Public Health in AK
Day 6, Wednesday
This morning, we started our day by going to the homeless shelter in Anchorage, Beans Café. There was a group A strep going around the homeless population. About a month ago, the state health department screened for this and treated those who were positive with a high dose one-time antibiotic. They needed to screen again and see if the treatment worked and if it was continuing to spread, so Jadyn and I interviewed people and saw they were able to be swabbed to be tested.
This was a great experience because I have worked with the underserved population at the CHUM homeless shelter in Duluth, so I found it interesting to see this population and have the chance to interact with them. I met many people of different cultures and of all walks of life. I couldn’t believe how fast the health department took action to reverse this problem, especially in such an underserved population. This was really awesome to see and take part in.
After this, we had some time before the Muni opened, so Jadyn and I explored around downtown Anchorage again. We met so many people from Minnesota over the last few days! We bought some souvenirs, stopped at a local coffee shop, and walked around. The weather here is pretty close to how it feels in Duluth.
Later, we went to the Muni again. This time, I was on the Disease Control and Prevention side and observed the nurse in the immunization section. This was interesting because I was able to meet families from Somalia, Samoa, China, and some from Alaska. The state of Alaska, through public health, gives anyone who needs vaccinations their shots. They try to bill insurance as much as possible, but many people do not have any insurance. They are still able to get their required immunizations, even their flu shots!
Day 7, Thursday
This day, we went to the Muni for our last day of clinical. Tuberculosis (TB) is rampant in the state of Alaska, so public health goes to a lot of lengths to prevent and treat this horrible disease. Many of those who are infected or have the active disease are immigrants, come from the villages, or are homeless. There is a “direct observational therapy” (DOT) system that is used to make sure these people with active TB are finishing the antibiotic regimens to get rid of it and prevent more strains of resistant microbes.
I was able to follow a DOT aide, who drives and brings people their medication every day. Many of the people are hard to find, especially if they are immigrants, afraid of being reported, or are homeless. The state even houses some of the homeless with active TB to prevent the spread and hopefully be able to know where they are at so they are able to take their medicine. We learned so much about TB with our time at the Muni, which is great because we really don’t have much of it in Minnesota.
The DOT aide, named Numi, was really great to meet! We talked a lot about fishing and camping. He even offered to give me some of his own canned salmon when I come back, hopefully soon!
After our day at the Muni, we picked up Robbi and Maria from the Alaska Native Medical Center and went to a few shops downtown. We also ate at the Glacier Brewhouse and enjoyed some more seafood chowder. I tried some Alaskan Rockfish, which was delicious! Tonight, we are relaxing and waiting for some of the others to return from Bethel and Good News Bay from their clinical experiences. Tomorrow, we are going to explore more of Anchorage!