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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Alaska

COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Among American Indian or Alaska Native Persons — Alaska, 2020–2021
Examines COVID-19 health disparities impacting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people in Alaska from March 12, 2020–December 31, 2021. Discusses challenges to accessing healthcare, including living in rural and remote location. Also discusses the need for culturally competent health interventions.
Author(s): Lowrie A. Ward, Kelsey P. Black, Carla L. Britton, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(22), 730-733
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Framework for Assessing Food-Energy-Water Security: A Few Case Studies from Rural Alaska
Discusses research methods related to food, energy, and water (FEW) and the development of a framework to assess FEW in communities based on availability, access, preference, and quality. Reports on the results of using this framework in 3 rural communities in Alaska. Discusses external and internal factors within the communities that contribute to food insecurity.
Author(s): Jennifer I. Schmidt, Barbara Johnson, Henry P. Huntington, Erin Whitney
Citation: Science of the Total Environment, 821
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Evolving Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines among Remote Alaskan Communities
Highlights a study on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among remote Alaskan communities. Details levels of vaccine hesitancy, vaccination, and feelings about the vaccine over the course of the pandemic. Breaks down participant data by age, race, and healthcare access, among other measures.
Author(s): Micah B. Hahn, Ruby L. Fried, Patricia Cochran, Laura P. Eichelberger
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Impact of Assistance Programs on Indigenous Ways of Life in 12 Rural Remote Western Alaska Native Communities: Elder Perspectives Shared in Formative Work for the "Got Neqpiaq?" Project
Explores a study evaluating the perception of Alaska Native elders from the Yukon-Kuskokwim area of Alaska on the efficacy and cultural competence of government assistance programs. Discusses and evaluates a number of programs, such as Head Start, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), among others.
Author(s): Amanda K. Walch, Kathryn A. Ohle, Kathryn R. Koller, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Alaska Tobacco Facts 2022 Update
Report highlights tobacco use in Alaska with an update featuring 2020 data. Looks at tobacco use by age, race, and region of the state, among other measures.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Division of Public Health
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COVID-10 Vaccines: Studying Historical Successes (and Failures) for Equity-Centered Approaches to Vaccinating Indigenous Communities, Undocumented Immigrants, and Communities of Color: Proceedings of a Workshop--In Brief
Proceedings of a public webinar focused on previous historical efforts to vaccinate people, highlighting what was successfully and what was unsuccessful. Panelists include the incident commander for managing COVID-19 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the chief medical officer for Alaska, a researcher with the Farmworker Association of Florida, the director of emergency social medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and a professor at the Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Alaska Native Health Status Report
Provides an overview of Alaskan Native health, with a focus on sociodemographics and social determinants of health (SDOH); mortality; morbidity; maternal, infant, and child health; adolescent health; adult health; preventive care; and environmental health. Includes data and maps on health issues in Alaskan regions. Discusses advocacy, program planning, policy development, and evaluation related to Alaskan Native public health.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
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Alaska Healthy and Equitable Communities Strategic Plan, 2022-2025
Describes goals and strategies to increase health equity in Alaska, including specific population health concerns and goals for Alaska Native communities and rural populations. Presents data from meetings and surveys that represent views of healthy and equitable communities as well as changes to improve health and equity in the state.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Division of Public Health
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For Want of a Dentist: The Rise of the Dental Therapy Movement in Tribal Nations and the U.S.
Report discusses the role of dental therapists in tribal communities to address oral health workforce shortages. Details the history of oral health professional shortages, highlights the populations bearing the burden of the shortages, and describes how tribal communities have used dental therapists to improve access to oral healthcare.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: W. K. Kellogg Foundation
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Grantee Spotlight: Building Capacity for Tribal Health Providers to Deliver OUD Treatment in Rural Alaska
Profile features the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and discusses its work supporting providers and organizations who provide treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in tribal communities in Alaska. Highlights some of the barriers to OUD treatment in rural Alaska and the methods used to overcome them.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)
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