May 2, 2024
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager听听
Phone: 907-443-9674
rlean@nshcorp.org听

Nome, Alaska 鈥� On May 2, 澳门六合彩网址 will begin operating ambulance services in Nome.听

In January 2024, the City of Nome Common Council voted to relinquish its community ambulance service program to 澳门六合彩网址. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, fter much negotiating on the terms of the transfer of services, 澳门六合彩网址 will begin its 24-hour coverage of the service using the ambulance vehicles on lend from the city.听

澳门六合彩网址 has purchased one ambulance that will arrive in Nome with the first barge of the season. 澳门六合彩网址 is in the process of buying a second vehicle.听

The City of Nome will continue to operate the 911 dispatch calls for ambulance needs. The service will be fully staffed by trained emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Staff will be stationed in-house and ready to respond.听

In 1980, 澳门六合彩网址 established the Nome Volunteer Ambulance Service (NVAS). In 1987, the NVAS became a separate non-profit entity, and in 1996, the City of Nome absorbed it, and NVAS became the Nome Volunteer Ambulance Department (NVAD).听

澳门六合彩网址 honors the ambulance service’s long roots in volunteerism and its history of heroism, serving the residents of Nome and the region. For over four decades of service, the many volunteers have poured their efforts into ensuring that patients in need receive a professional and compassionate response.听

澳门六合彩网址 looks forward to picking up the torch of compassionate response and carrying it forward.听

For emergency medical needs, continue to dial 911.听

March 20, 2024
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager
Phone: 907-443-9674
rlean@nshcorp.org

Nome, Alaska 鈥� A lifesaving nasal spray that can put a halt to an opioid overdose is now available in Nome at the touch of a few buttons.

澳门六合彩网址 has installed a dispensing machine inside the 24-hour lobby of the Patient Hostel that will provide naloxone for free. With 22 compartments, the machine operates like a digital locker system. After a few prompts on the machine鈥檚 display, a locker door will pop open, allowing the machine鈥檚 user to take a box containing two doses of naloxone.

“We hope that this machine will save lives in our region, or at least help better prepare people for an overdose,” said Hannah Schnaidt, project director of the Substance Abuse Prevention Treatment and Aftercare (SAPTA) grant with 澳门六合彩网址 Behavioral Health Services.

Also known by its commercial name Narcan, naloxone is a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose.

“Our goal is to make this readily accessible, so that in the case of an emergency, we do not have a loss of life,” said Megan Mackiernan, PA, 澳门六合彩网址’s chief quality officer. “Over the last several years, opioid overdose deaths have nearly tripled in Alaska. Knowing that deaths can possibly be prevented by an easy-to-use nasal spray, we feel that anyone who thinks they may need to use it should have it.”

The dispensing machine was purchased with SAPTA grant funding and was shipped to Nome using funding in part from tribal opioid settlements from opioid distributors. The settlements from the litigation require the tribal health organizations to use the funds for the abatement of the opioid epidemic and prevention of further opioid use. The same settlements are providing units of naloxone to 澳门六合彩网址.

Located adjacent to the front desk at the hostel, the dispensing machine will ask users if they are experiencing an emergency or not. If the user tells the machine they are in an emergency, it will pop open a door and immediately begin playing a video demonstration of how to use the naloxone. If the user is not in an emergency and wants to keep the naloxone on hand for potential future use, the digital prompts will take them through a series of data collection questions to support the SAPTA grant efforts.

澳门六合彩网址 chose the Patient Hostel for the location of the machine for its 24-hour convenience and because of dispensing restriction regulations at the hospital. Naloxone is also available at the 澳门六合彩网址 Pharmacy, where patients can ask for a prescription directly from a pharmacist.

When a person is overdosing from opioids, including drugs like heroin, fentanyl, and certain types of prescription pain relievers, their breathing can become dangerously slow or even stop. Someone who witnesses an overdose can help put a stop to it by first calling 911 and then administering naloxone. Medical experts recommend the person experiencing the overdose should be laid on their side to prevent choking and supervised until emergency responders arrive.

