State of Alaska vs Food Security in Rural Alaska

Food security for the Interior villages has been unstable given both the COVID-19 pandemic and the record low salmon runs which has limited the ability for tribal members to store enough food for the winter. Several tribes requested assistance from the State and Federal managers to provide emergency hunts. The State of Alaska denied the requests. The Federal Subsistence Board …

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Preventing Suicide through Family Togetherness

Family Time is essential for our youth’s mental health and wellness. Consistent family time can help youth feel important and loved. By spending time together, youth can build confidence, increase communication, and build trust. Through the establishment and nurtured relationships, a safe space is developed.  Forming these bonds can be a great method for identifying signs and symptoms of suicide. …

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Oil & Gas Exploration Threatens Gwich’in Way of Life

Lizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit translates to ‘The Sacred Place Where Life Begins’, which is what the Gwich’in people call the Coastal Plain of the 19.3 million acre land known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The land was named this because it is the birthing, calving and post-calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd – a herd that the …

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Volunteers Protecting Our Healthcare Workers

Once the threat of COVID-19 reached the United States, a nationwide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortage begin. In an effort to ensure that providers at the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center were able to safely treat patients, TCC began producing PPE – particularly face masks – in house. The effort was mainly comprised of TCC employees whose regular work had …

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Willow House Re-Opens to First Guests

“It’s good to be home,” says Heather Matumeak, Willow House Front Desk Receptionist, who has been working at Bertha Moses Patient Hostel during renovations.After six months of planning and construction, the Willow House opened their doors to house the first five guests in the newly renovated Willow House patient hostel. All guest rooms have new paint, flooring, light fixtures, exhaust …

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