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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 12 | AKBIZMAG.COM
FE AT UR E S 20 REAL ESTATE
10 TELECOM & TECH
Downtown Revitalization Project
Redeveloping two Anchorage properties to uplift a neighborhood
Distributed Workforce Support
Technology enables out-of-office options
By Scott Rhode
By Tracy Barbour
26 NONPROFIT
Rest for the Rasmuson Foundation Taking a pause after a busy year of philanthropic grants By Rindi White
60 MINING
Old Nick’s Metal
Nikolai prospect could answer US need for nickel By Amy Newman
64 CONSTRUCTION Barrier for Barrow
Coastal erosion protection project begins in Utqiaġvik By Dimitra Lavrakas
68 TOURISM
Christmas Lives Here
More than seven decades of North Pole’s Santa Claus House
14 FISHERIES
Upstream Struggle Revitalizing salmon returns in the Interior
Alaska Business
By Alex Appel
Yukon River Drainage Fisheries A ssociation
By Vanessa Orr
QUICK READS 8 FROM THE EDITOR 72 THE SAFETY CORNER 4 | December 2023
74 INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS 76 RIGHT MOVES
78 ALASKA TRENDS 80 OFF THE CUFF
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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 12 | AKBIZMAG.COM
SPECIAL SECTION: HE ALTHCARE 32 THE BUSINESS OF NURSING
Navigating Alaska’s nurse market By Lincoln Garrick and Marianne Murray
36 PEOPLE & PATIENTS, FACTS & FIGURES
The collection and use of healthcare data By Alexandra Kay
40 MEDICARE AMBASSADORS
New outreach to connect seniors with healthcare resources By Terri Marshall
50 TESTBED FOR INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES
Health TIE provides a platform for changemakers By Jacqueline Summers
44 INTERIOR MEDICINE
Foundation Health Partners cares for the Fairbanks community
52 ALASKA BUSINESS TOP DOCS
Top doctors practicing in Alaska
By Rachael Kvapil
ABOUT THE COVER Many of us have a straightforward idea of what a “nurse” is; however, being a nurse encompasses a broad range of education, skills, and services. Featured on this cover is certified nurse-midwife and advanced practice registered nurse Jennifer Hoadley, who owns Birds and Bees Midwifery, which means she’s in the unique position of balancing business ownership with healthcare. Whether working in their own practice, at a hospital, or in a traveling position, all nurses balance a multitude of responsibilities and tasks to best serve the patients in their care, many of which are described in “The Business of Nursing,” an overview of the profession in Alaska written by guest authors Lincoln Garrick and Marianne Murray. Location provided by Alaska Regional Hospital Pic tured: Jennifer Hoadley, CNM/APRN and Patricia Morales Cover photo by Kerr y Tasker
Alaska Business (ISSN 8756-4092) is published monthly by Alaska Business Publishing Co., Inc. 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2577; Telephone: (907) 276-4373. © 2023 Alaska Business Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Alaska Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials; they will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. One-year subscription is $39.95 and includes twelve issues (print + digital) and the annual Power List. Single issues of the Power List are $15 each. Single issues of Alaska Business are $4.99 each; $5.99 for the August & October issues. Send subscription orders and address changes to circulation@akbizmag.com. To order back issues ($9.99 each including postage) visit simplecirc.com/back_issues/alaska-business.
6 | December 2023
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FROM THE EDITOR Our end-of-book feature Alaska Trends has seen several iterations over the years. When I first started working at the magazine, it comprised a short article about an interesting Alaska trend accompanied by two pages of data including employment numbers, a comparison of the US dollar to foreign currencies, numbers of bankruptcies, personal income, and consumer prices, among other data. The categories of data remained the same but were updated month after month. The data and article were provided by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development. For example, a decade ago in December 2013 the article was titled “Alaska Oil Production Continues its Decline as US Oil Production Increases” by Michael Malone, who sourced data for the article from the US Energy Information Administration. Today Alaska Trends is a two-page infographic, and the data and sources vary significantly. We select datasets considering a few factors, such as the issue’s special section, the time of year, or timely social issues—sometimes we just run with a data-rich, interesting report that fell onto one of our desks. Our Alaska Trends this month is particularly rich as the data feels personal. The Alaska Vital Statistics 2022 Annual Report contains data that literally represents us: our births, our deaths, our marriages. The most difficult part about Alaska Trends this month was narrowing down the data. Just related to births: Do we include the Top 5 boy and girl names in the state for the last five years? What about the number of twins born? How many women opt to have a midwife during delivery versus a doctor? Insurance status? Number of women receiving epidurals? The nature of editing is gathering information and then choosing what to print. Every publication chooses what to run and what not, which establishes that publication’s point of view and the audience it appeals to. While we are unavoidably editors, we’re also very aware that we’re not data analysts. It’s an interesting line to walk each month as we attempt to make selections of the available data without allowing our interests to create any unintended editorial statements. For instance, this month the vital statistics report includes information on homelessness, which is a particularly hot topic in many Alaska communities. If we place homelessness statistics immediately next to certain death statistics, our readers may read a correlation between those data that doesn’t exist. It’s almost unavoidable to look at data and assign causes, correlations, or takeaways, especially since that’s what the data are ultimately collected for. There’s no reason to gather data just for the sake of having numbers. Data’s only value is when they can be contextualized and used to improve our lives and communities. This is why this feature has changed over the years: publishing the same type of data month after month was informative, but it was a tiny sample of the multitude of data available to inform Alaskans about what’s going on in the state. We want our readers to have access to the reports and facts that are driving policy decisions that affect us all.
VOLUME 39, #12 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Tasha Anderson 907-257-2907 tanderson@akbizmag.com
Editor/Staff Writer Scott Rhode srhode@akbizmag.com
Associate Editor Rindi White rindi@akbizmag.com
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8 | December 2023
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TELECOM & TECH
Distributed Workforce Support Technology enables out-of-office options By Tracy Barbour
G
lobal Credit Union has ex p a n d e d f ro m A n c h o ra g e to include team members in multiple states and around the world, as its branding adopted earlier this year indicates. Thus, the credit union has long experience working with technology and communications tools to bring its distributed workforce closer together. It is not feasible for customer-facing e m p l oy e e s i n m a n y o f i t s b ra n c h locations to work remotely; however, many of the credit union’s remote and hybrid workers fill administrative roles behind the scenes and perform duties that do not require an in-person presence. Having a decentralized workforce has worked well, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Norman, and it has created opportunities for hybrid arrangements throughout the credit union. “It allows the best of both worlds in that there is office time for collaboration, team interactions, et cetera, but also work-from-home t i m e c a n b e m o re c o n v e n i e n t f o r employees,” she says. Global Credit Union has adopted resources that help its employees stay connected. This includes the use of Microsoft Teams, which allows employees to come together virtually much like they would in a conference room. “Additionally, we communicate with employees through a variety 10 | December 2023
of mechanisms, which allow us to connect through the written word, through video, and even allows us the opportunity to present material and follow it with an open forum questionand-answer session,” Norman says. Also referred to as a remote workforce or remote teams, a distributed workforce is essentially a group of employees who are not co-located in a physical office or workspace. Distributed staff rely heavily on technology and communication tools to effectively collaborate, communicate, and perform their job duties. While the specific technologies vary—depending on organizational preferences and re q u i re m e n t s — s o m e o f t h e m o s t common tools that facilitate off-site work are related to video conferencing, m e s s a g i n g , p ro j e c t m a n a g e m e n t , cloud storage and file sharing, time tracking and productivity, employee engagement, and cybersecurity.