Naloxone will have no harm or effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system. It should be stored at room temperature and never frozen. The drug is a temporary treatment, and more than one dose may be needed in some overdose cases.

澳门六合彩网址 Behavioral Health Services provides substance use counseling. To make an appointment, call 907-443-3344 during business hours, or after hours, request urgent help by calling the Provider Care Line at 907-443-6411 or toll-free at 844-586-8773, and ask to speak to a Behavioral Health Services professional.

If you are in crisis, you can call or text 988 to speak with a crisis counselor.

Take part in a naloxone and opioid learning opportunity at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 22 at the Norton Sound Regional Hospital 3^rd floor conference room (306). Healthcare officials will share information about the machine, opioids, overdose, and how to use naloxone. The learning opportunity will be followed by a ribbon cutting of the machine at the Patient Hostel.

Peer Counselors are trained in breastfeeding support and education. They want to share their passion for breastfeeding with you! They provide individualized support by phone, email, and text and are available for WIC enrolled families who are expecting or currently breastfeeding.

Meet our Counselors

Anna Ashenfelter

My name is Anna Ashenfelter, I am born and raised in Nome, with family roots in White Mountain, Alaska. I鈥檓 happily married, and have one son. With my husband鈥檚 support I鈥檝e been successfully and exclusively breastfeeding our son since he was born, going on 2 and a half years. The 澳门六合彩网址 lactation consultants helped us to overcome breastfeeding challenges in the beginning because our son was born a little early. My goal is to help families make the best decisions to nourish their growing families by providing support and education.

Renee Brown

Hi, my name is Renee Brown, I鈥檓 from White Mountain. My hometown is Golovin. I鈥檝e just completed the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor training in December of 2023. I come from a family that successfully has been breastfeeding for a couple generations and hope to help anyone that needs help becoming successful breastfeeding mom also.

Questions? Call WIC at (907) 443-3299.

If you are ready to enroll, please visit this link:

November 6-9, 8-11 a.m., 澳门六合彩网址 Lab on the 2nd floor – please complete labs order form听beforehand

For packages that require FASTING labs, please do not eat or drink 10-12 hours prior to scheduled blood work.

Lab Packages:

• BASIC Package (Lipids, A1C, HIV, Hep C, IFOB 鈥� Colon CA (Stool), STI (Urine) 鈥� At NO cost (FASTING REQUIRED)
• PLUS Package (BASIC + CBC + CMP + VITAMIN D) – $50 (FASTING REQUIRED)
• PREMIUM Package (PLUS + TSH + VITAMIN B12) – $100 (FASTING REQUIRED)

Allergy:

• Food – $100
• Environmental – $100

Individual Tests:

• Lipids – $25 (FASTING REQUIRED)
• A1C – $25
• CBC – $25
• CMP – $25 (FASTING REQUIRED)
• Vitamin D – $25
• Vitamin B12 – $25
• PSA – $25 (50-70 men Only)
• TSH – $25
• Hep C 鈥� no cost
• HIV 鈥� no cost
• IFOB 鈥� Colon Cancer 鈥� no cost
• STI 鈥� Chlamydia/Gonorrhea 鈥� no cost

For flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, visit the 澳门六合彩网址 Pharmacy during their operating hours:

Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.,

Wednesdays: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Save the date for our Nome Health Fair on January 25, 2024 at the Nome Recreation Center. Low Cost labs and vaccinations will also be available at this event.

Do you live in a regional village? Keep an eye out for upcoming Health Fairs headed your way!

When you complete the survey, you can receive a $5 gift card.

Go to the survey .

Map Worksheet and Walking Challenge

The 2023 Salmon on Parade map route in Nome is here! And so is a regional walking challenge! You will see in the Map Worksheet below that all of the salmon can be viewed on a simple route that follows Front Street to Bering Street to Greg Kruschek Avenue. Copies of the Map Worksheet will be available in the ground floor lobby of the hospital, as well as a drop box to submit completed copies. Meanwhile, those who are unable to participate in Nome鈥檚 Salmon on Parade route can take part in a Walking Challenge.

