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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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jul 27
Free two-day medical, dental and vision clinic set for Sullivan Arena in September
Remote Area Medical runs a free two-day clinic Sept. 19-20 at Sullivan Arena offering dental, vision and medical care with no ID or insurance required.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kodiak hospital pauses reverse osmosis, steam generator design
Kodiak hospital paused design work on a reverse osmosis system after discovering it may not work with existing sterilization equipment, with a facility evaluation set for August 3.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Medicaid narrows where trainee therapists can bill
Alaska Medicaid says trainee therapists can only bill from inside a community behavioral health clinic, a clarification of a rule that wasn't there in June.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
In Tyonek, one health aide holds the village's care together
Robert Stephan is the only health aide in Tyonek, a boat-or-plane village where the doctor visits every two months. Now he's headed to PA school.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan's hospital, its own residents can't get answers
Ketchikan's hospital is losing money it won't fully document and renovating an ER whose bed count its own administrator can't name — while patients wait in hallways.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Week of Jul 20
Measles turns up in Anchorage wastewater
Measles RNA showed up four times in Anchorage wastewater this month. No case has been confirmed, and clinicians are told to isolate suspected patients on sight.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Rural birth and nursing bills clear a Senate panel
A Senate panel advanced rural nursing and obstetrics bills — the kind that matter in a state where women fly to Anchorage a month before giving birth.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska sends kids Outside for care. A Wasilla project targets that.
Alaska sends children thousands of miles away for behavioral health care. A Wasilla proposal would build the kind of local services that could keep them home.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
More from Health
Federal government to pay ANTHC $463 million over unpaid health costs
The federal government will pay ANTHC $463 million it owed for years — money the tribal health system had been covering itself across rural Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska veterans fly to Seattle for cancer care. The Senate is arguing over why.
Alaska has more veterans per capita than any state and no VA cancer center. A Senate fight over precision oncology money decides who gets care close to home.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska corrects fiscal year 2027 waiver rate chart as 3.2% Medicaid increase takes effect
Alaska corrected a rate chart for Medicaid home and community services after finding an error, but the underlying 3.2% payment increase that took effect July 1 remains unchanged.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Four TCC employees selected for ANTHC leadership programs
Four Tanana Chiefs Conference employees selected for competitive nine-month leadership programs run by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to develop skills across tribal healthcare.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
PRC benefits cover hearing aids, vision care, and travel for eligible Noatak residents
Noatak residents can use Purchased/Referred Care to cover hearing aids and vision care, plus travel help for specialty referrals. • Must get prior authorization and submit bills quickly to avoid delays or uncovered costs.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 13
TCC seeks contractor for new Rampart health clinic, proposals due August 21
Tanana Chiefs Conference is seeking a general contractor to build a new health clinic in Rampart, with proposals due August 21 and construction expected to finish by the end of 2027.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska's senators voted to let a Medicare AI pilot keep running
Alaska's senators voted last week to let an AI-driven Medicare prior-authorization pilot keep running, and backed a defense bill that stalled anyway.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Murkowski bill targets Alaska's rural health shortage with immigrant credential grants
Sen. Murkowski introduced a bill to fund grants helping internationally trained health professionals already in the U.S. get licensed and work in Alaska's rural clinics and hospitals.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 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
IHS picks Sitka and Bethel tribal health groups for first-ever elder care construction program
Indian Health Service picked Sitka and Bethel tribal health groups to build and expand skilled nursing facilities, the first time the federal program has funded long-term elder care in Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Federal grant would re-launch Alaska Native elder resource center; deadline July 27
The federal Administration on Aging is offering $215,000 annually for three years to re-establish a resource center for Alaska Native elders, with applications due July 27.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ANTHC skilled nursing facility moves into finish phases ahead of January 2027 opening
ANTHC's 80-bed skilled nursing facility in Anchorage now opens January 2027, pushing back from summer 2026, as the $69 million building enters interior and exterior finish work.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cyclospora cases nationally up sixfold; Alaska Department of Health urges produce washing
