Today was our first full day together as a group, and let me tell you- it was busy! We were all up and at 'em pretty early, making breakfast, getting ready, and out the door by 8am! We split into three different groups and loaded ourselves into the vehicles. We drove around Anchorage for a little while to check out the town, observe the beautiful mountains surrounding us, and stopped by a little coffee shop called "The Alchemist" before our scheduled afternoon began.
Our first stop of the day was at the Southcentral Foundation, which is a traditional healing clinic, and were given a tour of this beautiful building. Following the tour, we gathered together for a presentation about the history of this clinic and the services offered. The Southcentral Foundation offers services to Alaskan Natives and focuses on physical, emotional, mental, & spiritual well-being by integrating traditional healing methods into the care provided. The two types of traditional healing include (1) Traditional Counseling: Women's talk circle, general support, and a healing garden; and (2) Traditional Physical: Healing hands & healing touch. One thing I found very interesting is that the clinic workers refer to their patients as "client owners". The theory behind this term is that the patient (client owner) is in charge of his/her own health and well-being, and the doctors and nurses are there to positively support them and provide them with the needed tools to make a healthy lifestyle for themselves.
Our second stop of the day was at Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC). ANMC is a beautiful hospital. Every floor is decorated with displays of Native artwork, and each hallway ends with huge windows outlooking the surrounding land and mountains. Our tour guide explained to us that the hospital was purposefully built with the windows at the end of every hallway because Alaskan Natives often use their surroundings and physical landmarks to orient themselves to where they are. The artwork has been donated by many different native tribes, and serves a purpose of comforting the patients and making them feel more at home during their stay. ANMC also has a connected building strictly dedicated to patients and their families. ANMC is the main hospital where patients from all over the state are transferred to if they don't have a local medical center or hospital that will suit their needs. For example, if a patient lives far away and is considered high-risk pregnancy, she may be transferred to ANMC weeks before her due date and set up to stay in this building with her family until the delivery of her baby to ensure her and her infant's safety. We learned that Anchorage is considered the most diverse city, and learning about integrated medicine in relation to traditional native beliefs made me realize just how important it is and will be to have a good understanding of your patients culture while providing care.
We wrapped up our day by going to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Here, we met Yaair, a Yupik Native. Yaari gave us a fantastic presentation on the history of Alaska, the history and evolution of different Native tribes and traditions, and told us her personal life story in which she explained to us that she is a Yupik shaman! I would love to go back to the Heritage Center again sometime and get the full tour. What I found to be the most beneficial part of the presentation was Yaari explaining to us what her cultural norms are in regards to body language- expression, emotion, personal space, etc. We have learned about this in school, but I was able to really understand how a person may feel if we don't respect these norms by listening to her personal stories.
We finished our night at home with a taco bar for dinner, a few good laughs, and games! Tomorrow, we head to Seward for a day trip, and then I am off to Homer, Alaska for the rest of my trip! I am really looking forward to the next week. Stay tuned.. :-)
Our first stop of the day was at the Southcentral Foundation, which is a traditional healing clinic, and were given a tour of this beautiful building. Following the tour, we gathered together for a presentation about the history of this clinic and the services offered. The Southcentral Foundation offers services to Alaskan Natives and focuses on physical, emotional, mental, & spiritual well-being by integrating traditional healing methods into the care provided. The two types of traditional healing include (1) Traditional Counseling: Women's talk circle, general support, and a healing garden; and (2) Traditional Physical: Healing hands & healing touch. One thing I found very interesting is that the clinic workers refer to their patients as "client owners". The theory behind this term is that the patient (client owner) is in charge of his/her own health and well-being, and the doctors and nurses are there to positively support them and provide them with the needed tools to make a healthy lifestyle for themselves.
Our second stop of the day was at Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC). ANMC is a beautiful hospital. Every floor is decorated with displays of Native artwork, and each hallway ends with huge windows outlooking the surrounding land and mountains. Our tour guide explained to us that the hospital was purposefully built with the windows at the end of every hallway because Alaskan Natives often use their surroundings and physical landmarks to orient themselves to where they are. The artwork has been donated by many different native tribes, and serves a purpose of comforting the patients and making them feel more at home during their stay. ANMC also has a connected building strictly dedicated to patients and their families. ANMC is the main hospital where patients from all over the state are transferred to if they don't have a local medical center or hospital that will suit their needs. For example, if a patient lives far away and is considered high-risk pregnancy, she may be transferred to ANMC weeks before her due date and set up to stay in this building with her family until the delivery of her baby to ensure her and her infant's safety. We learned that Anchorage is considered the most diverse city, and learning about integrated medicine in relation to traditional native beliefs made me realize just how important it is and will be to have a good understanding of your patients culture while providing care.
We wrapped up our day by going to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Here, we met Yaair, a Yupik Native. Yaari gave us a fantastic presentation on the history of Alaska, the history and evolution of different Native tribes and traditions, and told us her personal life story in which she explained to us that she is a Yupik shaman! I would love to go back to the Heritage Center again sometime and get the full tour. What I found to be the most beneficial part of the presentation was Yaari explaining to us what her cultural norms are in regards to body language- expression, emotion, personal space, etc. We have learned about this in school, but I was able to really understand how a person may feel if we don't respect these norms by listening to her personal stories.
We finished our night at home with a taco bar for dinner, a few good laughs, and games! Tomorrow, we head to Seward for a day trip, and then I am off to Homer, Alaska for the rest of my trip! I am really looking forward to the next week. Stay tuned.. :-)