Friday, March 9, 2018 - Southcentral Foundation > Alaska Native Medical Center > Alaska Native Heritage Center
Along with my fascination of Alaska and its beauty, I have been captivated by the Native American culture. I have always been appreciative of their traditions, attention to detail, and beliefs about the world and life itself. My grandma sparked this captivation in me since I was little as she used southwestern style and Native American influences in her artwork. On Friday, we had a few tours where we met many people, and learned so much about their healthcare model and the culture that is intertwined. Touring the grounds of these buildings, I was amazed by how beautiful they were both inside and out. Everything seemed to be newly remodeled with a lot of attention to detail, and stunning artwork that shows so much of the history of different tribes. There were handmade baskets, tools, toys, clothing, everything imaginable, in which I grew even more impressed by their skilled hands and their ability to use everything.
At the Southcentral Foundation, we received an informational session on how they are set up and what they do for the community. Their vision is to help the Native Community with their holistic self of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual wellbeing. They try to accommodate for their population by integrating western medicine with traditional healing methods. Primary care includes: acute/chronic disease treatment, preventative care, minor surgery, lab/imaging, maternity care, and social services. Traditional services include: traditional physical (healing hands and touch), counseling, women's talking circle, and a healing garden. I believe it is a wonderful idea that they have incorporated traditional methods into their care, allowing a better sense of trust with who they are serving. The clinic rooms are decorated with personal possessions and bursting with color. I find this to be much more inviting than white walls with maybe a couple of pictures that I have seen in Minnesota. One of the ladies had her wedding blanket, which was vibrant and beautiful as it hung on the wall. It was interesting because our tour guide said that when a family member is sick, she brings the blanket home to them, hoping that it will bring them comfort and healing. Southcentral also seems to do a lot of outreach events in hopes to spread health and wellness through the community.
The next stop was the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC), where the mission is "working together with the Native community to achieve wellness by providing the highest quality health services for all Alaska Natives". Here they focus on the Nuka System, where patients are called "Customer-Owners" (COs) because they are in charge of their own health and are a big part of the decisions made. COs are assigned a whole care team that includes many people working together to ensure that everyone is functioning at the top of their ability. This concept was fascinating to me and seems to make complete sense, and I look forward to researching more about it. On the healthcare side, the whole team works together to support and help their COs in the most efficient way possible. One of these ways is by increasing access by allowing triage phone calls, having provider resources in the building, and wonderful scheduling so appointments can be planned accordingly, allowing COs to save trips for visits. The hospital units and rooms themselves were set up like typical hospitals that I have been in. A difference though was how they focus on using natural light and positioning of the windows. Also having artwork and different pieces of history throughout the hallway from different tribes/villages, which allow COs and their families to feel more at home in this unfamiliar place. As I know, being in the hospital can be nerve-wracking for anyone, but for a population that may be used to the seclusion and nature, being in the largest city in Alaska, and in a hospital none the less, could cause some anxiety. I believe it is my duty to make my future patients feel more comfortable by learning about their culture and not being afraid to ask questions to attempt to make them more comfortable.
Our eye-opening day ended at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where we heard intimate stories of two people's lives, and how their harsh past cause a greater appreciation for life and the world around them. We also got a history/geography lesson of all of the different tribes in Alaska, and how they have evolved over the years. The high respect for nature and being able to take only what is needed is a concept that I think has been lost in today's world. Hearing about how some of their customs are beings lost was heartbreaking, because the quality and thought put into the items made, and their philosophy of life is so beautiful. We were given an interesting view on different communication styles, and how we need to be cognizant of how we are coming across in our words and actions. I believe this to be crucial as we are going to have patients, families, other healthcare provider, and others in both our work and personal life that I will have to communicate with. I was also able to experience a short traditional healing session. It was an experience that I won't forget, and I wish that I could have had more time with her to get more answers. Due to timing, we weren't able to tour the museum side, but I think it will have been well worth it.
I am very grateful to have spent Friday touring around and being informed of current topics. I feel it gave a good introduction into the area I would be spending the next nine days in. It was also interesting to be able to compare the hospital/clinic settings to others that I have spent time in, and how their values and missions are different.
