Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 31 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • 'So much hope': Alaskans say peer support can make recovery possible

    Alaska has begun certifying peer support specialists with a free 40-hour training. Peer support specialists use their own experiences with mental health conditions or substance use to guide others dealing with similar issues. The state has certified 43 people, including 12 Indigenous traditional peer support specialists. Trainings teach peer supporters about different coping skills and how to help clients deal with a mental health diagnosis and set healthy boundaries. They also cover legal and ethical issues in peer support. The specialists model recovery and offer support without telling people what to do.

    Read More

  • Thousands of Alaskans are considering suicide. You can learn to help them choose life.

    To address Alaska’s high suicide rates, especially among youth, programs like the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training teaches people how to safely and confidently talk about suicide. The two-day training provides steps people can use to talk with others about suicide, dispel any shame around the topic, and develop a safety plan with them. The main idea is not to solve all of their problems, but to keep the person safe now. The training combines conversations, videos, PowerPoints and roleplaying to teach the steps, based on a global model developed by LivingWorks 35 years ago in Canada.

    Read More

  • Bethel dental clinic catalyzes community mask-making effort

    When a dental clinic in Alaska had to suspend elective procedures due to the spread of the coronavirus, the clinic turned their efforts into repurposing their medical-grade material – usually used for sterilized medical and surgical instruments – into surgical masks for hospital workers. The idea has gained attention, and now community members who want to help are provided mask-making kits from the clinic.

    Read More

  • Amalga Distillery in Juneau is making hand sanitizer for organizations in need

    An Alaskan distillery has joined the ranks of businesses that are turning their normal business production facilities into hand sanitizer manufacturing facilities. After partnering with another local business to obtain the necessary ingredients, the distillery has been able to produce and donate 30 gallons of the product to those who need it most during the pandemic.

    Read More

  • ‘There's sunshine again': Thousands of meals delivered daily to Anchorage students as coronavirus closes classrooms Audio icon

    In Alaska, the Anchorage School District’s mobile food delivery service is delivering thousands of meals every day to Anchorage students. By repurposing school buses, school district leaders are packing sack lunches, school nurses, and educators on board to help with the deliveries.

    Read More

  • Taking action to reduce substance misuse

    Alaska has created a living document to begin tackling the state's addiction epidemic as they attempt to become "more proactive and less reactive." This model of integration has the potential to serve as a model for other states in the nation as government officials work to partner with community members and other organizations in order to build relationships.

    Read More

  • When a step back into prison is really a jump forward on the road to recovery

    In Alaska, programs promote long-term rehabilitation and intensive treatment for people with addictions who are involved in the criminal justice system. Part of the way the program has been successful is by allowing participants to return to intensive treatment if they fall off the wagon - providing them the tools to eventually return to their homes, healthier and happier.

    Read More

  • U.S. Surgeon General: Use partnerships, end stigmas to stop opioid epidemic

    U.S. Surgen General Jerome Adams speaks out about the significance of reducing stigma around substance abuse and mental health to normalize the illnesses and open doors for sufferers to seek help. Dispensation of Naloxone, an overdose reversing drug, went up 40% since he issued a Surgeon General's advisory on its use.

    Read More

  • How little organizations make a big difference through collaboration

    In Alaska, tribal governments are teaming up to eliminate programming redundancies, avoid competing for the same grants, and provide necessary community resources. Their collaboration allows the smaller tribal governments a flexibility and local impact that other governments aren't always able to maintain while still growing their programming.

    Read More

  • Community health aides: Alaska's unique solution for rural health care

    In Alaska, the Community Health Aide Program is helping to connect people in remote, rural parts of the state to medical care. The program, started decades ago in collaboration with the Indian Health Service, local government, and congress, has helped to keep people healthy despite high expectations and turn-over.

    Read More