Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $460K for teen health, senior services

About $460,000 for teen pregnancy prevention, senior navigation services, and on-site case management at two public housing complexes is before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday, contingent on approval of three health department appropriations.

The funding would reach teens and young adults across Anchorage, elderly and disabled residents municipality-wide, and residents of Chugach View and Chugach Manor, two Alaska Housing Finance Corporation complexes serving seniors and people with disabilities.

The largest appropriation, $213,681, funds the Aging and Disability Resource Center through June 30, 2027, via a prepaid state grant. The ADRC helps elderly and disabled residents navigate Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care options. The grant requires a $21,368 in-kind match from Anchorage Health Department staff salaries. A second measure appropriates $146,192 from AHFC as a reimbursable grant to place an ADRC specialist at Chugach View and Chugach Manor.

A third resolution appropriates $100,000 from the Alaska Department of Health as a quarterly reimbursable grant to continue the Teen and Unintended Pregnancy Prevention program through June 30, 2027, using the evidence-based HEART curriculum. The program provides health education to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy, connects participants to reproductive health services, and covers STI and HIV prevention, healthy relationships, interpersonal violence, and online safety.

All three resolutions were submitted at the request of Mayor Suzanne LaFrance and approved by Health Department Director Kimberly Rash. Each takes effect immediately upon Assembly approval.