Our Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation Luminary Award winners are individuals recognized for their exceptional dedication and contributions to the Alaska Tribal Health System. Over the next few weeks, we will spotlight the winners. The President’s Legacy and Leadership Award was presented to Dr. Matthew Schnellbaecher, Cardiology Medical Director, Alaska Native Medical Center. Dr. Schnellbaecher has been a tireless advocate for expanding cardiology services in the Alaska Tribal Health System since he joined the hospital in 1996. Dr. Schnellbaecher has helped ...

ANMC’s Palliative Care Team was recognized as the winner of the Organizational Award at the 2016 The Heroes of Healthcare Awards held at Anchorage Marriott Downtown on April 16. The Organizational Award recognizes an Anchorage entity which actively promotes a healthy community and provides support through gifts of time, talent or treasure. The ANMC Palliative Care team is comprised of Dr. Chris Piromalli, DO, MPH (Palliative Care Medical Director); Rona Johnson, RN, BSN, OCN (Palliative Care Nurse); and Karen Hollar, ...

This week, Aleutian Pribilof Island Association (APIA) joins ANMC and other Tribal health partners on the shared Cerner electronic health record system. Four APIA clinics went live, including their largest one in Unalaska. The shared electronic health record helps improve patient care through increased communication between our organizations and providers. An ANTHC-led team of health information technology professionals were on hand to deploy the new Cerner system and provide support to APIA staff as they continue to see patients during ...

Three ANTHC employees, Brigitte Kudlick and Gloria Romero from the Radiology department and Michael Nabers from the Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) program, joined dozens of Anchorage community members to volunteer and “Brave the Shave” to raise money for childhood cancers at the annual St. Baldrick’s head shaving event Sunday, April 10. Brigitte Kudlick, Ultrasound Technologist, and Gloria Romero, Mammography Technologist, were both first-time participants at this year’s event. Kudlick, who has a history of adult and childhood cancers in ...

ANTHC’s Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) program has been selected as a semifinalist for the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Governance Honoring Nations award. ARUC is noted for its Tribal partnerships that empower rural villages to sustainably provide safe water and sanitation services that positively impact the health of our people. Honoring Nations is an awards program that identifies, celebrates, and shares outstanding examples of Tribal governance. Eighty-three applications were received and 18 were selected as semifinalists for ...

Public health concerns about lead in drinking water have increased due to recent reports detailing contamination of the public water supply in Flint, Michigan. Lead can enter the drinking water supply when pipelines or fixtures containing lead materials corrode. Drinking water can corrode pipes or fixtures when water in the system has high acidity or mineral content. A recent article in an Anchorage newspaper highlighted the issue in Michigan and referenced a number of locations around Alaska where testing has ...

Jason Hart, ANTHC Executive Business Associate, was recently honored with the Alaska Journal of Commerce’s “Top Forty Under 40” award, recognizing Alaska’s top professionals younger than age 40 who have demonstrated professional excellence and a commitment to their community. Many people may know Hart from his current work in the Consortium’s Administration office or through his previous contributions to improving Human Resources Benefits, but he has also distinguished himself by his work for Alaska Native corporations and community volunteer work. ...

It is with greatest sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Julie McNulty, our friend and longtime ANMC nursing leader. Julie had been bravely battling cancer for the past 18 months. ANMC leadership joins many across the hospital and nursing community in mourning this great loss and in offering condolences and prayers to her husband Kirk, her daughter Jessica, and her friends and family. Julie dedicated more than 20 years of service to the Alaska Tribal ...

March was Professional Social Work Month, which raised awareness about professional social workers and their commitment to improving social conditions and quality of life opportunities for everyone. Professional Social Work Month provides an opportunity to recognize ANTHC’s dedicated social workers and the valuable services they provide at the ANMC hospital. The ANMC hospital has seven medical social workers – Deanna Thomas, LCSW; Beverly Harper, MSW; and Alexandra Draper, MSW, working in the adult inpatient units; Cynthia Burton, LCSW, working in ...

ANTHC construction crews recently started work on a heat recovery energy project for the Noorvik water utility that is projected to save 16,000 gallons of heating fuel annually once completed. The project will capture excess heat energy from the community power plant and use it as an alternative energy source. Construction is scheduled to wrap up before the beginning of winter. This heat recovery project is one of dozens of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects from ANTHC’s Rural Energy ...