Alaska Chief Medical Officer NEWS

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Thank you,
DHSS Public Information

     
 

From Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, MD, FACEP

Let me begin by expressing my deep gratitude to all of you as health care professionals. Thank you for your compassion and dedication as you care for your patients and help your communities envision a healthier future. 

VAPING-ASSOCIATED PULMONARY ILLNESS OUTBREAK

INFECTIOUS DISEASE UPDATE

  • Measles
  • Vaccine Hesitancy
  • Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program (AVAP)
  • Syphilis Outbreak.
  • Hepatitis C

DHSS ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS

  • 72 hour rule
  • Voluntary Non-Opioid Directive (VNOD)
  • CME Opportuntities

MEDICAID

Alaska’s Medicaid program provides essential health coverage for a quarter of Alaskans throughout the state. Recent Medicaid budget reductions have posed challenges on many levels, but we hope these changes will eventually provide opportunities to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of the program for all Alaskans. The department invites interested providers to participate in upcoming meetings to discuss Medicaid. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Nicole Dice at (907) 269-7800.

Another way you can get involved is to participate on the Medical Care Advisory Committee. This is a public advisory group charged with advising the State of Alaska on Medicaid policy and program changes. MCAC members meet quarterly via teleconference or face–to–face. If you are interested in receiving an e-mail alert regarding upcoming MCAC meetings, please sign up at mcac.hss@alaska.gov.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH UPDATES

  • Region X Opioid Summit
  • National Recovery Month
  • Fourth Annual Alaska Training Institute: Trauma, Resilience & Advanced Skills for Substance Use Disorder

Connect with DHSS

Office hours:  At least once a month I plan on holding office hours in different communities to hear from you, and listen to your concerns and successes.  Thank you to the Juneau community for helping kick off the first one. Kotzebue was our second location for office hours. As future dates and locations are set, they will be shared via this newsletter. In the meantime, feel free to contact me directly via email or phone. 

Providers as advisors:  We are building a database of providers who are willing to be contacted via email or phone regarding ongoing state health care issues.  For example, on the topic of vaccine hesitancy, we hope to reach out to primary care providers to better understand vaccine hesitancy and how the state can better support you in your work.  If you are willing to occasionally be contacted by me, or other DHSS employees regarding clinical input or administrative questions and concerns, please send your name, email, phone, specialty, and primary location of practice to Nicole Dice, administrative assistant, (907) 269-7800, Nicole Dice

 

 

 

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Please email me at Anne.Zink@alaska.gov if you would like future events and medical conferences included in this calendar.

Sept. 6-7, Asthma and Allergy Conference

Sept. 18, Public Meeting: Need Help through the Medicare Maze?

Sept. 19-21, Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association

Oct. 8: Hepatitis C ECHO Training Note: the link will show the most current monthly training from AK HCV ECHO.

Oct. 9: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Waiver Training

Oct. 11-12, The All Alaska Pediatric Partnership Symposium

 




9/5/19, State of Alaska Public Health Advisory, Increase in Syphilis Among Women and Non-Gay-Identified Men

9/3/19, State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin, Blood Lead Testing Among Children Aged <72 Months — Alaska, 2013–2018

8/21/19, State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin, Hepatitis C Overview and Treatment Update

8/6/19, State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin, Vaccine Hesitancy Among Mothers of 3-Year-Old Children — Alaska, 2015–2017

8/7/19, CDC Reports on Breastfeeding Outcomes: Alaska achieves high ranking among all states

7/24/19: DHSS Press Release, Paralytic shellfish poisoning suspected on the Alaska Peninsula

7/18/19: DHSS Press Release, Comprehensive Mental Health Plan for Alaska Finalized

7/16/19: DHSS Press Release, Measles Case Confirmed in Alaska

7/10/19: DHSS Press Release, Know the health risks of wildfire smoke and take precautions during air advisories