Update for Week ending
October 10, 2009
Alaska Native Brotherhood & Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp. SEARHC gave an annual update to the Grand Camp of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood on Saturday, October 10th. We provided an update on our annual report, the new health data booklet from the Epicenter at ANTHC, electronic health records, and cancer. Dr. Janice Sheufelt provided an overview of cancer, what it is, the incidence of cancer, and what we might do to prevent it. We have been available throughout the week at multiple health committee meetings as well as some of the weekly events. We were also asked to participate on a panel discussion on how Tribal organizations work together and a panel of electronic information. Health promotion and Tribal recruitment had information tables while one of our nurses from the Ethel Lund Medical Center provided nursing education and on-site support.
October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Karen Loverlink from our Womens Health – WISEWOMAN program reminds us that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. About 210,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and around 40,000 women will die each year from Breast Cancer. Breast cancer is the 5th leading cause of death among women age 40 and above after heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and lung disease. The best way to find breast cancer early is with a mammogram! You can lower your risk of breast cancer by: controlling your weight; exercising; eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; limiting your alcohol intake; and knowing your family history.
Haines Citizens Vote for Comprehensive Clean Indoor Air. Elections took place across our region on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Andrea Thomas (Tobacco Grant Manager), let us know that the voters in Haines took an important step forward to create a healthier community. Voters passed a comprehensive clean indoor air ordinance that covers all work places, including bars and restaurants. Sitka, Klawock and Haines are now protecting their citizens from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
WISEFAMILIES Across our Region. Nancy Knapp reports that the WISEFAMILIES program has been active across our region over the last few weeks. These programs are recognizing our important cultural and subsistence activities as healthy ways to protect our families.
- In Kake, the program funded a seine boat charter to bring back cohos from Hidden Falls hatchery. A total of 1,053 fish were given out to 96 households of which 25 were elder households. Forty were given to the senior center lunch program, and another forty were filleted and frozen for community dinners. People kept commenting that this was “like old times” when seine boats would bring herring eggs, etc., for the whole community. We hope to make this an annual event. This was a joint project with many organizations and individuals working together; we couldn’t have done it without their cooperation. As our WISEFAMILIES saying goes, “Yei naa teech!”—it doesn’t get any better!
- In Wrangell, last week’s events featured a Harvested Food Dish contest. Also a drumming group, which meets every Wednesday, continues to sing, drum, and learn Tlingit.
- In Klukwan, 1200 lbs of potatoes were harvested, 300 of which are Tlingit potatoes from about 1000 plants. Thirty to forty pounds of Tlingit potatoes, and fifty to sixty pounds of Yukon Gold, were saved for next year’s seed. About twenty pounds of potatoes were given to every household in Klukwan including all the school children and teachers, and the WISE Guys who helped with the plot. The Traditional canoe painting was completed and Moose Camp held.
- Board Packets Sent Out. The quarterly packets were sent out last week to the Board of Directors. The packets include the operational summaries and administrative reports.
Just a reminder. . . SEARHC frequently brings in traveling medical specialists to hold specialty clinics at its various facilities, saving you the expense and inconvenience of flying to Anchorage or Seattle for services not available in Southeast. Some SEARHC medical providers who work at larger facilities make regular trips to our village clinics to provide specialty services that aren't normally available in those communities. All specialty clinics, except for medical field trips and specified dental clinics, must be referred through a SEARHC provider (no self-referrals). Links to our upcoming specialty clinic schedules are at http://www.searhc.org/common/pages/specialtyclinics/index.php.
Regards,
Roald.
* PDF files require Acrobat Reader
Copyright © 2010, SEARHC
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium