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Rural Health
Resources by State: Alaska

2022-2023 NW Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Public Report
Highlights programming done for the 2022-2023 year including trainings, technical assistance, and relationship building. Notes goals for the next year.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Northwest (Region 10) Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Collaborative
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Culturally Adapting an Evidence-Based Intervention to Promote a Healthy Diet and Lifestyle for Yup'ik Alaska Native Communities
Highlights a study on a culturally competent educational program on healthy foods and physical activity for Yup'ik Alaska Native communities. Discusses the structure and efficacy of the project. Details some of its limitations and access-based barriers.
Author(s): Scarlett E. Hopkins, Eliza Orr, Bert B. Boyer, and Beti Thompson
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 82(1)
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Development of a Colorectal Cancer Screening Intervention for Alaska Native People During a Pandemic Year
Examines the development and implementation of a screening methodology for colorectal cancer (CRC) in Alaska Native (AN) populations. Analyzes 32 rural/remote AN communities who received various community-based CRC screening interventions compared to 14 AN communities who received opportunistic care for CRC screening. Includes discussion about barriers and challenges of screening in rural AN populations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Christie A. Flanagan, Lila J. Finney Rutten, John B. Kisiel, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 30, 101016
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Children Are Overrepresented in Foster Care in States With the Largest Proportions of AIAN Children
Analyzes the disproportionate population of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in the foster care system with percentage comparisons for 10 states. Discusses culturally relevant practices and policies to address AI/AN historical trauma that has exacerbated high rates of foster care usage.
Author(s): Deana Around Him
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
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How Alaska Supports Rural and Frontier Behavioral Health Services
Describes Alaska's Behavioral Health Aide (BHA) program, a non-licensed provider type designed to promote behavioral health and wellness in Alaska Native individuals, families, and communities through culturally relevant training and education. Discusses qualifications for the BHA certification, payment, and next steps for other states seeking to develop similar programs.
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Providing High-Quality Support to Pregnant People and Their Families in Racially Diverse Rural Communities
Presents a series of case studies of how hospitals and health systems with obstetric units in racially diverse rural communities work to meet patient needs and provide evidence-based, supportive services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Highlights communities in Colorado, Alaska, and Texas and discusses key features of programs at hospitals or health systems in each area.
Author(s): Mariana Tuttle, Phoebe Chastain, Hailey Baker, Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Bridget Basile Ibrahim
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Alaska's Physician Workforce in 2021
Findings brief describing size, distribution, and education history of the physician workforce in Alaska. Features statistics on various specialties with breakdowns by urban, overall rural, large rural, small rural, and isolated small rural areas.
Author(s): Arati Dahal, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies, WWAMI Area Health Education Center Program
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Supporting Dental Therapy through Title VII Training Programs: A Meaningful Strategy for Implementing Equitable Oral Health Care - Nineteenth Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to Congress
Offers policy and program development recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding primary care and dental training and education. Provides an overview of the importance of oral health, oral health disparities, and the dental therapy profession. Recommendations cover federal funding for dental therapy programs, dental therapy faculty and dental therapists' inclusion in loan forgiveness programs, and a longitudinal tracking mechanism for dental therapy trainees, faculty, and graduates. Highlights a dental therapy pilot program serving tribal communities in Alaska.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Mobile Health School Screening and Telemedicine Referral to Improve Access to Specialty Care in Rural Alaska: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial
Study examining school-based telemedicine specialty referral for hearing loss in 15 rural Alaskan communities. Compares outcomes for participants who received a telemedicine specialty referral and who received a standard primary care referral, including time to follow-up, prevalence of hearing loss, hearing-related quality of life, and school performance.
Author(s): Susan D. Emmett, Alyssa Platt, Elizabeth L. Turner, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Global Health, 10(7), e1023-e1033
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Community Engagement: An Essential Component of an Effective and Equitable Substance Use Prevention System
Describes the role of community engagement for tribal, urban, suburban, and rural communities when developing equitable evidence-based programs and policies supporting substance use prevention programs. Discusses research focused on community engagement activities and outcomes, hands-on strategies derived from participation in community engagement, and evaluation as part of the planning and implementation process. Presents examples of how community engagement facilitates substance use prevention systems in rural and tribal communities.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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