Along with my fascination of Alaska and its beauty, I have been captivated by the Native American culture. I have always been appreciative of their traditions, attention to detail, and beliefs about the world and life itself. My grandma sparked this captivation in me since I was little as she used southwestern style and Native American influences in her artwork. On Friday, we had a few tours where we met many people, and learned so much about their healthcare model and the culture that is intertwined. Touring the grounds of these buildings, I was amazed by how beautiful they were both inside and out. Everything seemed to be newly remodeled with a lot of attention to detail, and stunning artwork that shows so much of the history of different tribes. There were handmade baskets, tools, toys, clothing, everything imaginable, in which I grew even more impressed by their skilled hands and their ability to use everything.
At the Southcentral Foundation, we received an informational session on how they are set up and what they do for the community. Their vision is to help the Native Community with their holistic self of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual wellbeing. They try to accommodate for their population by integrating western medicine with traditional healing methods. Primary care includes: acute/chronic disease treatment, preventative care, minor surgery, lab/imaging, maternity care, and social services. Traditional services include: traditional physical (healing hands and touch), counseling, women's talking circle, and a healing garden. I believe it is a wonderful idea that they have incorporated traditional methods into their care, allowing a better sense of trust with who they are serving. The clinic rooms are decorated with personal possessions and bursting with color. I find this to be much more inviting than white walls with maybe a couple of pictures that I have seen in Minnesota. One of the ladies had her wedding blanket, which was vibrant and beautiful as it hung on the wall. It was interesting because our tour guide said that when a family member is sick, she brings the blanket home to them, hoping that it will bring them comfort and healing. Southcentral also seems to do a lot of outreach events in hopes to spread health and wellness through the community.
The next stop was the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC), where the mission is "working together with the Native community to achieve wellness by providing the highest quality health services for all Alaska Natives". Here they focus on the Nuka System, where patients are called "Customer-Owners" (COs) because they are in charge of their own health and are a big part of the decisions made. COs are assigned a whole care team that includes many people working together to ensure that everyone is functioning at the top of their ability. This concept was fascinating to me and seems to make complete sense, and I look forward to researching more about it. On the healthcare side, the whole team works together to support and help their COs in the most efficient way possible. One of these ways is by increasing access by allowing triage phone calls, having provider resources in the building, and wonderful scheduling so appointments can be planned accordingly, allowing COs to save trips for visits. The hospital units and rooms themselves were set up like typical hospitals that I have been in. A difference though was how they focus on using natural light and positioning of the windows. Also having artwork and different pieces of history throughout the hallway from different tribes/villages, which allow COs and their families to feel more at home in this unfamiliar place. As I know, being in the hospital can be nerve-wracking for anyone, but for a population that may be used to the seclusion and nature, being in the largest city in Alaska, and in a hospital none the less, could cause some anxiety. I believe it is my duty to make my future patients feel more comfortable by learning about their culture and not being afraid to ask questions to attempt to make them more comfortable.
Our eye-opening day ended at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where we heard intimate stories of two people's lives, and how their harsh past cause a greater appreciation for life and the world around them. We also got a history/geography lesson of all of the different tribes in Alaska, and how they have evolved over the years. The high respect for nature and being able to take only what is needed is a concept that I think has been lost in today's world. Hearing about how some of their customs are beings lost was heartbreaking, because the quality and thought put into the items made, and their philosophy of life is so beautiful. We were given an interesting view on different communication styles, and how we need to be cognizant of how we are coming across in our words and actions. I believe this to be crucial as we are going to have patients, families, other healthcare provider, and others in both our work and personal life that I will have to communicate with. I was also able to experience a short traditional healing session. It was an experience that I won't forget, and I wish that I could have had more time with her to get more answers. Due to timing, we weren't able to tour the museum side, but I think it will have been well worth it.
I am very grateful to have spent Friday touring around and being informed of current topics. I feel it gave a good introduction into the area I would be spending the next nine days in. It was also interesting to be able to compare the hospital/clinic settings to others that I have spent time in, and how their values and missions are different.