The Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center (CAIHC) is facing workforce shortages due to the rise in COVID-19 cases which has caused strain on services. Over the last two weeks Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), who owns and operates the clinic, has seen an increase in employees becoming infected or exposed to COVID-19, requiring staff to self-isolate until they are able to return to the workplace safely.
“Our healthcare staff have been working around the clock to reach out to our patients to reschedule appointments,” says Jacoline Bergstrom, Executive Director of Health Services, “It’s difficult to keep up with because it seems like more staff are either testing positive or are exposed each day and we’re not expecting it to slow down for another 3-4 weeks.”
Earlier this month, TCC began shifting many services to telehealth and adjusted staffing schedules to allow employees to work from home or in shift schedules to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.
“Despite taking swift action to mitigate infection in the workplace, many employees have spouses or children who pose a risk of exposing them to the virus at home,” explained Bergstrom, “Our goal is to keep our services operational while ensuring the health and safety of both our staff and patients.”
TCC is asking the public to be kind and patient with staff as they try to reschedule appointments or move services to telehealth appointments. We are also encouraging continued masking, social distancing and getting the COVID-19 vaccine or booster to slow the spread of infection in the community.