After a fun weekend exploring Alaska, I was excited to tour the Alaskan Native Medical Center. It was a long day that was jam-packed with information, but I learned a lot. One of the speakers that really stood out to me was presented by a man who spoke about sanitation and environmental health in rural Alaska. Social and environmental factors play a large part in premature death so focusing on safe water, access to care, and vaccinations are the top three primary prevention priorities. One statistic I found surprising was that 20% of all rural Native homes do not have piped water and sewer. I would never have imagined that there are places in the United States that have third world sanitation. Before their initiatives were put in place, most households would defecate in ‘honeybuckets’ and haul the buckets out to the coast to dump them. The problem is that with how large Alaska is, the different environments create different challenges for finding a solution to their sewage issues. After in-home water services were put in place, there was a 67% reduction in diarrheal morbidity, 58% fewer clinic visits from sanitation-related disease, and a 55% reduction in overall child mortality. I had no clue this was an issue so I am glad to hear they have taken great initiatives and are setting their sights now on expanding their renewable energy use.
One of the units in the clinic focuses solely on traditional healing practices. Just walking onto the unit, I felt relaxed. There is a faint smell of peppermint essential oils in the air, the healers walking around are quiet and walk like they have all the time in the world, and the walls are covered in traditional tapestries and art. I loved hearing about the services they provide. They are one of the only accredited clinics in the US supported by the joint commission. I think, with how large and diverse of a native population Alaska has, it is crucial they integrate western medicine with traditional healing practices. It is a concept we discuss a lot in school, but never really seen in practice. It was really amazing to see and I hope hospitals in the continental US take note and progress into a more integrated approach to care as well.
The last part of our tour was visiting the general units in ANMC. The units were laid out like typical units and the hospital rooms were like any other room- except a much better view. What was really interesting was all of the traditional native artwork displayed everywhere. Before the center was built, they used to sell patient’s crafts as a way to give the patient some income during their stay. It took 17 years for the center to be finished- during that time the hospital bought many artifacts to display around the building. It was interesting because they would pair up similar crafts from different tribes so you could see a clear difference in the materials used and styles. I loved the black baskets made my the Yupik tribes because they had carved animals on the top as a handle. The amount of detail that went in to each craft was truly stunning.
The last part of our tour was visiting the general units in ANMC. The units were laid out like typical units and the hospital rooms were like any other room- except a much better view. What was really interesting was all of the traditional native artwork displayed everywhere. Before the center was built, they used to sell patient’s crafts as a way to give the patient some income during their stay. It took 17 years for the center to be finished- during that time the hospital bought many artifacts to display around the building. It was interesting because they would pair up similar crafts from different tribes so you could see a clear difference in the materials used and styles. I loved the black baskets made my the Yupik tribes because they had carved animals on the top as a handle. The amount of detail that went in to each craft was truly stunning.