March 15, 2004
Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC Director.
YKHC Public Relations Press Release
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and key members of her staff and other Alaskan agencies visited Bethel and Kwethluk on Friday, Feb. 20. The CDC is recognized as the lead federal agency for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion.
Gerberding met with Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) staff to discuss programs and issues in the YK Delta. She also traveled to Kwethluk to learn more about concerns on rural Alaska health care.
"The CDC has been an instrumental force for disease surveillance and intervention in our communities," said Dr. Joe Klejka, Medical Director for YKHC. "Their mission to promote health is a great asset to YKHC and the Delta."
The CDC helps YKHC monitor infectious diseases and develops strategies for combating the spread of disease. "We are focused on doing the studies, making a difference in people's lives, and connecting people with people," Gerberding said.
In Bethel, YKHC presented the CDC with details about the unique challenges they face when providing health care in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including travel to and from the remote areas where patients need access to health facilities.
Dr. Klejka, and Gene Peltola, President/CEO of YKHC, outlined the significant role that village health aides, sub-regional clinics, and medevac flight services perform in addressing the health needs of the YK Delta. Peltola discussed the benefits of the subregional clinics in Aniak, Emmonak, and St. Mary's and the decreased travel times for many patients in need of care.
Peltola also spoke of the current construction of a subregional clinic in Toksook Bay, and a similar facility planned for Hooper Bay in the future. "Our goal is to bring the healthcare to the people as much as possible," he said.
Dr. Klejka and Dr. JR Krevans, a physician at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital, spoke of YKHC's many efforts to control and prevent disease, including RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The CDC has often worked in conjunction with YKHC to study these diseases and make recommendations to prevent the spread of infections where possible.
The Office of Environmental Health and Engineering (OEHE) also presented their continuing efforts to control the spread of rabies in the Delta, having vaccinated 2,542 dogs in 2003, and instituting the village lay vaccinator program, which resulted in 31 village-based lay vaccinators being certified last year.
Gerberding and her group then visited Kwethluk by truck to get a better idea of the challenges rural Alaskan villages face, and to meet and discuss with its village council members about local health issues. Kwethluk was chosen, not because it is singled out for any health reasons, but because it shares many of the issues found in villages throughout the region.
Like many other villages throughout Alaska, Kwethluk has no plumbing for sewer or water, creating concerns about the greater possibility of contamination and possible spread of infectious diseases. However, the village representatives made it clear that Kwethluk has made great progress within the community by informing people about the guidelines CDC and YKHC have outlined for the control of infectious diseases.
MRSA, a condition that causes skin irritation and is a concern to the CDC, was addressed by Kwethluk resident James Nicori, who spoke of the need to keep steam baths clean and sanitized. "The more they take care of it like their own home, the better it is health-wise," he said.
YKHC's OEHE has been working with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) to bring running water to as many YK Delta villages as possible. Kwethluk is in the second year of a five-year project with the ANTHC to construct a water and sewer system in the village. However, 46 percent of homes in the YK Delta still do not have running water. The total cost of bringing piped systems to these homes is estimated at more than $280 million.
Dr. Krevans, Kwethluk's long time physician, accompanied Gerberding to the village health clinic. They met with the health aides and discussed procedures for seeing patients. Krevans noted the exceptional skills of the health aides and their intimate connection with the community.