Cyclospora cases nationwide have jumped sixfold since May, and Alaska has recorded five cases this year; the CDC urges thorough washing of fresh produce under running water.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaskans can call 988, but in many places no team can respond
Alaskans in crisis can reach the 988 line, but many communities have no local team to respond. The state's new answer, for now, is a training network.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska's worst-ever syphilis outbreak is now reaching newborns
Alaska is in its worst syphilis outbreak ever, up twentyfold since 2016 — and it's now reaching babies. A record 14 newborns were born with it in 2025, though it's preventable with prenatal testing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs $528,000 for addiction, homelessness, and disability care
Anchorage is set to accept ~$528,000 in grants for opioid treatment, homeless outreach, and disability services — the last one patching three years of state funding cuts.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska child vaccination rate at 55%, well below national average
New state data shows 55% of Alaska toddlers have finished the recommended vaccine series and kindergarten measles coverage is 77% — below national averages and the herd-immunity threshold.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
At a remote Interior camp, sobriety is celebrated the Athabascan way
Old Minto, a remote Interior camp that roots addiction recovery in Athabascan tradition, holds its Annual Sobriety Potlatch July 23 — celebrating sobriety the way the culture always has.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska home and health care providers accused of Medicaid fraud
Alaska's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit charged 15 defendants in five cases across Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, alleging about 1.83 million dollars in fraudulent home and health care billing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska nudges up what it pays to house low-income seniors
Alaska bumped up what it pays to house low-income seniors by 3.5%, to $113 a day. Trouble is, assisted living here runs about $10,000 a month, and costs are rising faster.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $460K for teen health, senior services
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $460,000 in state grants for teen pregnancy prevention, senior navigation services, and case management at two public housing complexes.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 29
Kodiak Borough declines federal interest notice, leaving health center next steps unresolved
Kodiak Borough rejected a federal interest notice for the health center's capital project, leaving its funding path uncertain.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly set to vote on $360K for senior and disability services
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $360,000 in state grants to sustain the Aging and Disability Resource Center through next June.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska updates Medicaid pay — providers say it's still too low
Alaska's annual Medicaid rate update is here, and hospitals and tribal clinics say it still doesn't cover the real cost of care — a chronic squeeze on rural and Native health services.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new federal water-testing rule could check rural Alaska for 'forever chemicals' — if it reaches us
An EPA rule would test drinking water for 30 contaminants, including the PFAS Alaska already has in its water. The catch: whether it reaches the state's small, rural systems.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Alaska nudges up what it pays to keep seniors out of nursing homes
Alaska bumped its assisted-living reimbursement rate 3.5% — small money for a program built on a big bet: home care is cheaper than the nursing home alternative.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska's Medicaid self-audit deadline lands amid a fraud crackdown
Alaska is telling Medicaid providers to audit their own billing and repay overpayments — weeks after charging 15 people with about $1.83M in Medicaid fraud.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Veterinary care reaches rural Alaska, where dog-bite rates run high
Veterinary care is coming to about 80 rural Alaska tribal communities July 1, where Alaska Native children are hospitalized for dog bites at about twice the U.S. rate.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Petersburg's hospital more than doubled its cash reserves in three years
While rural hospitals nationwide struggle, Petersburg's has more than doubled its cash cushion in three years, to 133 days on hand, on tighter billing and better management.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Petersburg residents can finally get an MRI without leaving the island
Petersburg just got its first MRI, so island residents no longer have to travel off-island for a scan. A July 14 open house lets people tour the new suite.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 22
Three new Community Health Aides head to Interior Alaska villages
Tanana Chiefs Conference recognized three new Community Health Aides for Tetlin, Dot Lake, and the Upper Tanana — often the closest thing to a doctor for miles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A New Law Aims to Bring Alaska's Most Complex Patients Home
Alaska just created a new kind of care home so its most complex patients aren't shipped out of state — though for now it's a license on paper, waiting on federal Medicaid sign-off.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Just Graded Its ERs on Treating Kids
Alaska measured how ready its ERs are to treat critically ill kids and sent each hospital a private list of its gaps — now comes the harder part: fixing them.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
