Our Health: Body, Mind & Spirit

Agencies, businesses, and individuals which support health in rural Alaska are linked below. What role do subsistence food traditions, nutrition, sleep, trauma, and substance abuse play in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of rural Alaskans?

The Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) is jointly owned and managed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and Southcentral Foundation (SCF). It includes the hospital and the Anchorage Native Primary Care Center. ANTHC has many websites with information useful for rural Alaskans.

The Alaska Native Epidemiology Center contains a wealth of useful research information about statewide health issues. Community Environment and Health has links to the Center for Climate and Health to help communities understand and adapt to climate change in healthy ways and other useful links pertaining to the health impacts of environmental issues.

The tribally sponsored health insurance program helps moderate income Alaska Native families attain health insurance at no-cost.

The Alaska Community Health Aide Program provides training for the front line health care providers in rural Alaska. Project Jukebox documents some of the history of this program.

Wild Foods and Medicines blog: Elise Krohn is an herbalist and native foods specialist in the state of Washington. From her website, “Building relationships between plants and people is at the heart of Elise’s work.” She has written about many plants familiar to Alaskans.

Southcentral Foundation provides health care for residents of Anchorage and many rural communities. They oversee a wide variety of additional programs. One is Dena A Coy, a women’s residential treatment facility that can allow children under the age of 3 to join the mother during admission. Another is Family Wellness Warriors Initiative, which addresses domestic violence, child sexual abuse and child neglect through education and training designed by Alaska Native people.

Start School Later is a national “coalition of health professionals, sleep scientists, educators, parents, students, and other concerned citizens dedicated to increasing public awareness about the relationship between sleep and school hours and to ensuring school start times compatible with health, safety, education, and equity.”

Alaska’s Suicide Prevention and Someone to Talk to Line: 1-877-266-HELP (1-877-266-4357). (Careline). Text access to support is available as well: Text “4help” to 839863, Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-11pm.

Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255. (National hotline)

The State of Alaska webpage for Suicide Awareness, Prevention, and Postvention provides many links.

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