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Alaska tribes just took over ownership from the federal government of the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, making way for growth that officials have been advocating for years. The new owners, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, were among the first Native organizations to assume health care sovereignty in 1998, but officials say underinvestment in the facility by the federal Indian Health Service was blocking much-needed expansion of both services and capacity. Although it’s in Anchorage, the center serves as a hub of health care for Alaska Native patients from all across the state, counting almost 172,000 specialty cases and 56,000 emergency room visits a year. Under the new arrangement, the SouthCentral Foundation will oversee primary care. We’ll talk about the legacy and new future prospects for healthcare sovereignty in Alaska.
GUESTS
Natasha Singh (member of Stevens Village), Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium president and CEO
Kimberley Strong (Tlingit), SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium chair and ANTHC board chair
Toni Raye Bergan (Iñupiaq), chair of Native Village of Kotzebue Tribal Council and ANTHC board member
Wilson Justin (Ahtna Athabascan), elder and longtime advocate of self-determination
Break 1 Music: Sunrise Song (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)
Break 2 Music: Four Corners (song) Little Axe Singers (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)
So does that mean there will not be any federal money spent or given to that hospital or the Alaskas native health consortium ??