Telecoms Using Telecoms
GCI is “all-in” when it comes to using a distributed workforce, says Chief Communications Officer Heather Handyside. GCI makes extensive use of a broad combination of collaboration, messaging, and video conferencing to support its distributed workforce, which includes many remote workers. “Our most robust tool is probably Microsoft Teams and many of its functions,
including video conferencing and calls, messaging, Viva Engage, calendars, and task trackers,” she says. Many of the teams at GCI also use the project management platform Asana to track the progress of a variety of GCI projects. GCI also leverages Microsoft OneDrive for cloud storage and virtual private networks to ensure secure and encrypted connections that help protect sensitive data when it’s being accessed by employees outside the office. “Our distributed workforce model has been nothing short of a resounding success,” Handyside says. H y b r i d w o r k i s a l s o a p re f e r re d work model at MTA . The Palmerbased telecommunications company currently emphasizes flexibility, with nearly 80 percent of its workforce equipped for hybrid work setups, says IT Manager Diana Escobar. “We ensure they are equipped with the necessary hardware for office and field employees,” she says. “Furthermore, our commitment to improving field operations sees us testing new e q u i p m e n t f re q u e n t l y t o e n h a n c e mobility and responsiveness.” A t M TA , M i c ro s o f t Te a m s i s t h e backbone for fostering seamless c o l l a b o ra t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n a m o n g i t s d i s t r i b u t e d w o r k f o rc e . It facilitates an array of essential functions such as meetings, information dissemination, file storage, third-party i n t e g ra t i o n s , a n d t e a m c h a t s . “ To
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ensure inclusivity and cater to diverse preferences and requirements, we provide in-person and virtual meeting options, thereby offering employees the flexibility to choose the mode that suits them best,” Escobar says. In addition to relying on Microsoft 365 applications like Teams and Outlook for communication, MTA is enhancing its operational efficiency by upgrading its internal tool, which helps keep its employees informed and connected no matter where they are located. “We have introduced the MTA University platform to ensure that our team remains technologically proficient and adaptable,” Escobar explains. “This platform provides on-demand tech training opportunities for our employees to stay up to date with the latest technologies and tools, helping them excel in their roles within our distributed workforce model.” Like many organizations, New H o r i z o n s Te l e c o m e m p l o y s a distributed workforce model based on the work environment. The Palmerb a s e d c o m p a n y, w h i c h p r o v i d e s telecommunications infrastructure
statewide, uses integrated project management and accounting tools to better support design and field installation as well as customer reporting. “We have adapted some of those tools to make more efficient and real-time reporting for installations,” says President and CEO Leighton Lee. “What that does is facilitate remote work for our administrative and professional personnel… If you have a good data stream coming from your field operations, you can stay out of the office longer.” In general, the remote and hybrid employees at New Horizons Telecom rely on terrestrial or low-Earth orbit broadband for reliable data streaming, M i c ro s o f t Te a m s a n d S m a r t s h e e t for collaboration, and Sage Intacct accounting software. New Horizons Telecom has more than 100 employees in Alaska, and about 30 percent of them work on a hybrid basis. Less than 10 percent of its employees are full-time remote, which includes those who work in accounting, engineering, project management, and even senior management.
Pandemic Push
Like many other companies, GCI was forced to dramatically change its business operations due to the COV I D - 1 9 p a n d e m i c , f ro m o n l y 5 percent of its employees working remotely to more than 70 percent b e i n g re m o t e - e l i g i b l e . “ I t s t a r t e d off as a bit of an experiment, but over the next couple years, t h e d i s t r i b u t e d w o r k f o rc e m o d e l proved to be incredibly successful both for the business and GCI employees,” Handyside explains. Once employees settled into the rhythm of remote work, GCI found that productivity overall was just as good, if not better. “Several months into remote work, we checked in with our employees and found that more than 80 percent said their preference was to keep working from home full time with occasional office visits,” Handyside says. “Surveys found GCI employees were happier and had better work-life balance. They had more time to spend with their families, spent less on gas, and saved money on food because they ate at home. Many also felt more
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 11
productive because they had fewer distractions during the day, and the outcomes spoke for themselves. So, instead of calling employees back to the office like many other companies, GCI leadership decided the company’s distributed workforce is here to stay.” Global Credit Union, on the other hand, has employed a distributed workforce for many years, as it has branch locations in multiple states as well as a redundant operations center in Glendale, Arizona. However, the pandemic pushed that distribution model a step further. Currently, the credit union has employees in a variety of work environments, including 100 percent in-office, hybrid (who report in at a minimum one day per work week), and fully remote, according to Norman. “Today we have nearly 700 employees working fully in-office, more than 1,200 employees working in a hybrid scenario, and approximately 200 employees in a fully remote status,” she says. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic enforced a more distributed workforce model at New Horizons Telecom. “It basically was the last straw that pushed everybody to it,” Lee says. “It was what pushed us into a more digital stance.”
Making Adjustments
Global Credit Union learned a great deal about using technology over the course of the pandemic, and it implemented several programs to facilitate new work environments. Team members who are remote or hybrid were given access to technological resources both at home and in the office. “With anything of this nature, safety and security were our top priority, and we implemented tools to manage the additional work location, and we created specific guidelines to make sure our employees were safe and safely working,” Norman says. As part of these guidelines, the credit union continues to have employees work from home when cases of the flu or common cold spike. It also conducts routine check-ins for people who are working on a remote or hybrid basis to help ensure their professional success. GCI also made some adjustments to address the changing needs of its employees. While GCI employees are in favor of the distributed workforce model, many also say they miss water 12 | December 2023
cooler conversations while they were in the office, Handyside says. “ To help fill that gap, we created what we’ve called the Gravity Series to help our employees stay connected with each other and maintain what was traditionally a strong company culture,” she says. “The Gravity Series is largely virtual and gives us opportunities to talk about important topics and break down silos and get more interaction with our co-workers during work hours. It’s not just heavy topics, though. There are sessions on gardening, pets, fly tying, cooking, and more.” Not only is GCI utilizing technology to support its distributed workforce but the company has completely reimagined how it uses office space— a l b e i t w i t h a 7 0 p e rc e n t s m a l l e r footprint than before. Due to the nature of GCI’s business, some employees and departments still require space because of specialized equipment or the need for a secure environment. Individuals who wanted a quiet space to work outside of their homes needed hoteling desk space, where office resources are booked like hotel rooms. To meet those needs, GCI launched its new Base Camp facility to enable the business to adapt to new ways of working, communicating, collaborating, and managing without traditional office and meeting spaces. The new facility is replete with sixty-five-plus hoteling desks, twenty-two conference rooms, eleven smart boards, seven quiet phone booths, three kitchens, several open collaborative spaces, a printing suite, and plenty of coffee. Handyside says, “It’s like GCI transplanted a Silicon Valley tech company campus and set it down in East Anchorage.” N ew H o r i z o n s Te l e c o m re c e n t l y expanded its service offerings by adding its own IT services division. The new line of business grew out of the pandemic and the evolving need to substantiate internal cybersecurity for the company ’s clients. “ Those instigators led to the development of that ‘customer-facing’ service which, in turn, has made us more capable in our own turnkey delivery of communications infrastructure,” Lee explains.
