HEALTH DEPARTMENT

ADMINISTRATION- Direct oversight from the APIA Board Health Committee, which provides full oversight of programs, budgets, compliance, evaluation of programs and services, development of current and long-term strategic planning, and board representation on the Alaska Native Health Board, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and various other health service boards and committees. The Committee reviews all consumer relations concerns.

MEDICAL BILLING SERVICES- Seeks to maximize collection of alternate revenues available to fund health programs; including private insurances, private payers (non-Indian Health Service beneficiaries), Medicaid, Denali Kid Care, and Medicare.  The Indian Health Service is the payer of last resort and APIA must collect from alternative payers first before using Indian Health Services funds for service.

REGIONAL HEALTH CLINICS DIVISION- Assures quality primary health care and specialty clinic (dental, optometry, diabetes, etc.) visits to the sub-regional health centers, St. Paul Health Center (SPHC) and Oonalaska Wellness Center (OWC) Unalaska, and Community Health Aide/Practitioner (CHA/P) health clinics in Atka, Nikolski, and St. George.  APIA contracts with King Cove Clinic to provide primary care services to the Belkofski Tribal members. Dental care is contracted to Atka and Nikolski through Illiluk Family Health Services and South Central Foundation provides dental care to SPHC, St. George and OWC.  SPHC has also expanded services to include Non-Native beneficiaries on a sliding fee basis; services have been expanded to include oral health for the community of St. Paul. Home monitoring and case management has also been implemented in the communities of St. Paul and Unalaska for Chronic care patients.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE (EMS) PROGRAMS- Provides quality emergency health care training to Community Health Aides (CHAs), Community Health Practitioners (CHPs) and local EMT squads. The EMS Program serves to decrease loss of life due to accidents, injury, or life-threatening emergencies through on-going training opportunities provided to CHA’s and EMS Volunteers in each APIA village.

COMMUNITY WELLNESS PROGRAM- Empowering communities to take responsibility for their lives through self-reliance, self determination, community development, and integrity of the Aleut culture.  The programs build on existing successful services & resources within the communities and supports community based programs to strengthen their ability to positively develop solutions that will work.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAMS- Promotes comprehensive substance abuse/mental health service including outpatient treatment, aftercare, outreach and prevention services including an integrated approach to meeting the needs of the clients and communities.  Court ordered alcohol screenings and referrals available.

PATIENT ADVOCATE PROGRAM- Provides APIA beneficiaries confined in a health care facility visitation and advocacy and/or referral services that ensures their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are being met.  Assist with patients by facilitating care at SCF/ANMC and emergency assistance for beneficiaries traveling to Anchorage. 

COMMUNITY WELLNESS ADVOCATE (CWA) PROGRAM- Provides community based health care outreach and advocacy to the residents of the communities Atka, Nikolski, St. George, St. Paul, and Unalaska.  This program offers assistance to, but is not limited to Medicaid/Medicare, WIC, Elders Program, Denali Kid Care, health promotion/disease prevention, tobacco prevention and health fairs. 

HEALTH FAIRS & RED RIBBON WEEK- Encouraging communities to maintain healthy lifestyles through health fairs annually in every community; provides basic screening and testing. Promotes drug free lifestyles through a collaborative annual event with community partnerships during Red Ribbon week. 

LOCAL & REGIONAL WELLNESS GATHERINGS- Support local and tribal efforts to promote health and wellness within the region. Coordinate and facilitate nationally renowned tribal leaders to empower communities to regain healthy ways of living. 

SPECIAL DIABETES PROGRAM (SDPI)- Focuses on prevention of diabetes and on improving the treatment of individuals with diabetes.  Our program includes providing and sponsoring education in schools and in community settings, providing training for medical and behavioral health staff and increasing opportunities for physical activity.  Life style changes are effective for delaying the onset of diabetes and for preventing complications of diabetes - kidney disease, eye disease, heart disease.

TOBACCO PREVENTION & CONTROL INIATIVE PROGRAM- Provides interventions to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) encouraging smoke free establishments in public areas, and in the home, in efforts to reduce tobacco related morbidity and mortality.  Provides community education about health risks for nonsmoking adults and for children caused by smoking in the home; increase the awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use among youth. 

THE WIC PROGRAM- Provides nutrition education and supplemental foods to eligible women, infants and children under 5 years of age.  Participants receive milk, cheese, eggs, juice, cereal and peanut butter and they receive nutrition newsletters with tips for keeping the family healthy.  The Nutrition Coordinator also provides individual nutrition guidance on the telephone or in the local village clinics.

ELDERS PROGRAMS:

Food Box Program- Promotes nutrition awareness and encourages eating healthy foods by supplementing elders’ diets with foods low in fat and sodium and high in fiber.  Food boxes, containing 12 meals that meet 1/3 of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) are shipped monthly to eligible Alaska Native/American Indian Elders age 60 years and older residing in the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands region, also provides information and referral services.

Consumer Directed Personal Care Attendant Program (CDPCA)- Provides Medicaid eligible patients personal care services to the elderly and disabled allowing them to stay in their community instead of going to a nursing home or extended care facility (depending on their level of need) by assisting with Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). 

Respite Program- Provides respite services through a grant from the Administration on Aging (AOA), Family Caregiver Program and does not require elders to be Medicaid-eligible.  The purpose of the respite program is to give family members and other caregivers some free time and temporarily relieve the stress they may experience while providing care for a frail or disabled elderly family member or friend. The elder must be currently receiving help with activities of daily living from an unpaid caregiver in order to qualify for the program

Elder Potlucks & Tea Parties- Elder potlucks and tea parties are provided monthly as an opportunity for elders to connect with each other and access resources available to them through their local clinic and other APIA services provided both in the region and Anchorage area.

Aleut Elders Task Force (ETF)- An Aleut Elders task force was created in early 2005 as a collaborative effort by the following three organizations: Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association Inc., Aleutian Housing Authority, and Eastern Aleutian Tribes. The purpose of the task force is to do an inventory/assessment of services, address the social behavioral, medical, and housing needs of Aleut elders within the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands and Anchorage/Mat-Su area. The task force formally adopted its official name as the Unanagam Ludaagingin Task Force. The vision on the ETF is to implement “Community-based, comprehensive elder care and end-of-life services available in every region community."