Welcome to Anaktuvuk! An Inupiaq Eskimo village in the heart of the Brooks Mountain Range, well north of the arctic circle and only 250 miles south of the Arctic Ocean. The village is home to approximately 250 Alaskan Natives, some of the only descendants of the Nunamiut people. The village is only accessible by airplane and no roads lead in or out of Anaktuvuk Pass. This is one of many places I have the opportunity to work and visit while I complete my Senior Capstone project at the Fairbanks Regional Public Health Center.
For the past five weeks I have been living in Fairbanks, Alaska. It is the second largest city (35,000 people) in all of Alaska, and furthest north on the road system. The public health center, staffed by approximately 30 public health nurses is responsible for the vast Interior of Alaska. While most people in the Interior (100,000 people) live outside of Fairbanks, some live in villages only accessible by river or air. As I work primarily in Fairbanks, I will travel throughout the villages to get a better sense of the unique strengths and needs that accompany village life.
So far, I've spent two days in Anaktuvuk Pass. It is the end of September and snow is already falling. Temperatures warm up to about 20 above in daytime and falling to about 5 above at night. An itinerant nurse from Fairbanks and I are responsible for bringing immunizations and TB skin tests for all school children as well as the seasonal flu vaccine for the entire village (from 6mo old infants to village elders). While we are here we will also see children for well-child exams, write referrals for children to fly into town (Fairbanks) to see Pediatricians, Dentists, Ophthalmologists, and any other appropriate specialists. We will also provide STD screenings, pregnancy testing, family planning, and other important public health services.
Villages have no permanent physicians, physician assistants or nurses. Each village employs one or two Community Health Aides (CHA). They have 16 weeks of formal training and anywhere from months to decades of practical experience. They are a dependable and trusted source of health care (the only health care) amongst their people. For most client visits, the CHA functions independently, otherwise she consults a physician by phone. Life and certainly health care look much different out here.
We take health care for granted on the mainland. There are clinics, hospitals, pvt. offices in most communities or in adjacent communities for most folks living in cities. Access may be limited of course by insurance or transportation but most folks in cities know where the care is and that "availability" is consistent. What a unique and awesome opportunity to go into these communities and provide them the care that they need.
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