Intangible Value
Lee, who works away from the office about 10 percent of the time, says he
personally prefers a hybrid work model. But this model is situational. Whether an employee works remotely often comes down to practicality: the nature of the business, role of the employee, and work being performed. “At certain points in the day, it’s easier to grab that guy across the hall than set up a meeting,” he says. “But if you’re always being grabbed, you may not have time to sit down and focus.” Many employees prefer a distributed workplace model b e c a u s e i t g i v e s t h e m m o re c o n t ro l a n d f l ex i b i l i t y. “Specifically, I have observed that h a v i n g m o re f l ex i b i l i t y a n d m o re actual time not commuting or working a rigid schedule has led to a real reduction in stress from t i m e p re s s u re , ” L e e s a y s . “ H a v i n g an employee not miss their child’s extracurricular event or having the ability to watch an aging relative while working isn’t necessarily tangible to the bottom line—but it’s immensely valuable. We also have a policy of allowing employees to handle critical personal business, regardless of the deliverable at hand, because there is real value to everyone in having those distractions addressed quickly. Home and work are tough to balance, and the world moves so fast now that we’ll take advantage of any way we can to make that balance easier.” Global Credit Union has also seen the positive effects of leaning into a distributed workforce model. Its e m p l oy e e s h a v e re p o r t e d a m o re positive connection and work-life balance through annual surveys and have expressed an appreciation for h ow q u i c k l y t h e c re d i t u n i o n w a s able to embrace the new workplace environment, Norman says. “ We also find that when we broaden the search area for certain roles, the pool of available applicants is much l a rg e r, g i v i n g u s o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o hire the right individuals for the right roles,” she adds. “Even though we’ve been working for many years in a variety of different states, the last few years have allowed us to implement tools that have brought us all closer together through new technologies and communications and have given our organization the ability to extend the opportunity to work remotely or in a hybrid schedule.”
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FISHERIES
Upstream Struggle Revitalizing salmon returns in the Interior By Alex Appel
S
erena Fitka was born and raised in St. Mary’s, a small town on the Yukon River with a population of 600. Subsistence fishing is a way of life in St. Mary’s, and these last few years have been ghostly, according to Fitka, who is the executive director of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA). “It was eerie,” Fitka says. “Usually you see people passing by and you’re waving to them. And when you pass the fish camp, the smell of the smoke house going. You didn’t see the boats or the people at fish camp… It was a very empty, very deserted feeling on the river that first year.” Almost all the king and chum salmon subsistence fisheries on the Yukon River were closed these past four years because of low returns. This year, there were small subsistence chum fisheries in the summer and fall, but only in a few places on the Yukon River. Between the closures, gear requirements, and the cost of gas, just a fraction of the population could fish, Holly Carroll says. Carroll is the Yukon River federal subsistence fisheries manager for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). 14 | December 2023
“The salmon that are coming to western Alaska are kind of
people got to make up for the food loss based on that.” Researchers are looking for the cause of the population collapse and figuring out ways to address it. Community advocates are raising awareness and preserving their culture.
A Thousand Cuts
experiencing death by a thousand cuts.” Holly Carroll Yukon River Federal Subsistence Fisheries Manager US Fish and Wildlife Service
“I think it's still a bright spot worth noting that the summer chum did get just better enough that we were able to meet that demand, that escapement goal, so we should celebrate that for sure,” Carroll says. “We just want to be careful [to] acknowledge that not many
The Yukon River is around 2,000 miles long. It stretches from northwest Canada and all the way to the YukonKuskokwim Delta, where it flows into the Bering Sea. More than 100,000 people live along it, including the majority of Fitka's family. There used to be hundreds of thousands of salmon in the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers and large subsistence harvests. That’s not the case anymore. Five species of Pacific salmon live in the Yukon River, and all of them have decreased in population, but most research is focused on chum and kings, also known as Chinooks. “When it’s that widespread across all spots on the Yukon—and it’s now affecting coho and it’s affecting kings and you’re seeing it across the North Pacific and in the Kuskokwim drainage
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a s w e l l — y o u ’r e l i k e , ‘ W o w, o k a y, something big is happening,’” Christy Gleason says. Gleason is the Yukon River fall season manager with Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Scientists are looking at the sea for answers, Gleason says. “ The salmon that are coming to western Alaska are kind of experiencing death by a thousand cuts,” says Carroll. The salmon are dealing with warming o c e a n s , p a ra s i t e s , p o o r n u t r i t i o n , and the destruction of their habitats, according to Carroll. And to make things more complicated, each species is affected in a different way.
No Smoking Gun
Sabrina Garcia is the Arctic-YukonKuskokwim marine research biologist for the State of Alaska. Part of her research involves surveying chum and king salmon in their first year of life. According to Garcia, both salmon species spend that time in the northern Bering Sea, between Nunivak Island and the Bering Strait. There is a strong correlation between the king salmon population that arrives at Nunivak Island and the www.akbizmag.com
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December 2023 | 15
While subsistence fishing for Yukon River king and chum salmon is closed, fishing boats are idle on the shore. Yukon River Drainage Fisheries A ssociation
16 | December 2023
number of fish that make it back to the Yukon River, she says. “ T h a t t e l l s u s t h a t w h a t ev e r i s determining the run sizes for Yukon River Chinook salmon, it's happening some time before we catch these fish in the survey,” Garcia says. It’s the exact opposite situation for chum: the number of juveniles in the Bering Sea and the number of adults that return to the Yukon River show a weak correlation. This means that the problems they face are probably at sea, according to Garcia. According to the National Oceanic a n d A t m o s p h e r i c A d m i n i s t ra t i o n , t h e re w e re re c o rd - b re a k i n g h i g h temperatures in the Bering Sea in 2019. For Garcia, this suggests one theory: juvenile chum cannot build energy reserves as effectively in the warmth, which makes it hard for them to survive their first winter. The rising temperature also affects other animals in the food chain, which can trickle up to salmon. If their diets are not rich enough—and evidence suggests that they are eating more of the salmon equivalent of junk food, like
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jellyfish—they can’t build up energy and they won’t survive their travels upriver, according to Carroll. Some fish have nowhere to travel. Some of the chum spawning grounds, or the places they return to deposit eggs, have dried up, Carroll says. “If we had an answer, a smoking gun, I think we would all be really happy,” Garcia says. “But it's not that simple.” Another consideration i s t h a t king salmon populations have been declining for decades, down by 60 percent since 1984. While it remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2018, it was not re b o u n d i n g , a c c o rd i n g t o t h e U S Environmental Protection Agency. Now things are getting worse. This year saw the second-lowest number of king salmon return to the Yukon River on record, according to ADF&G. The lowest was in 2022.
A Missing Piece
Fitka and her family go back to St. Mary ’s every summer. Her oldest daughter, who is now 14, cut her first fish when she was 7 and started
helping on boats when she was 8. Her youngest daughters, 11-year-old twins, didn’t get the chance. “I’m still trying to teach them, but it’s hard when we’re cutting fish at our dinner table,” Fitka says. “It’s a little different than being outside… at the fish camp.” Fitka is concerned that young kids won’t learn how to fish, and the young adults will lose interest. She says her nephews had the opportunity t o f i s h t h i s s u m m e r, b u t t h e y decided to work instead. “The elders have always told us we need to start our children young and develop healthy habits,” she says. “Are we missing an opportunity to get them ready and prepared for fishing?” There are many important things that Yukon River communities get from salmon fishing. Food is high on that list, as are community and culture. “We live by the seasons, we harvest by the seasons, so every season is an opportunity to harvest something, and once that season is over, we move onto the next,” Fitka says. “There’s a gap, there’s a missing piece, an empty feeling, a sense of loss.”
