Sorted by date Results 126 - 140 of 140
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Fewer Alaska residents had routine cancer screenings in 2020 than in the year before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors said. There were 330 fewer mammograms and 28 fewer lung cancer screenings last year than there were in 2019 at Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital, said Paul Hawkins, director of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging center. Some medical providers said the screening decrease was likely linked to anxiety related to the virus that has lasted through the pandemic, the Anchorage Daily News reported Jan...
JUNEAU (AP) - Alaska has detected the state’s first known case of the coronavirus variant identified last year in the United Kingdom, officials said Jan. 26. The infected person is an Anchorage resident who had traveled to a state where the variant had already been detected, the Alaska health department said. The person first experienced symptoms on Dec. 17, was tested three days later and received a positive result Dec. 22. The resident lived with another person in Anchorage, who also became ill. Both isolated and have since recovered, o...
Cruise ship companies serving Southeast Alaska are taking reservations for the summer season after losing all of last year to the pandemic - but not all cruise lines will return this year. Windstar Cruises, which brought a 208-passenger ship to Wrangell about 10 times in 2019, had originally planned its first 2021 cruise out of Vancouver on May 20, an 11-day voyage scheduled to stop in Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau and Haines. The sailings would have continued throughout the summer with a larger...
A meeting between school officials and concerned community members was held in the WHS commons last Thursday evening, Oct. 22 about a then-recent announcement by the Alaska School Activities Association. The announcement, shared on the Wrangell Public Schools' Facebook page on Oct. 19, made it a requirement for high school athletes to wear face masks during competition. Previously, students were not expected to wear masks during activity. The only exception for this new announcement was for...
To expedite the COVID-19 testing process and eliminate unnecessary contamination of primary care clinics, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) recently opened alternative testing sites in Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell, Haines, and Klawock. Appointments may be required for testing. For information on screening, call: In Wrangell call 874-4700. Each alternative testing site is manned by a SEARHC clinician in approved personal protection equipment (PPE), including mask, goggles,...
Last week, Alaska had its first case of the Coronavirus: a cargo pilot traveling through Anchorage. With the amount of travel that Alaskans have done over the last month, it is likely that there are more untested and unverified cases already here. There is certainly no need to panic, but let’s err on the side of caution. One thing you can do is stay informed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a website updated multiple times per day. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has a webpage dedicated to the virus in A...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seeking to assert calm concerning the new coronavirus threat, said Monday he sees the fall in oil prices as a ``momentary issue’’ that with the stock market will work itself out. The virus has affected global energy prices, with North Slope oil prices around $45 a barrel at the end of last week. The state, which has struggled with a long-running deficit, relies on oil revenue and earnings from its oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, to help pay for government. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp....
While Alaska has yet to see any confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is closely monitoring information being provided by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other state, federal and global health organizations as they work to monitor, contain, and mitigate the impact of the virus. "SEARHC's top priority is the safety of our patients and...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – Twenty percent of high school students in Kodiak reported bringing a weapon to school within the last 30 days, according to an Alaska Department of Health study. The students’ responses raised concerns during a school board meeting on Monday, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported . The Kodiak percentage was nearly double the statewide average of 10.2 percent. School board chairman Robert Foy said the survey also raised concerns of marijuana use, hard drug use and a lack of parental involvement. “Some of these things are kind...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A new state survey shows fewer Alaska teens are engaging in cigarette, alcohol and drug use. The Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows students across the state have reported declines in smoking, substance use, riding with an impaired driver, sexual activity and fighting. The results are compared to data from 2009, according to KTVA-TV. The survey was compiled by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Education and Early Development. It shows around 11 percent of high school s...
It’s that time of year again, with the hospital holding its annual flu clinic this week. Set for Friday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. at Harbor Light Assembly of God Church, residents are encouraged to stop by for the discounted vaccination. “The sooner you get it, the more protection you have as the season hits full swing,” said Kris Reed, outreach coordinator for Wrangell Medical Center. The annual shots are meant to mitigate illnesses during the winter influenza season, focusing on particular strains thought likely to be prevalent. The WMC f...
Last month Wrangell's Senior Apartments formally went smoke-free, asking its residents to instead head outdoors if they feel the need to have a cigarette. "It was mostly for the health and well-being of our tenants," explained Gail Rilatos, manager of the facility for the past four years. The decision was made by the apartment complex's five-member governing board, which sought input on a new policy from Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. SEARHC facilitates an Alaska Tobacco...
Autumn came to a sudden end as a low pressure system swept Southeast over the weekend, bringing a heaping helping of snow to Wrangell. Forecasters with the National Weather Service issued a weekend winter storm warning Saturday for Juneau, Petersburg, Wrangell and Hyder. A low pressure system pushed across the Gulf of Alaska, bringing warm, moist air into the area and creating the potential for blizzard conditions. In Juneau and Petersburg, about ten inches of snowfall was recorded over the...
It’s a mixed bag in America in terms of bankrolling ‘the best available science’ for our nation’s fisheries. Based on the preliminary federal budget released last week, funds for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration went from $4.7 billion to $5.5 billion, an increase of about $750 million. Within the NOAA budget, funding for the National Marine Fisheries Service comes in at $1 billion - a drop of $15 million from its actual budget for the last fiscal year. Out of NMFS’ FY13 budget, $174 million will fund science and man...
The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium recently hired Ken Hoyt to manage the WISEFAMILIES Through Customary and Traditional Living program in Wrangell with his office located in the SNO Building at 325 Front St., in Wrangell. The WISEFAMILIES program participants learn how to harvest and preserve traditional subsistence foods, learn Tlingit language, story telling and other traditional activities such as carving and weaving. These traditional activities improve overall health and...