Boating safety tips from ANTHC

As the summer days grow longer, our Alaska Native people will spend more time on the water – whether it’s on boats or shores, fishing or for recreation. However, every year, water related accidents and fatalities affect our Native community. On average, 17 Alaska Native people drown each year. About half of Alaska Native drowning victims are ages 30 and under. Our Alaska Native men are six times as likely to drown than our Native women. These numbers can be ...
HRV filter maintenance during spring cleaning

As spring is in bloom, many people are taking care of their annual spring cleaning. While you are doing the spring clean, consider cleaning the filters and core in your heat recovery ventilator (HRV). The filters and core keep things like bugs, dust and odors from circulating in your home. Now is the time to wash or vacuum your filters in anticipation for the bug and dust-filled summer season. Without maintenance, your filters and core will not function properly. Follow ...

At the Alaska Native Medical Center, nurses and medical staff work to ensure the safety and care for patients as they heal and address their health needs. One way that staff is dedicated to patient care is by supporting breastfeeding women and their families. A group of ANMC volunteers are working together to make reusable breast pads for mothers who live in rural areas where disposable breast pads are either hard to find or expensive to purchase. Nurses in the ...

The Alaska Native Medical Center was recently reverified as a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes ANMC’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured pediatric patients. Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital ...

Health care technology management (HTM) professionals are vital members of any world-class health care delivery team. At the Alaska Native Medical Center, clinical engineers, biomedical equipment technicians, and other highly skilled professionals use their expertise to ensure the safety, efficacy, and availability of life-saving health care technologies for our Alaska Native people, all while keeping health care costs down. This year, Healthcare Technology Management Week is May 19-25. The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation states: “This annual celebration ...

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recognizes May as National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Spring is a peak season for people affected by asthma and allergies. ANTHC’s Air and Health Homes Program wants Alaska Native people to recognize potential in-home irritants that can trigger asthma and allergies. Download a PDF with tips on asthma irritants to avoid here. Asthma is a chronic disease that causes irritation and swelling of the airways, impacting the lungs and breathing. Asthma can ...

Clockwise from left to right: Joyce Martin, Matthew Brown, Mary Krusen and Meg Mapili. ANMC’s nurses display their commitment and excellence through professional development and evidence-based practice when caring for our people. In addition to their work and education, many of ANMC’s nurses participate in shared governance, on councils that consult and collaborate with each other to make the best decisions to successfully facilitate and ensure quality patient care and outcomes. In May, ANMC celebrates and thanks our nurses during ...

This story appeared in the April – June 2019 edition of the Mukluk Telegraph. Read more stories from the latest issue here. This May, the 12th annual Youth Environmental Summit (YES) will convene in Kluti-Kaah, Alaska. YES is a day camp held in the Copper River region for youth in kindergarten to eighth grade, where participants learn about climate change, the environmental history of the area, and the importance of environmental stewardship. Gakona Village Council started the Summit in 2008 ...

When Eek Elder, Elias Keyes, turned on his new faucet for the first time and watched the water flow down his sink, he saw his relative’s prophetic words come to life. “My grandfather used to say a time would come when we could push a button and everything would happen. Now, I see that it is,” Keyes said. “When I’m gone, I won’t have to worry about my grandchildren having safe water.” In March, workers on the project to bring ...

One of ANTHC’s top priorities is increasing access to care for our people. As more than 60% of our patients travel from outside the Anchorage area for care, increased patient access also means increased demand for travel and housing services. ANTHC is working on key initiatives around travel management and housing. These are important to ANTHC’s strategic goals to increase coordination and access to care within the Tribal health system. ANTHC’s Travel Management Office (TMO) was established in July 2016 ...