Concerned that her children might miss out on traditional fishing opportunities, Serena Fitka of St. Mary’s makes sure the region’s voice is heard in management decisions. Yukon River Drainage Fisheries A ssociation
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Serving Alaska since 1978 December 2023 | 17
Populations of king and chum salmon that hatch and, as adults, return to spawn in the bends of the Yukon River have collapsed in recent years, even as other Alaska fisheries see record returns. Yukon River Drainage Fisheries A ssociation
“All I hear is Bristol Bay's is booming, the fisheries are good, but there's half the state where our fisheries are not doing good and half the state where people are not getting fish.” Serena Fitka, Executive Director, Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association
Management Tools
There isn’t an easy fix to the problem. Bonnie Borba is a fall season research biologist for the Yukon Area Salmon Fishery, a management district under ADF&G. Area managers only have control of their regions. In this case, that 18 | December 2023
means that they can make rules about what is done in the Yukon River, but not outside of it. Salmon, being anadromous fish that leave the river to spend much of their lives in saltwater, are therefore difficult to manage. Borba can only do so much within her jurisdiction.
“The only tools we have for our fishing stuff is time and area. So in this case, it's no time in any area,” she says. When fish populations are as low as they have been, sometimes the only thing that can be done is monitor populations and close fisheries, Borba says. Fitka would like to see other tools added to the kit. “I understand that climate change is there and that there is impact from climate change. However, if there are ways we can improve our numbers of fish coming back into the river, we need to look at the bigger picture. We need to look at human causes,” Fitka says. One human cause that Yukon R i v e r c o m m u n i t i e s a re l o o k i n g a t is commercial fishing in the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Management Area, or Area M. Many people argue that limiting the pollock harvest in this area will allow more salmon to return to spawning grounds and support subsistence fishing. In February, the Alaska Board o f F i s h e r i e s re c e i v e d a p ro p o s a l from ADF&G to amend the Area M management plan. The board rejected the proposal but adopted a more limited restriction instead. It’s not clear if the Area M amendment is why there were stronger salmon returns to the Yukon River this summer. “Since this is the first year this happened, those restrictions, that's not enough data to go on to make any kind of correlation of whether o r n o t i t p ro d u c e d m o re f i s h f o r us,” Borba says. “There was already indication the year before that the [group of fish] was going to be better this coming year.” While Yukon chums cross the Aleutian Islands into the Gulf of Alaska, a lot of the fish that pass through Area M are local to western Alaska, according to Carroll, adding that the best thing that FWS can do to address the low salmon population in the Yukon is understand why it is occurring and alleviate the impacts of the canceled subsistence harvests.
‘Our Voices Need to Be Heard’
Even though salmon fisheries were closed for most of the summer and fall, and people who could fish needed to use non-traditional gear,
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there was other subsistence fishing t h i s y e a r. F o u r - i n c h m e s h n e t s could be used to catch freshwater whitefish all summer long. “It's not the rosy picture; it is still not what the traditional needs are,” Carroll says. “It's a bright spot if you want to look at it that way—if you're a glass half full kind of person—but if you're trying to feed a family, it’s not going to feel that way.” The YRDFA has assisted multiple surveying efforts, according to its fall newsletter. But there are other important things to do, like raise awareness of the situation. While kings and Yukon chum and coho are declining, other fisheries are thriving. This past season, more than 50 million sockeye salmon were caught in Bristol Bay, ADF&G reported. And there have been several record-breaking seasons in recent years for the fishery. “All I hear is Bristol Bay's is booming, the fisheries are good, but there's half the state where our fisheries are not doing good and half the state where people are not getting fish,” Fitka says. “Our voices need to be heard too.” In August, YRDFA had a booth at Wild Salmon Day in Anchorage—part of a statewide celebration enacted in 2016—and spoke to people about the struggles with salmon in the YukonKuskokwim Delta region. “It was surprising how many people didn’t know about the hardships that t h e Yu k o n R i v e r c o m m u n i t i e s a re facing,” its newsletter states. YRDFA isn’t the only organization working to save the salmon in the Yukon River. Tanana Chiefs Conference revived its Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission this year, and Congress established the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force (AKSRTF ). The task force published a draft Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Report in October. The AKSRTF bimonthly meetings are open to the public, and it will be taking comments for research recommendations and feedback until March 15. Fitka says, “The more people that are aware of the conditions and the collapse of our salmon, the more allies we can have, more voices we can have to advocate for our rights and mostly for the rights of the salmon.” www.akbizmag.com
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 19
R E A L E S TAT E
Downtown Revitalization Project Redeveloping two
Anchorage properties to uplift a neighborhood By Scott Rhode
I
ditarod mushers cross the ceremonial starting line in Downtown Anchorage at Fourth Avenue and D Street, next to the Balto statue, surrounded by cheering crowds. Buildings along the chute, however, are much less crowded inside. Practically deserted. The Post Office Mall and, across C Street, the former Holiday Inn have seen better days. Their best days may lie ahead, as Mark Begich sees it. The former mayor and US senator is redeveloping both properties with his business partner, Sheldon Fisher, who formerly led the Alaska Department of Revenue. “ We ’re n o t b u i l d i n g a b u i l d i n g ; we’re building a neighborhood, a neighborhood that people can walk into and find excitement and something different,” Begich says. “It ’s overwhelming when you think about it. It’s a lot of capital we had to raise. Nothing simple about any of these projects. Nothing.” The partnership, named MASH (short for “Mark and Sheldon”), is managing renovations that, taken together, are called the Downtown Revitalization Project. Phase 1 is the hotel and Phase 2 is the mall, which the previous owner branded as “4th Avenue Market Place” along with Sunshine Plaza next door. On paper, Fourth and C is a perfect location. Begich points to unobstructed views over Ship Creek of Denali and Mount Susitna. It’s also the gateway for Government Hill residents. Looking the other way, Begich sees the Anchorage Museum just beyond the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall. Everything lively about the original townsite seems t o ra d i a t e f ro m t h e i n t e r s e c t i o n , yet the properties themselves fall short of that potential. “Why isn’t that building, something happening with it?” Begich asks. “Anybody who looks at these properties sees them as they are; we see them as what they’re going to be.”
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Unbelievable Location
20 | December 2023
Plans for the $70 million Downtown Revitalization Project call for a 250-room hotel with a restaurant, brewery, and coffee lounge; an indoor market with a grocery store; and, on the top floor, owner-occupied condo units. It’s not a dream; refurbished hotel rooms are opening this month.
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In the mall, the lower level is warehousing furniture as more hotel rooms are completed, and upstairs offices have been demolished to make room for homes. “Too many people say they’re going to do a project, then it never happens,” Begich says. “We waited until a certain point, then we announced it.” Growing up in a political family, B e g i c h k e p t o n e f o o t i n t h e re a l estate business. He managed his family ’s properties, and after a stint on the Anchorage Assembly, he led an investor group that bought a hot springs resort in Carson City, Nevada “with the goal of bringing it back to its glory days,” according to its website. By 2020, the resort could boast of adding three new pools. In 2020, Begich’s Alaska Hotel Group purchased the former Holiday Inn, then styled as the Aviator Hotel. Tourism was in crisis that year, but Begich was prepared for a rebound. He recalls speculating, “What could this be? Why isn’t it? For a lot of reasons: people walk in and they go, ‘Oh my god, look at the demo cost.’ Well, yeah. But— the location is unbelievable.”