Nome鈥檚 Salmon on Parade Map Worksheet:

1. Pick up a copy from the ground floor of the hospital
2. Complete the worksheet and turn it back in to the dropbox at the hospital
3. There will be a weekly prize drawing throughout the month of August for those who complete the map worksheet
4. At the end of the month, all participants will be entered to win one 60,000-mileage Alaska Airlines ticket

Regional Walking Challenge

1. Pick up a copy of the form from your local clinic or print one off from the website
2. Complete the challenge and collect a signature from a witness
3. Fill out the form and email it to pr@nshcorp.org
4. At the end of August, all participants will be entered to win one 60,000-mileage Alaska Airlines ticket

To be eligible for the mileage ticket in both challenges, participants must be regional residents. Participants must choose one challenge to participate in and may not enter both.

High cell counts of the harmful algae species Alexandrium catenella continue to be detected in the Bering Strait region by equipment onboard the research vessel SIKULIAQ (see below).
鈥� LOCATIONS OF CONCERN / CELL COUNTS:
o 29-July: approximately 75 nautical miles NNE of Savoonga (47,000 cells per liter of seawater)
o 28-July: 13 nautical miles southwest of Wales (6,000 cells per liter of seawater)
o 28-July: 4 nautical miles east of Diomede (7,000 cells per liter of seawater)
o See Figure 1 for a map of the locations.
鈥� PSA HAB ADVISORIES for this event have been distribute since 28-July-2023

Monitoring efforts aboard the UAF-operated research vessel SIKULIAQ identified high concentrations of harmful algae called Alexandrium catenella in the Bering Strait. As the ship traveled east towards Nome, fewer Alexandrium catenella cells were detected. The algal species Alexandrium species is known to produce a suite of biotoxins called saxitoxins that can cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. The cell concentrations of Alexandrium algae detected for various locations between July 28 鈥� 29, 2023 are identified in the map below.

A concentration of 1,000 cells of Alexandrium catenella per liter of seawater is considered dangerous and high enough to trigger a public advisory for nearby coastal communities to be cautious when consuming marine wildlife resources, such as: clams, crabs, tunicates, etc. as well as the organs of marine mammals and seabirds.

Marine wildlife that consumed the Alexandrium algae directly or that obtained the toxin through eating prey that recently ate Alexandrium algae (ex. Walrus eating an affected clam) may contain a high concentration of saxitoxin that could affect animal and human health. Marine wildlife can accumulate toxins by feeding on zooplankton/krill, filter-feeding fish, tunicates, and other algae-eating animals within their food web. Current health risks are unknown to seabirds, marine mammals, or to humans who consume those resources. Be cautious and remain vigilant to changes in wildlife health and behavior.

Next steps:
鈼� These are preliminary estimated Alexandrium densities pending laboratory analyses to confirm the species identity and toxicity.
鈼� Individuals concerned about their subsistence-harvested seafoods are welcome to contact either Gay Sheffield at (907) 434-1149 or Emma Pate at (907) 434-0227 to coordinate shipping and lab testing for any saxitoxin levels in their seafoods.
鈼� You cannot see, smell, or taste harmful algae toxins. Cleaning, cooking, or freezing affected foods will not lessen the toxin鈥檚 effects.
鈼� The SIKULIAQ will not be sampling for Alexandrium catenella from July 30, 2023, to August 6, 2023, as they will be in Nome for scheduled dockside operations.
鈼� If you feel sick eating any seafoods, please contact your healthcare provider immediately.
鈼� For more information on harmful algae toxins in humans 鈥攕ymptoms, treatment, etc.鈥攃all the Alaska Section of Epidemiology: (907) 269-8000 Mon-Fri or (800) 478-0084 after hours.

