syphilis outbreak, and how to detect, prevent, and treat it.
A red squirrel sits on a stump

Kenai Peninsula man is the first person to die of Alaskapox virus

Experts say to be cautious when handling small mammals in the state, but infection is rare and death unlikely.
an EBT sign

Alaska must face food stamp litigation after a year of stays, court says

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason's court order said further delays would be “inefficient” after the state had a year to resolve its backlog.

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.
food pallets

Alaska’s federal food stamp funding at risk, USDA letter warns 

The state may lose funding if it continues to break federal rules, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
babies

Homelessness and other stressors linked to Alaska’s continued surge in syphilis at birth

Ten 2023 congenital syphilis cases were reported in infants “born to women who experienced complex and substantial barriers to prenatal care.”

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.
vaping items

Alaska tobacco-control efforts get mixed reviews from American Lung Association

The state's lack of an e-cigarette tax is a problem according to the ALA, which is pushing for passage of a bill aimed at reducing youth vaping.
a torn-down house

As Nunapitchuk aims to relocate, it has support from powerful allies

Last fall, Nunapitchuk was selected as a testing ground for a new approach to climate-driven village relocation.
a man

Anchorage homeless shelters under strain amid statewide cold snap

Staff at Anchorage's Brother Francis Shelter have seen cases of hypothermia and frostbite, during a subzero chill expected to continue next week.

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.

Anchorage middle school reports suspected mumps case

Romig Middle School staff canceled after-school activities Thursday when they learned of the case. The school is being disinfected, pending test results.

Alaska Public Media’s rural health coverage is supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and our members.

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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Rural Health

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is working to build strong networks of leaders who share a commitment to helping everyone in America live longer, healthier lives.