Renovating and Repurposing
Begich himself is helping to coordinate construction on the “residential” side of the L-shaped hotel. For the “commercial” side— including the lobby, food service, and gathering areas—Unit Company is the general contractor. The lobby used to be on the first floor, on the Third Avenue side, but the hotel’s address is on Fourth Avenue (one level higher than Third, ever since the 1964 earthquake). To resolve that confusion, MASH is putting the main lobby on the second floor, south side. A l i m i t e d l o b by i s o p e n i n g t h i s month to service the first 60 rooms. A d d i t i o n a l ro o m s w i l l b e p u t i n t o service over the winter until the phase finishes with 160 rooms and the lobby. Generally working from the roof down, the next phase also includes top-floor conference rooms and an outdoor heated deck, both serviced from a bar that also has elevator access to the second-floor kitchen below. Windowsills along Fourth Avenue have been lowered and the ceiling partly raised to the open beams, both www.akbizmag.com
to let in more sunlight and to improve views. “There’ll be no better place to see Fur Rondy and not freeze than right here,” Begich says, whether watching activities in the street or fireworks over Ship Creek. The third phase will complete the last 86 rooms, including suites in the old pool building along Third Avenue a n d t h e g l a s s - e n c l o s e d e n t ra n c e along Fourth Avenue. The rooms, restaurant, bar, and brewery total 200,000 square feet.
No hotel of this size and scope has been built in Downtown in more than twenty years since the Marriott Anchorage Downtown high-rise opened in 2000. This hotel is not being built, though; i t ’s r e p u r p o s e d . B e g i c h s a y s h e prefers to redevelop properties, as he did with the old Florcraft Carpet One building near the Downtown fire station. As a revitalization project, Alaska Hotel Group benefits from a municipal property tax exemption
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 21
Ted Kim usually makes black-and-white art, but he designed color landscapes for the hotel rooms. Alaska Hotel Group
C-PACER, or commercial property assessed clean energy and resilience, is private financing facilitated by the city to pay for upgrades to the hotel’s wiring. To avoid ripping into walls, outlets are covered by decorative wooden panels. Alaska Business
worth approximately $1 million, spread over ten years. The city is also helping to facilitate clean energy and resilience improvements through the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy & Resilience (C-PACER) program. The project will pay back more than $16 million in private-sector lending to c ov e r t h e c o s t o f v e n t i l a t i o n a n d wiring upgrades, much of it through operational savings. “We’re basically taking out ‘80s technology and bringing all the new stuff,” Begich says. To avoid tearing out walls for electrical renovation, wooden panels cover the outlets. This feature creates space above the beds for a relief sculpture resembling a topographic map of Denali. That artwork accompanies one of four prints designed by local artist Ted Kim that hang in each room. In the yet-to-be-finished lounge, Begich envisions gleaming pipes from the brewery and flames from kitchen stoves. The décor is being refined inhouse even though the hotel is joining a national brand. MASH has a deal with a franchise, but Begich wasn’t prepared to announce which one until closer to the 2024 grand opening. 22 | December 2023
T h e b rew e r y p a r t n e r h a s b e e n named, though: Midnight Sun Brewing Co. is prepared to open a new branch a s e a r l y a s n ex t s u m m e r. B e g i c h considers it both a centerpiece of the hotel’s restaurant, lounge, bar, and flexible gathering spaces while also being a standalone attraction. “You can park in the back, come through here, sit in here and have a beer with your friends. Never have to go into the hotel. You won’t even know it’s up there, if you don’t want to,” he says.
Critical Partnerships
Multiple hospitality options—food, drink, active environments or quiet rooms, open-air views or indoor art exhibits—call to mind the Downtown destination up Third Avenue, 49th State Brewing Company. In its previous incarnation as the Snow Goose Restaurant, the former Elks lodge was converted into performance space, private dining, and rooftop patio, served by an upscale restaurant with suds brewed on the premises. W h e n B e g i c h ’s j o i n t o p e n s , h e expects it will grow into something more than a second choice for overflow crowds when 49th State is too busy.
“We hope it’s the other way: we’re full and they go down there,” he says. “Here’s why: the parking.” Huge lots on Third Avenue service the hotel and the mall. The city controlled the parking, though, so MASH arranged to buy the hotel’s 200 spots from the Anchorage Community Development Authority for $2.2 million. The agency a lso ag re ed to l ea se the ma ll ’s parking to the developers. Cooperation with the city maintained cashflow during construction. Hotel rooms served as transitional housing, p a i d w i t h f e d e ra l COV I D - 1 9 re l i e f funds. “We were able to supply what the city needed at that time and keep our project from being interfered with, frankly,” Begich says. “Don’t stop the project because of COVID; figure out how to work with it. In our case, we helped the city house a lot of people in the middle of winter.” T h e c i t y ’s u p g r a d e s t o F o u r t h Avenue—spending $6.5 million on improved curbs, sidewalks, lamps, and planters—work to the advantage of the Downtown Revitalization Project, as well. “The city did a great job on this street. They did that over two years ago. It changed the look. Now we have
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to do our part,” Begich says. “Public partnerships with the private sector are critical; this is an example.” MASH negotiated with the city to heat the sidewalks outside the hotel using surplus energy as part of the C-PACER upgrade. On that snow-free pavement, Begich wants to install two or three fire pits for outdoor entertaining. “In Downtown, there’s no commercial property that has exterior fire pits on the main street,” he says. “The only other fire pits at street level are my wife’s at the back of The Kobuk.” (Deborah Bonito, Anchorage’s former first lady, owns the gift shop and café in the historic Kimball Building, a threeblock walk from the hotel.) As another way to bring the indoors outside, the hotel will have a service window for coffee. “You want locals to come here and feel like they don’t have to go to a hotel, and you want hotel folks to go where locals go,” Begich says. “We’re creating the best of both worlds.” Biscuitclub, a breakfast café in the former post office, anchors what Mark Begich envisions as an “alley” where visitors rally before deciding what else to experience inside the marketplace. Alaska Business
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The most local of locals to congregate at Fourth and C might be occupants of condo housing at that address. MASH aims to have units finished by spring, pending permits. Fifteen homes would fill 18,000 square feet on the Post Office Mall’s top floor, formerly leased office space. With 12-foot ceilings and 9-foot windows, Begich boasts of “nothing like it in the marketplace.” www.akbizmag.com
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Block 96 Flats.
Begich takes in the hotel’s street view.
Condos upstairs, supermarket downstairs.
