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Physicians Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
Telebehavioral Healthcare Services (THCS)
In 1925, the diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome and the surrounding communities. Dog sled teams transported the desperately needed diphtheria antitoxin to Nome from Nenana over the “Iditarod” system of trails. The historical serum run “The Great Race for Mercy” saved the people of Nome from the epidemic after dog teams traveled a grueling 674 miles in 5 ½ days.
Today, remote Alaska is being
threatened by another epidemic. The behavioral health status
of remote Alaskans is alarming. As compared to the overall death
rate for the United States, the alcohol and suicide death rates
for Alaska Native adults is 7 times greater, and 4 times greater
respectively. Prevalence rates for mental health, substance abuse,
and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder are among the highest in the
United States. The suicide rate for rural Alaska children is 9 times
the national average. The Alaska Mental Health Board determined
that 15,000 – 20,000 behaviorally ill Alaskans were not served
in 1997 by any program. 
Remote Alaskans no longer have to rely on dog teams to deliver services to remote areas. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers can now press the “on” button to real-time videoconference with clients throughout remote Alaska.
The mission of the API Physicians Outpatient Mental Health Clinic - Telebehavioral Healthcare Services Initiative is “to create, promote, and maintain access to behavioral health services through advanced technology in rural and frontier Alaska.” The Telebehavioral Healthcare Services initiative is a new and rapidly expanding program designed to provide behavioral health services to remote Alaska villages. The initiative is an innovative concept in service delivery that allows Anchorage-based behavioral health professionals to serve rural Alaskans through advanced video-teleconferencing.
2009 videoconferences training series
for primary care providersRelated Documents
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