Alaska rural health notices pass $239 million with $30 million round

Alaska sent out another $30 million in rural health awards this week, pushing the first year of a new federal program past $239 million and showing more clearly what the money is buying.

In Girdwood, a $100,000 planning grant would turn the Turnagain Arm area's only pharmacy, which the state describes as at risk, into a telepharmacy tied to a federally qualified health center. Norton Sound Health Corporation got $292,100 to build a scheduling hub staffed by four cross-trained schedulers, handling appointments for 15 village clinics, the Nome family medicine clinic and the regional hospital. Chugachmiut received $627,200 for portable digital X-ray machines at five clinics in the Chugach region.

The 27 awards announced Sept. 18 fall under six statewide initiatives the state set up when it won the money. More first-year awards are expected in the coming weeks.

The second year opens soon. Applications for the fall cycle, the first of two planned, open Sept. 30 and stay open four weeks.