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The market for Downtown housing is surging. This month, Block 96 Flats is getting ready to welcome its first tenants. The five-story apartment complex at Eighth Avenue and K Street has forty-eight units loaded with smart features, such as water detection to notify management if the washer leaks. Developer Shaun Debenham says the project is going great, and he’s excited to enter the market. Housing is also part of redevelopment plans at Block 41, where the historic 4th Avenue Theater and a neighboring building have been demolished to make way for a $200 million mixeduse complex. Residents would share that address with planned hotel, office, retail, and entertainment space—not unlike Begich’s project barely two blocks down the street. “I feel competition is healthy and offers the community more options,” s a y s B l o c k 4 1 d ev e l o p e r D e r r i c k Chang. “ We are glad to know that he is also revitalizing Downtown and making Downtown a strong and attractive district.” While welcoming other projects to make Downtown more vibrant, Begich eagerly points to unique features in the refurbished Post Office Mall, s u c h a s a p l a n n e d d i s t i l l e r y. T h e indoor mall will have raised ceilings, inspired by waterfront market halls like Pike Place Market in Seattle. “It’s not this ‘80s ‘box everything in.’ When you walk in, you’ll see a much more o p e n e n v i ro n m e n t , ” B e g i c h s a y s . “Right now, the idea of this [existing] design is to block away the street, which is a problem.” On the lower level, Begich envisions a n i n d o o r “a l l ey ” a s a ra l l y p o i n t w h e re v i s i t o r s b ra n c h o u t t o t h e 24 | December 2023
“We’re not building a building; we’re building a neighborhood… It’s overwhelming when you think about it. It’s a lot of capital we had to raise. Nothing simple about any of these projects. Nothing.” Mark Begich, Partner, MASH
property ’s other experiences (and validate their parking stubs). That could include a film festival at Alaska Experience Theater or breakfast at B i s c u i t c l u b , a c u r rent tenant that already draws crowds. The café occupies part of the former post office that gives the 88,000-square-foot mall its nickname. Those 14,000 square feet hold the k ey t o l i v i n g D ow n t ow n : i t c o u l d become a supermarket. As if pitching to a grocery chain, Begich points out, “This concrete is built to post office standards; you
could drive a semi-truck on this, and it’s not gonna crack.” No retailer had inked a deal as of this writing, but the obvious candidate is Begich’s own. One of his other v e n t u re s i s A u ro ra S t o re s , w h i c h operates the Stuaqpak supermarket and convenience store in Utqiaġvik. Begich acknowledges the possibility but says he’s keeping options open.
Transform Downtown
For all the talk of revitalization, Begich is quick to note the vitality of 4th Avenue Market Place’s streetf a c i n g t e n a n t s . D o w n t o w n ’s o n l y Thai restaurant and florist are in the b u i l d i n g , h e s a y s , a n d D ow n t ow n Bicycle Rental does brisk business. Bike shop owner Peter Roberts says tenants were uncertain when the previous owner, a Lower 48 financial institution, sold the building, so he’s glad to see local investment. The Downtown Revitalization Project involves only the properties managed by the M A S H p a r t n e r s h i p , y e t t h e ambitious name speaks to the broader perspective. “For example, as we’re working here, we’re talking to the people across the street,” Begich says. “Not about buying the property, but what can they do differently ?” He recognizes improvements at the Avenue Bar and at the former Cyrano’s Theater, where the new owner plans to restore some upstairs apartments. The fulcrum for change rests on four blocks of Fourth Avenue from E Street to A Street. “You can transform a downtown. There’s not many cities you can do this with. Most of these are fifty blocks, sixty blocks, seventy blocks; we can do four,” Begich says. “That’s significant.”
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NONPROFIT
Rest for the Rasmuson Foundation Taking a pause after a busy year of philanthropic grants
laska’s largest philanthropic organization, the Rasmuson Foundation, announced $550,000 worth of grants to thirty-six artists across Alaska in September. The awards, and the recognition that comes with them, are coveted in the relatively small art world of Alaska. “I’ve been applying for the Rasmuson grant since my business started in 2015; I just haven’t been able to find an ‘in’ with it,” says Nikki Corbett, who sews and travels around the state teaching qaspeq sewing classes. “I was really surprised that we got it. It’s really exciting that it’s going to finally come to fruition.” The Individual Artist Awards—unusual in the fact that they are awarded to individuals instead of nonprofit or tribal entities—come in the form of $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 p ro j e c t a w a rd s , $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 fellowship awards, and a single $50,000 Distinguished Artist award. A jury of art professionals from outside Alaska make the award selections. The batch announced in September is all the more precious because they are the last grants coming from the Rasmuson Foundation in the near future. The organization is closing applications while it pauses to regroup and refine its long-term goals.
A Path to the Future
Corbett and her business partner Katie O’Connor—together they have a business titled Ciuneq, meaning “path 26 | December 2023
to the future” in Yup’ik—received a fellowship award for their collaborative project to create a Yup’ik alphabet coloring book. They see the project, called Katurte, which means “to come together collaboratively as one,” as a springboard to other early-learning tools for Yup’ik and, hopefully, other Alaska Native languages. When her daughter was born in 2017, Corbett began looking for Yup’ik language learning tools for early readers. She grew up in Bethel, where there is a Yup’ik language immersion program, but that was not available outside Bethel. She didn’t find many tools for teaching Yup’ik to early learners, either. It became her goal to create such tools and make them widely available. C o r b e t t s h a re d h e r v i s i o n w i t h O’Connor, a Nome-based hairstylist and illustrator (among other talents). O’Connor says she encouraged Corbett to apply for a Rasmuson Foundation g ra n t f o r t h e p ro j e c t , w h i c h t h ey initially envisioned as a coloring book, flashcards, and even a mobile app that could help early readers learn Yup’ik words. They applied in 2022 but were not selected. “I said, ‘I know grants; the hard legwork is done. Let’s not give up, let’s keep applying,’” O’Connor says. “So we kept on, and we simplified it.” They narrowed the idea to selfpublishing the coloring book. That idea was a hit with the Rasmuson Foundation Nikki Corbet t
A
Nikki Corbet t
By Rindi White
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Individual Artist Award panelists, and they received the grant. Corbett and O’Connor have already made significant progress on the coloring book. In consultation with other Yup’ik speakers, Corbett has been selecting words that are wellsuited for a coloring book—easily depicted and culturally relevant. For example, M is for Maqivik, the Yup’ik word for steam bath. “We do things that are incorporated into our lives,” she says. Archie Inoncillo plays a kulintang gong, which accompanies traditional dance in the Philippines.
More than 10 percent of the population of Ketchikan is Filipino, making it the town’s largest racial group behind Alaska Natives. Within Alaska, Filipinos make up the largest Asian American subgroup; Tagalog is the third most common non-English language spoken in Alaska, after other Native languages and Spanish. Parker believes it’s important to revive Filipino dance and provide the cultural context for it to help Filipino youth of Ketchikan to connect with their elders and keep the culture vibrant.
She has used a portion of the R a s m u s o n g ra n t t o t ra v e l t o t h e Philippines with Kayamanan ng Lahi, a Filipino dance and arts organization from Los Angeles she is partnering with. With the group’s help, she attended a Filipino folk-dance national workshop in July, learning eleven different types of dances from people from different regions of the Philippines. “I know if someone doesn’t do this, it’s not going to last. I want to pass on that knowledge and the meaning behind it. My intent is to go back to
Alma Manabat Parker
The Story Behind the Dance
F o r A l m a M a n a b a t P a r k e r, t h e $10,000 award allows her to trace the history of something that was i n c o r p o ra t e d i n t o h e r l i f e l a rg e l y without cultural context. Parker is a first-generation Filipino immigrant and longtime resident of Ketchikan. Growing up in Ketchikan’s large Filipino community, she took part in Filipino dance, she says, but knows very little about the dances she learned as a child. “You were sort of forced to do it; there was no real perspective on story, interpretation, and reflection of the dance. As a child, you don’t question authority; you don’t understand what you’re learning and what the movements represent,” Parker says. As an adult, she has been active in youth dance culture and is the head coach of the Ketchikan High School D a n c e Te a m , a s w e l l a s t h e h e a d instructor and owner of studioMAX, a dance and fitness studio. Parker wants to bring Filipino dance back to Ketchikan in a culturally rich way. www.akbizmag.com
Alaska Business
December 2023 | 27
the Philippines and have a longer stay, visit different regions, learn more, get regalia and instrumentation, authentic gongs and drums,” she says. “My ultimate dream is to have a diverse cultural center where all walks of life could have space to practice what their traditions are.”