If you see any marine wildlife acting in an unusual manner or dead, please contact:
BERING STRAIT REGION
鈼� 澳门六合彩网址 OEH Dept. (Nome) 鈥� Emma Pate (907) 434-0227
鈼� Alaska Sea Grant (Nome) – Gay Sheffield: (907) 434-1149
鈼� Kawerak (Nome) – Charles 鈥淐huck鈥� Menadelook: (907) 443-4265
NW ARCTIC BOROUGH
鈼� Maniilaq – Office of Environmental Health (Kotzebue) – Chris Dankmeyer: (907) 442-7341
鈼� Native Village of Kotzebue – Environmental Coordinator (Kotzebue) – Alex Whiting: (907) 442-5303
NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH
鈼� NSB-Dept. of Wildlife Management (Utqia摹vik): (907) 852-0350
STATEWIDE
鈼� NOAA Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network (Juneau): (877) 925-7773
鈼� USFWS 鈥� Marine Mammals Management (Anchorage): (800) 362-5148

Map of Alexandrium catenella cell counts from July 28-29, 2023. The arrows indicate the direction of the ocean current at the time the seawater was sampled.

June 7, 2023

Contact: Sarah Richards, Public Relations Specialist

Phone: 907-443-4591

sfrichards@nshcorp.org

Nome, Alaska 鈥� The 澳门六合彩网址 Office of Environmental Health is encouraging residents of the region to make sure that their pets are vaccinated against the rabies virus after a moose tested positive for rabies in Teller.

On June 2, several community members in Teller reported that a moose was acting aggressively toward people and showing other signs of rabies. Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game responded, and the moose later tested positive for rabies.

This was the first confirmed case of rabies in moose in Alaska. The virus detected was the same variant of the rabies virus that has been found in red foxes recently, which according to ADF&G, suggests the moose was most likely infected by a fox.

鈥淒ue to this new case, ADF&G plans to increase rabies surveillance by testing all brain samples from wild mammals found dead or euthanized from regions with enzootic fox rabies, including Western Alaska, when feasible,鈥� stated a press release from ADF&G on Wednesday.

ADF&G encourages anyone who finds a dead mammal or sees a mammal exhibiting signs of rabies, to report their sighting immediately to ADF&G. Signs of rabies include sudden behavioral changes, such as staggering, aggression, fatigue, excessive drooling, uncoordinated movements, biting at themselves, chasing vehicles, or acting unaware of their surroundings. Photos and videos can be helpful to evaluate the animal, but it is most important to keep your distance to avoid exposure.

鈥淥EH will be continuing education and outreach regarding rabies prevention, vaccinations, and dog bite prevention,鈥� Alicia Reitz, OEH Specialist, said. 鈥淲e will also be assisting Fish and Game as much as possible with increasing surveillance efforts within the region.鈥�

According to the ADF&G state wildlife veterinarian, moose that are showing normal behavior are considered safe to consume. There are several precautions that can be taken when harvesting any mammal, such as using rubber or latex gloves, washing your hands after handling the animal, and disinfecting any equipment used during the process. Hunters and trappers should not eat, drink, or smoke until they have sanitized their hands. The meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F before consumption.

鈥淭he best way to protect people from the rabies virus is to vaccinate our dogs and cats,鈥� Reitz said. 鈥淎dditionally, keeping dogs tied up to minimize potential interactions with foxes and other wildlife as well as limiting accessibility for foxes to garbage or other attractants are important preventative measures as well.鈥�

All dogs and cats should be vaccinated against rabies at three months old, again one year later, and every three years after that. Vaccines are free through OEH as part of the Lay Vaccinator program.

鈥淚f there are any fox-dog interactions, folks can reach out to OEH for follow up guidance,鈥� Reitz said. 鈥淚f there are any fox-people interactions, wash any wounds with soap and water then see a provider immediately. If there are any mammals that have been put down or found dead, reach out to Fish and Game or OEH to facilitate testing.鈥�

To contact ADF&G to report anything wildlife-related, call 907-443-2271. To reach out to OEH in regards to pet exposure or vaccinations, call 907-434-1659 or 907-434-0543.

To read the full ADF&G press release, visit: