December 15, 2009
President/CEO Gene Peltola and the next generation...
2009 was busy and productive year...
Message from the President/CEO
YKHC experienced a lot of activity throughout 2009. The year started out with a new cohort of Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT) candidates beginning their training in the region's Yuut Elitnaurviat "People's Learning Center." Eight students enrolled into the two-year program, boosting our YKHC Napartet pillar goal of retaining and employing a qualified Alaska Native workforce. I am proud to say this month will see the second class of Alaska DHAT students graduate with their licensure. This is good for the status of dental health in our region, for their careers, and the future success of the DHAT program.
Operation Arctic Care, a military training exercise, took place in March with 200 members of the United States' various armed forces visiting 11 YK Delta communities to provide no-cost health care and veterinary support.
The sixteenth annual Tribal Gathering took place in April with the theme of "A Healthy Mind and Heart." More than 100 Tribal leaders from our region provided insights to YKHC leadership on health care priorities including Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse, and Heart Health. Elder care issues, pharmacy delivery services, alcohol/substance abuse and suicide prevention were just some of the topics addressed. This Gathering highlighted several of our health care improvement priorities and is a good reminder to our leadership of where we can continue to improve our services. We will continue to work hard to improve our quality, provide good jobs and push for more funding opportunities through self-determination. We look forward to seeing many of you again at the next Tribal Gathering in April, 2010.
Major spring flooding on the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers in May posed a challenge for some of our health aide practitioners in several communities. Special recognition is due the Kwethluk CHAPs who went above and beyond the call of duty. They assisted their communities through flood watch, water contamination education and by making sure any patients with urgent or critical care needs were relocated to safer places. This call to duty among our front line workers and staff is a testimony to how we are able to continue to provide excellent care in even the most precarious and unpredictable situations.
In May, several State legislators visited Bethel to hear from rural residents on key energy issues facing our villages. We are aware that the price of fuel is still high and we know how much this impacts our subsistence lifestyle, the food we eat, and the quality of life that we are able to provide to our families as a result. There is so much at stake regarding this topic and responsible infrastructure is one way we hope to make some strides in future years. We are doing more with our construction and facility planning, such as ensuring timely delivery of building materials, providing local hire opportunities, reviewing efficiency improvements and upgrades in some of our aging facilities as well as implementing responsible construction methods as we plan new facilities.
Village clinic maintenance and new construction kept our construction crews busy. Construction workers labored tirelessly to finish building the Tuntutuliak and Kotlik clinics in time for grand opening celebrations in the fall. Significantly, the Hooper Bay Subregional Clinic, the last of the five SRC facilities now in operation in the YK Delta region, officially opened for patients in late August. This is an accomplishment the community of Hooper Bay, the Denali Commission, and all those who collaborated on the project have the right to be proud of. Construction continues on new clinics for Kasigluk, Nunapitchuk and Mountain Village.
Improvements to the Bethel hospital over the next two years will include a new roof, as well as the final phase of remodeling our OB ward. In addition, a redesign of the Operating Room and Radiology suites is scheduled to take place in 2010.
August came with a buzz of activity when I, along with our regional CEOs, welcomed four of the Obama Cabinet Secretaries to Bethel and Hooper Bay. In addition to the Cabinet Secretaries who represented the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing/Development and Education, we also hosted nine major philanthropic organizations for the Rasmuson Foundation's 13th annual Education Tour to Bethel and Napaskiak as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our relationships with major funders and congressional leadership.
November marked the 10-year anniversary of the dedication of the Community Health Services Building. This facility has proved to be a meaningful investment in housing our Village Operations staff, Finance and Administration, CHAP training, Dental, Optometry and Behavioral Health departments, just to name a few.
The close of the fiscal year saw a positive bottom line for FY09. YKHC's financial viability is looking good for FY10 as well. The FY09 Napartet Pillar goal of Financial Viability in reaching $56.9 million in third party revenues was right on target. We encourage our patient/customers to participate in Medicare/Medicaid, Denali Kidcare, and private insurance so we can continue to perform as an economic catalyst in our region's economy while enhancing our medical services and the technology that will help bring services closer to home. We couldn't do it without you-our patient/customers, so thank you for sticking with us and continuing to seek our ever-expanding menu of healthcare services.
This holiday season, I wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy conclusion to the year 2009 and a Happy New Year.
--Gene Peltola, President/CEO