Nikki Corbett, left, and Katie O’Connor pose at the Rasmuson awards announcement earlier this year. Nikki Corbet t
Push Away from the Table
Parker, Corbett, and O’Connor are among this year ’s artist awardees. Most of the awards went to a single person but, in addition to the award to the Corbett and O’Connor collaborative, a fellowship award to Sankofa Dance Theatre-Alaska will be used by director Johnnie Wright, artistic director Misha Baskerville, and the fifteen members of the Ghanaian dance theater group. And that’s all… for now. With the release of the September grants, the foundation begins a yearlong pause in grantmaking. The Rasmuson Foundation Board will meet again this month to award end-of-year large grants to various programs, but it currently is not accepting new grant applications for its Tier 1 (up to $25,000) and Tier 2 (larger than $25,000) grants, nor is it accepting applications for 2024 individual artist awards. Rasmuson staff have listed mid-2024 as the likely timeframe when application periods will reopen. “The last year was a really big year for Rasmuson in the number of awards we made. We saw more large transactions, more large donations than in the past. We have a little digestion to do,” says Vice President of Programs Chris Perez. In the past five years, the Foundation has distributed an average of $28.8 million each year. 28 | December 2023
The foundation doesn’t simply receive a funding request, decide whether or not to fund it, write a check, and move on. Receiving Rasmuson funding is a little like building a friendship: often grantees start with a Tier 1 funding request for a small project such as new flooring, a van, or technology upgrade, and then step to a larger Tier 2 request. That involves significantly more work on both sides, Perez says. “It’s a relatively high-touch process on both sides. We communicate frequently; ultimately we do an in-person site visit or meeting with the organizational structure—city council or leadership,” he explains. “From Metlakatla to Nome, we really cover the state.” By the time the grant process is complete, the staff has worked with the grantee or applicant, leadership, community stakeholders, and other funders. Then comes the Rasmuson Foundation board decision on whether to award a grant or investment. Those d e c i s i o n s , P e rez s a y s , h a p p e n o n a semi-annual basis. T h e T i e r 1 p r o c e s s i s s i m p l e r. Applications were accepted year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis. While there is no requirement for matching project funds, applicants need to demonstrate board and community financial support of their overall budget. “We want to invest in organizations that invest in themselves,” Perez says. The foundation also wants assurance that the request fits the broader community’s needs. Since the Rasmuson Foundation was created by Jenny Rasmuson with a $3,000 endowment in 1955, the organization has distributed $515 million to benefit Alaskans. That first grant? It was for $125 to help fund a church’s “motion picture projector,” and Jenny Rasmuson paid the balance of the $300 cost herself.
Pause to Ref lect
Jenny Rasmuson was the wife of Edward Anton “E.A.” Rasmuson. Both were Swedish immigrants who arrived in Yakutat in the early 1900s, and they married in 1905. Edward was a lawyer who managed and eventually purchased the struggling Bank of Alaska, which he left to his son, Elmer, in 1949. Elmer Rasmuson helped the bank become National Bank of Alaska, shepherding
i t f ro m a c o m m u n i t y b a n k t o t h e largest in the state. Elmer’s son, Ed Rasmuson, became a third-generation banker. In 1999, he negotiated the sale of National Bank of Alaska to Wells Fargo. The proceeds of the sale poured into the family ’s philanthropic endowment, “launching a new level of giving,” as the foundation’s website says. Ed Rasmuson stated that the foundation gave away half a million dollars a week, a statement that still holds up. He died in 2022, having chaired the foundation’s board from 2000 to 2021, when he became chairman emeritus until his death. For much of that time, Diane Kaplan— who was also the foundation’s first employee—served as CEO. Having steered the foundation through the u n s t e a d y t i m e s o f t h e CO V I D - 1 9 pandemic, Kaplan retired in early 2 0 2 3 . T h e b o a rd s e l e c t e d f o r m e r A l a s k a l e g i s l a t o r a n d h e a l t h c a re manager Gretchen Guess as the next president and CEO; she went to work at the end of February. While her first year has been busy, now Guess is taking time with the rest of the foundation’s leadership to regroup, refocus, and recharge. She explains, “The main reason for the pause is really to allow the staff… to catch up on their work, document the processes, and do some internal alignment work that, because of how fast the team has been going, it hasn’t been able to catch up on it.” Guess adds, “The board, which in some ways is different with Ed’s passing, will have time to relook at some internal governing items that have not been updated, to look at some short-term process improvements and some longterm strategic planning.” U l t i m a t e l y, P e rez s a y s , p a u s i n g f o r a f ew m o n t h s i s a c h a n c e t o reflect on where the Rasmuson Foundation has been. “ This is an organization that has been growing rapidly and running hard for three decades. I’m excited by the opportunity to both reflect on what we’ve done, think about the successes we’ve had, and set the course for where we want to be,” Perez says. And that takes a little time. As Guess says, “This is a big boat that moves slowly.”
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A
pollo doesn’t hold much sway in the modern medical profession, despite the Greek god’s prominence in the Healer’s Oath. Rather than swear to Apollo (and Asclepius, Panacea, and Hygieia), physicians abide by a code of ethics. This adherence is what makes medicine a profession, in the classical sense. Earlier this year, Alaska Business debuted a directory for the ethically bound profession of law, the Legal Elite, and this month’s special section introduces the medical counterpart: Top Docs. Out of the broader healthcare workforce, this directory focuses on those whom Hippocrates would’ve recognized as trained and sworn physicians; moreover, it honors the best of the best, as nominated by their peers. Some specialists in the field share their expertise with articles in this section about “The Business of Nursing” and the nonprofit Health TIE, which stands for “Testbed for Innovative Enterprises.” A relatively new program from the Alaska Department of Health gets the spotlight in “Medicare Ambassadors.” And “Interior Medicine” visits Fairbanks to check in w i t h c o m m u n i t y h o s p i t a l o p e ra t o r Foundation Health Partners. Finally, “People & Patients, Facts & Figures” explores how healthcare providers collect and use data. Flip to this month’s Alaska Trends for a display of births, deaths, and other demographic data from the Alaska Vital Statistics 2022 Annual Report. As it shows, everyone crosses paths with the healthcare system at least twice, coming and going.
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The Business of Nursing tridsanu | envanto
Navigating Alaska’s nurse market
By Lincoln Garrick and Marianne Murray
A
ccording to the International Council of Nurses, the field of nursing “encompasses [the] autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities, sick or w e l l a n d i n a l l s e t t i n g s . ” Yo u c a n find nursing professionals staffing the front lines of all levels of care p rov i d i n g i l l n e s s p rev e n t i o n a n d health promotion. They also take part in research, advocacy, policy making, education, and management within the healthcare industry. The title “nurse” refers to someone who holds particular qualifications a n d h a s d e m o n s t ra t e d n e c e s s a r y competency, but it actually describes a whole alphabet soup of different levels of care and training, including CNA, LPN, AAS, ADN, BSN, RN, MSN, APRN, NP, DNP, and PhD. One way to think about nurses is by three general categories: non-degree, degree, and advanced degree. Non-degreed nurses include certified nursing assistants (CNA) and licensed practical nurses (LPN), which complete nursing education programs that may conclude with a diploma or certificate but generally not a university degree. Degreed nurses include those with an undergraduate degree in the field, such as an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AAS), an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Many people associate the word “nurse” with the role of a registered nurse (RN); these professionals 32 | December 2023
have earned associate or bachelor ’s degrees from a nationally accredited nursing program and passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) exam. RNs have broad responsibilities that include performing physical exams and health histories, providing health counseling and education, administering medications and other personalized interventions, and coordinating care with a wide array of healthcare professionals. In some workplaces, RNs oversee CNAs and LPNs.
