Health
RSSHealth in Alaska is the state's public health system, healthcare delivery and the policies that shape them. It includes Medicaid and Medicare programs, tribal health corporations, rural and behavioral health care, and disease prevention across Alaska communities.
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Frame from "Anchorage Assembly: HHAND Commission Monthly Meeting October 2026" · Photo source
Formerly homeless man tells Anchorage commission hospitals left frostbite patients outside
Jamie Lopez told Anchorage's Housing, Homeless and Neighborhood Development Commission in October that Alaska Regional and Providence hospitals discharged frostbite patients onto the street, with Alaska Regional the worse of the two, based on what he had heard.
"If they didn't have a bed, they just dropped the person and, you know, they're left outside," said Lopez, a formerly homeless East Anchorage resident, describing a man he knows who had three limb amputations.
Alaska's acute frostbite guidelines, which tracked 327 patients hospitalized for frostbite-specific injuries from 2020 through 2024, say discharge decisions should weigh whether a patient has a safe destination and adequate support. Alaska Regional's website says its discharge planning involves case managers and social workers who coordinate community resources.
Lopez said frostbite discharges had not come up when the Health Department described a Nov. 6 online lunch-and-learn on cold-related injuries. He asked officials to ensure patients are not left outside again.
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Stories on what’s next
Anchorage Assembly: State Legislative Program Vote
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Anchorage's wish list for the Legislature asks for tougher drug penalties but makes no specific ask for behavioral health care. Assembly members noticed.
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Alaska Department of Health Proposed Rules Written Comment Deadline
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Certificate of Need Application Comment Period Deadline
PeaceHealth seeks state approval for $7 million robotic surgery project in Ketchikan
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center asked the state to approve a $6.97 million robotic surgery system, funded by a federal grant.
Certificate of Need Program Listening Session
Alaska starts updating the 2005 math behind hospital and clinic expansion approvals
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Latest
Week of Nov 9
Kodiak father asks borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month
A Kodiak father whose son died by suicide asked the borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month. One member said it broke his heart.
by Walter AlaskaNews14h ago2 min read
Alaska proposes new tools to decide who qualifies for two Medicaid disability waivers
Alaska proposed swapping the assessment tool used to decide eligibility for two Medicaid disability waivers. Public comment runs through 5 pm Dec. 21.
by Walter AlaskaNews16h ago2 min read
Aging commission hears Ketchikan seniors Monday on next state senior plan
Alaska Commission on Aging hears from Ketchikan seniors Monday to help shape the state's next four year senior services plan.
by Walter AlaskaNews21h ago2 min read
St. Paul Island tribe gets $1.73 million in federal grants for addiction treatment
The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island got $1.73 million in federal grants for its healing to wellness court and a family substance use prevention program.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3h ago2 min readFrom 
Denali Borough mayor files federal complaint over lost in-person health care in Healy
Healy lost its clinic a year ago. Denali Borough's mayor believes the Fairbanks center that ran it still claims local zip codes and filed a federal complaint.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Medicare proposes rule on how it measures distance for small rural hospitals
Medicare wants to put in writing how it measures the distance between small rural hospitals and their neighbors. It says it's already how things work.
by Alaska News2d ago1 min read
Medicare proposes dropping hospital obstetric rules weeks before they take effect
Medicare wants to scrap rules, due to start Jan. 1, requiring birthing hospitals to train staff and work on maternal health, citing rural unit closures.
by Alaska News2d ago1 min read
About 775 noncitizens lose full Alaska Medicaid, and just over half are children
About 775 refugees, asylees and other noncitizens lost full Alaska Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 under a new federal law. Just over 400 are children.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
More from Health
Fewer Alaskans smoke, but 1 in 4 adults still use tobacco or nicotine, state says
Far fewer Alaska adults smoke than in 1997, but about 1 in 4 still use tobacco or nicotine. The state is pitching its Quit Line before the Nov. 19 Smokeout.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
State says 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would need to prove they meet work rules
About 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would have to send proof they meet new federal work rules to keep their coverage, the state health department estimates.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Week of Nov 2
Valdez schools superintendent warns health insurance could rise 40% in April
Valdez schools' health insurance could jump as much as 40% in April, the superintendent warned, adding about $1.5 million if claims stay high.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
Medicare to pay Alaska hospitals more for outpatient care to cover higher supply costs
Medicare will pay Alaska hospitals more for outpatient care in 2027 to cover pricey shipped-in supplies. Alaska and Hawaii share a projected $66 million bump.
by Alaska News1w ago2 min read
Petersburg hospital sets out to become a state trauma center, a decade-old goal
Petersburg's hospital board voted to chase a state trauma designation that Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Wrangell already have. Staff hope to get it in a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
A Kodiak student's suicide-prevention resolution goes before Alaska's school boards
A Kodiak student's resolution would have every Alaska middle and high school run a student-led mental health or suicide-prevention group. Vote is Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
State asks treatment providers what grant-funded care could be billed to Medicaid
The state wants addiction and mental health providers to say which grant-funded services they could bill to Medicaid instead. It's asking Nov. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readWeek of Oct 26
Alaska workers who retire before 65 face nearly $3,000 a month for family health care
Alaska public workers in the defined contribution plan who retire before 65 will pay up to $2,990 a month for family health coverage in 2027, all of it.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Coming up
Motivational Interviewing for Brief Intervention in Behavioral Health Settings (Session 2)
Virtual
Class
Beyond Blame: Empowering Families in Eating Disorder Treatment with Dr. Jim Lock
Class
Rural Health Transformation Advisory Council Meeting
Meeting
Alaska Commission on Aging Listening Session - Ketchikan
Meeting
Hinge Health 101: Digital Physical Therapy for Pain Relief
Class
About Health
Health in Alaska takes in the state's public health system, its hospitals and clinics, and the programs that pay for care, including Medicaid and Medicare. Tribal health organizations such as Southcentral Foundation deliver care alongside hospitals including the Alaska Native Medical Center, Central Peninsula Hospital and Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.
