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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2002 02-167

NATIVE HEALTH CARE IMPROVED BY STATE/FEDERAL AGREEMENT

Partnership Helps Recruit Needed Health Professionals in Anchorage

The delivery of health care to Alaska Natives will be improved by a federal designation that will help recruit and retain health care professionals in the Anchorage area, according to Alaska Department of Health & Social Services (DHSS) Commissioner Jay Livey. The recent designation is the result of close collaboration of state and federal health care providers.

"Our Division of Public Health has collaborated with the federal Health Resources & Services Administration and the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) so health care providers can seek and retain qualified health professionals they need to serve Alaska Natives," Livey said.

The U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), recently designated several census tracts within the Municipality of Anchorage as an Alaska Native population "Health Professional Shortage Area." The designation means that the area, population, or facility has a shortage of primary care physicians (MD or DO) who provide direct patient care services in family practice, general practice, OB/Gyn, pediatricians, or internal medicine.

"HRSA's decision improves the ability of the Alaska Native Medical Center to recruit and retain the medical professionals we need to fulfill our statewide mission," said Paul Sherry, Chief Executive Officer for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which manages ANMC with the Southcentral Foundation. "It will help us address the continuing challenge of filling certain physician specialist positions, and allow us to provide for loan repayment for some of our nurses. We appreciate the support provided by the state DHSS in obtaining these new authorities."

The designation will help Alaska Native Medical Center and other health facilities:

  • Find and retain qualified health professionals with assistance from state and federal agencies;

  • Open federal grant opportunities to them; and,

  • Support and provide preference in hiring for qualified health professionals who want to work with health care providers operating in the targeted areas.

As an example, this enables ANMC to hire foreign physicians who are highly qualified in primary care and specialty areas, if the Alaska Director of Public Health determines that this is in the best interest of the state.

In Alaska, HPSA applications are developed by staff within the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, Division of Public Health, Community Health & EMS Section, Primary Care & Rural Health Unit. For more information on the process: http://chems.alaska.gov/primary_care.htm.

"I want to thank each of the local, state, and federal agency partners for staying focused on the goal of helping Alaskans build healthy communities," Livey said. "They made this important designation possible."

Alaska Native Medical Center provided physician workforce information. DHSS Primary Care & Rural Health Unit staff analyzed and synthesized this data, and sent it to the federal HRSA's Shortage Designation Branch, which resulted in the designation of key census tracts in Anchorage.

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