Readout of Secretary Price’s Visit to Anchorage, Alaska

Yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D. participated in a roundtable with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage, visited Alaska tribal health facilities, and toured human service sites with programs tailored to the unique needs of Alaska Natives. HHS plays an integral role in the relationship between the federal government and tribal governments – particularly through the department’s Indian Health Service.

During the roundtable with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Secretary Price thanked the participants for travelling from across Alaska to share the successes and challenges associated with delivering effective healthcare in Alaska. Members of the Consortium talked about how they are able to leverage federal resources to focus services on individual patients, treating the whole person under difficult circumstances. Secretary Price honored the innovations that tribal health organizations employed to create effective systems of care in a state as vast and diverse as Alaska. Many of the participants highlighted the unique concerns that come with the delivery of care to remote areas as well as the impact of the opioid crisis on tribal communities.

Following the roundtable, Secretary Price toured the Alaska Native Medical Center and the Anchorage Native Primary Care Center (ANPCC) to gain a better understanding of how primary care is delivered in Alaska and see the high level of quality care offered at these facilities. At the Medical Center, Dr. Price met an expectant mother with a high risk pregnancy who had traveled from her home to seek care. At ANPCC he met with Southcentral Foundation leadership and discussed the innovative approach the foundation and ANPCC has taken in delivering health and human services to Alaska Natives.

Secretary Price also toured the Ernie Turner Treatment Center and the Claire Swan Early Head Start Child Program where he met with Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) executives. Secretary Price listened to how HHS resources help CITC provide effective, community-based services to Alaska Natives of all ages. For example, at the Claire Swan Early Head Start Child Care Center, Secretary Price saw how Head Start resources can be used to provide child care services that are strongly grounded in the cultural, linguistic, and social needs of Alaskan families. At the Ernie Turner Center CITC shared how participants receive mental health and substance-abuse counseling that is immersed in Alaska Native values.

On behalf of President Trump, Secretary Price voiced the Administration’s commitment to continuing to support and empower American communities to secure for themselves access to high quality healthcare and human services