Tag: Solutions Desk
For 13 years she’s cared for her husband who has memory loss. Now she’s looking for help.
The number of Alaskans with memory loss is set to nearly double by 2030. Resources to help are limited, but navigators help caregivers find them.
An alternative high school in Anchorage is focusing on mental health to help students graduate
Karen Hobart said her main goal as a school counselor is to help kids graduate, and that means looking at a lot more than just their grades or the number of credits they’ve earned. She also connects them to resources like food, safe transportation, or different types of mental health care.
New Anchorage facility designed to support new, collaborative methods for responding to sexual violence
For years now, law enforcement and non-profits in Anchorage have been collaborating increasingly closely on measures that put the needs of victims and survivors at the center of how the state responds to sexual assaults.
LISTEN: Alaska’s heath care workforce shortage threatens the growing industry. How are communities working to meet the demand?
Alaska's health care industry is growing, and the need for nurses and other health care professionals is on the rise. Studies warn of a looming nursing shortage. How are communities around the state working to meet the healthcare workforce demand?
How to keep teens safer? This Anchorage group says the solution starts with Friday nights.
Research illustrates the powerful positive impact regular extracurricular activities can have on teens' well-being.
The complicated road to taking those last 12 steps
This is one woman's personal solution for problems it took her years to identify -- alcohol and substance misuse disorders. After a long journey and 12 steps, she began to heal -- and thrive.
Transforming perspectives on trauma through paintings of hope
Traumatic childhood experiences can lead to problems later in life, but this doesn't define a person. Stories that start with trauma can end with hope. A new set of murals illustrates the transformation of seven Alaskans, and the process of creating them transformed the artists themselves.
New Covey Cafe gives at-risk youth a chance to shine
A new coffee house is teaching at-risk youth life and work skills. This story was produced by residents of Covenant House, a youth shelter in Anchorage.
Envisioning recovery and rebuilding a life in Noatak
Karen Mitchell is the Behavioral Health Aide in Noatak, a small village in the Northwest Arctic. Twenty-five years ago, as she stared out the window of her home there, such a future seemed impossible.
When a step back into prison is really a jump forward on the road to recovery
Alexandria Niksik has been in and out of prison for seven years. Her most recent return home only lasted 16 days. But what might look like failure from the outside is actually a key step toward success and recovery from alcohol misuse.
Karluk Manor evacuated, turns to church for shelter
When the earthquake struck, the 46 residents of Karluk Manor had nowhere safe to go until a church quickly opened their doors.
Helping people who are homeless with improved behavioral health care
Addressing issues of homelessness in Anchorage means improving the mental health care system.
How little organizations make a big difference through collaboration
Solving community problems can be hard, unless you tap into the power of collaboration. This is how Chickaloon does it.
Community health aides: Alaska’s unique solution for rural health care
Fifty years ago, Alaska had a really big problem: it was hard to get medical care in small, rural communities. To solve it, the Indian Health Service worked with local governments and Congress to create the Community Health Aide Program. And it's still making communities healthier.
U.S. Surgeon General: Use partnerships, end stigmas to stop opioid epidemic
The Surgeon General spoke about his approach to ending the opioid epidemic and its root causes.
Kunniak’s Spices brings new flavors to Native dishes
One way to make money in a slow economy is to fill a gap in the market. But a local spice blend company is doing more than building bank accounts--it's also connecting people with Native dishes in a new way. Kunniak's Spices pairs flavors like lemon, garlic and ghost pepper with Alaska Native dishes like Maktak.
Prison art market has its limits
At Spring Creek Correctional Center, the prison store funds the clubs. The clubs fund the hobby shop. And the hobby shop creates an outlet for growth but only limited options for making money - right now.
Philanthropic horticulturists and other prison community leaders
The world inside Spring Creek Correctional Center is in many ways just like the world outside. Prison clubs function as nonprofits, filling service gaps and trying to build healthier communities.
When prisoners own the store, everyone profits
Prison commissaries around the country make millions each year, and most of the profits go to private companies. But not at Spring Creek Correctional Center, where the prisoners own and operate the store and use the profits to benefit the communities inside and outside the prison walls.
How little investments can lead to big community change
Seward used to host a lot of bake sales. It was the only way to raise money for small organizations. Now, instead of buying cupcakes, people can donate little bits of money that are invested and help the whole community go a long way.