State epidemiologists track infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, influenza and COVID-19, and recommend vaccines to clinicians. Access to care in rural Alaska is a recurring question: villages without a permanent practice rely on visiting dental and primary care clinics, and federal rural health grants pay for facilities and equipment.
Behavioral health and substance use treatment form another strand, from opioid settlement grants to warnings about overdose. Health also connects to state and federal policy through Medicaid eligibility rules and the cost of health coverage for public workers.
More from Health
Three mpox cases in Anchorage include Alaska's first reported clade I infections
Three mpox cases were confirmed in Anchorage this month, including Alaska's first reported clade I cases. None of the patients reported out-of-state travel.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Bethel tells Bethel Heights water customers to boil water after E. coli test
About 2,200 Bethel residents on the Bethel Heights piped water system should boil their water after a sample tested positive for E. coli, the city said.
by Alaska News2w ago1 min read
Lake and Peninsula villages get visiting dental and primary care clinics this week
Southcentral Foundation is holding a dental clinic in Kokhanok and primary care clinics in Newhalen and Iliamna this week, through Friday, Oct. 30.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Fort Yukon says manganese and iron have made its water brown and unsafe for infants
Fort Yukon told the state manganese and iron have turned its water brown and unsafe for infants for over a month. Tanana Chiefs sent 24 cases of bottled water.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 19
JBER opens a self-referral menopause clinic the Air Force calls a first
JBER opened a clinic women can refer themselves to for perimenopause and menopause care. The Air Force calls it the first of its kind in the service.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Ketchikan mayor asks PeaceHealth to account for summer crowds in ER remodel
Ketchikan's mayor asked PeaceHealth to mind cruise season in its ER remodel. Nearly a third of summer Priority Care clinic patients had outside addresses.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Mat-Su sets aside $704,763 for opioid settlement grants, two-thirds of its total
Mat-Su has collected $1.06 million in opioid settlement money and spent $89,461. Now it will offer local groups $704,763, up to $75,000 apiece.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min readFrom 
Ketchikan resident urges hospital committee to back a PeaceHealth-paid ombudsperson
A Ketchikan resident wants a PeaceHealth-paid patient ombudsperson. Another said with low turnout, the town gets the hospital care it didn't vote for.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska trains addiction providers on new treatment guidelines it plans to adopt
Alaska's behavioral health rules have cited 2013 addiction care guidelines. The state is training providers on the 2023 update, including on Nov. 12.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska will train providers in November to screen for risky substance use
Alaska will train providers in November to screen for risky substance use and talk people toward change. The state logged 339 overdose deaths in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Southcentral Foundation to host Typhoon Halong survivor gathering in Chugiak Saturday
Southcentral Foundation hosts a wellness gathering Saturday in Chugiak for Typhoon Halong survivors, with food, crafts and a steam bath.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Federal money would put portable X-ray units in Northwest Arctic village clinics
Maniilaq Association is set to get $218,964 to put portable X-ray units in Northwest Arctic village clinics, aiming to cut patient flights out for imaging.
by Alaska News3w ago3 min read
Alaska, last in medical residency slots, plans $6.4 million for doctor training
Alaska ranks last among states in slots for training new doctors. The state is steering about $6.4 million in federal rural health money to residencies.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Willow Commons stays full in its first six months, health department says
Willow Commons' 32 units have stayed full since March, and 27 of 58 residents finished treatment. The city's startup money for the operator ran out in July.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Central Peninsula Hospital gets OK for an ear, nose and throat clinic in Soldotna
Central Peninsula Hospital plans an ear, nose and throat clinic, likely in 2027. A doctor warned that once the area's ENT retires, it's Anchorage or bust.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom 
Alaska faces $45 million SNAP bill unless error rate drops below 6%, commissioner says
Alaska's health commissioner says the state has until year's end to cut its SNAP error rate from 20% to under 6%, or the next governor gets a $45 million bill.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
State seeks help preventing falls that killed 74 older Alaskans in 2025
Falls led to 74 deaths among older Alaskans last year, the state says. It's now recruiting seniors, caregivers and clinics into a free prevention group.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 12
Diabetes program funding 22 Alaska tribal health groups faces a Dec. 31 deadline
A federal diabetes program pays for prevention and treatment at 22 Alaska tribal health organizations. Its authorization ends Dec. 31 unless Congress acts.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom 
Whooping cough shots cut young kids’ odds of getting sick by 96%, state says
During Alaska's record whooping cough outbreak, young kids with at least three shots were about 96% less likely to get a confirmed case, a state study found.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Alaska sets final rules for $75 million in rural health grants, due Oct. 28
Alaska has $75 million in rural health grants to hand out this fall. Last round, applicants asked for about nine times what was available. Due Oct. 28.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
AlaskaCare retirees can ask the state about dental, vision coverage Thursday
AlaskaCare retirees get a call with the state Thursday on their dental, vision and hearing plan. They pay the full premium, and it went up in January.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Premera would save Homer money over Moda next year but raise employees' copays
Homer can pay Moda about $197,000 more in 2027 or switch to cheaper Premera plans with higher copays. Its broker says Premera may be "buying the business."
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska has $27 million to get PFAS and other contaminants out of drinking water
Alaska has $27 million in federal money to get PFAS out of drinking water. Most of the projects lined up for it are about a different problem: manganese.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska leads the nation in TB, and its immunization system will stop tracking TB tests
VacTrAK will stop tracking TB tests in 2027. Alaska has the nation's highest TB rate, and most of last year's cases were in Southwest Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago5 min read