Nurses are assuming new roles in a broad range of settings, from ambulatory care to communitybased care. Advanced degreed nurses are those with a graduate degree in the field, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Graduate study can lead to more autonomy, management, o r a d m i n i s t ra t i v e p o s i t i o n s , w i t h
some clinicians pursuing advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) or nurse practitioner (NP) licensure as a generalist, a specific patient population like pediatrics, or other specialization like certified registered nurse anesthetist or nurse midwife.
Where Are Alaska’s Nurses?
Healthcare is a big industry in Alaska. According to the Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association, in 2021 the state saw $3 billion in wages generated through nearly 43,000 healthcare jobs, which is 11 percent of Alaska’s entire workforce. One in three Alaska healthcare jobs is a nurse, with 43 percent of all healthcare wages being paid to nurses. Average Alaska RN a n n u a l e a r n i n g s w e re $ 8 2 , 2 0 5 i n 2018, with 9 percent earning less than $40,000 and 12 percent earning more than $120,000. Alaska NPs earned on average $108,889 in 2018. The number of practicing nurses varies greatly in different communities. Anchorage is the central hub of nursing resources in Alaska, employing 64.5 percent of all the state’s nurses: 68 percent of the state’s RNs, 63 percent of all LPNs and vocational nurses, 57 percent of all nurse assistants, and 49 percent of all NPs. Fairbanks employs 10.5 percent of all nurses, and the remaining 25 percent are distributed throughout the rest of the state. Tra v e l n u r s e s o r t e m p o ra r y duty nurses are RNs who work for independent staffing agencies and
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nationally identifying as white non-Hispanic, according to the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey conducted by National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. • 62 percent of RNs nationally report an increase in their workload during COVID-19, and 50 percent of RNs reported feeling emotionally drained from work “every day” or “a few times a week” according to an analysis of the
2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey in the Journal of Nursing Regulation, April 2023. According to DOLWD, growth and c h u r n re q u i re d A l a s k a t o re c r u i t more than 1,500 new RNs annually to meet demand, based on three-year averages from 2019 to 2021. Nurse demographics of today could be very different in five years.
Demand for Nurses
The state’s need for new nurses is not likely to decrease in the short
The Statistically Typical Nurse
Who Alaska’s nurses are is a little difficult to nail down because the industry is growing so rapidly, with a 50 percent increase of positions during the last fifteen years. Also, since nursing positions have relatively high turnover or churn— as much as 25 percent of workers can be replaced annually—specific demographics can change often. • Most nurses are residents. In 2020 the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) reported 81 percent of NPs, 84.3 percent of RNs, and 93.5 percent of CNAs were Alaska residents. • The average age of licensed and employed Alaska RNs was 47.5 years old with 17.1 years in the nursing profession according to the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN). This number is a little higher than the national average of 46 years old. • Women outnumber men nineto-one as registered nurses. Notably, male RNs earn about 14 percent more salary than female RNs in Alaska. • 78 percent of licensed and employed Alaska RNs identified as white non-Hispanic according to the 2018 NSSRN, which tracks close to 80 percent of RNs www.akbizmag.com
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take temporary positions to fill in shortterm employment gaps in high-need areas. Travel nursing is a specialty that took root in the ‘70’s during persistent nursing shortages, but the demand for travel nurses accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a national peak of 45,000 open positions during late 2021, according to staffing agency Aya Healthcare. To a t t r a c t n u r s e s t o t h e o p e n posi tions, employ ers offer higher salaries, housing, and often relocating costs. Travel nurses can bridge the short-term supply and demand gaps, meet healthcare facilities’ mandatory n u r s e - p a t i e n t ra t i o s , a n d p rov i d e nurses with the adventure that comes from exploring new hospitals and care systems—but the pay and job security can vary, housing can be complicated, and institutions may cancel contracts if their needs shift.
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term. DOLWD’s October 2022 Alaska E c o n o m i c Tre n d s a r t i c l e “ Te n - y e a r O c c u p a t i o n a l P ro j e c t i o n s ” s t a t e d , “Healthcare represents fourteen of the top twenty-five [individual occupations] for percent growth,” with RNs, CNAs, and NPs all on the high-growth occupation list with a projected 12 percent growth before 2030. Nationally, 29 percent of emergency nurses surveyed by the American Nurses Foundation in 2022 said that they planned to leave their job, with one of the main reasons being insufficient staffing. Alaska is one of nine states that is not part of a universal licensure program, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), that allows nurses to practice throughout most of the US without obtaining additional state licenses. The Alaska Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing in the article “The Facts: Why Alaska Needs to Join the Nurse Licensure Compact” states: “Do we know if joining the NLC will be the “silver bullet ” that fixes our nursing vacancy issues? No. However, we know that if we continue to be one of the only US jurisdictions that is not part of the NLC, it will become even harder for Alaska to bring in the traveling nurses we rely on so heavily, retain our nursing graduates, and encourage nurses from other states to make Alaska their home.” NLC membership might be on Alaska’s nursing horizon. Many major changes in the Alaska nursing profession are likely to be in response to this increasing demand and shrinking supply. The profession may see a shortened work week without a decrease in compensation, investing in virtual care tools that allow hybrid work options, the creation of in-house per diem pools to offer more staffing flexibility, and having more nurses in decision-making roles to ensure their voices are heard as authentic leaders. A commitment to workplace safety and overall well-being may reduce the number of nurses who leave the field. According to the 2019 National Health Care Retention and RN Staffing Report, it is estimated that workplace violence causes 17.2 percent of nurses nationally to leave their job every year. The Alaska Nurses Association reports from their 34 | December 2023
2019 Workplace Violence survey that 91 percent of Alaska nurses have witnessed or experienced workplace violence. Virtual nursing began in Electronic Intensive Care Units (eICU), a model of telemedicine where state-of-theart technology is used to provide an additional layer of critical care service to patients, where patients do not have to be in the same hospital as their healthcare providers. This virtual nursing supported by an increased use of technology and artificial intelligence may move to other units as well as patient education, discharge planning, and other tasks that do not require hands-on care. Nurses are expanding their reach and impact in the redesigned health care system. They are assuming new roles in a broad range of settings, from ambulatory care to community-based care. New job titles are emerging, such as population health manager, patient coach, informatics designer, geriatric care manager, and care transition specialist. Nurses are also increasingly employed as "boundary spanners," connecting patients with services in health and community settings.
Alaska’s Evolving Healthcare System
Alaskans experience lower life expectancy and higher rates of chronic diseases, injuries, and mental illness. Overall Alaskans have lower access to healthcare than the rest of the country due to remoteness, the high cost of healthcare, and cultural barriers. Today’s nursing workforce provides many more services, including care coordination and transitional care, use of data and evidence, interprofessional collaboration, and process performance improvement. Alaska’s next generation of nurses are being prepared for the workforce beyond traditional skills with an understanding of addressing socioeconomic factors, protecting the environment, and respecting cultural differences—including culturally appropriate healthcare services and working with traditional healers. For instance, the Alaska Pacific University nursing program has been designed to address the strong cultural identity that Alaskans have, using a foundation of cultural safety in their curriculum. Cultural safety is an
important concept in nursing education. It refers to the need for nurses to be aware of and respect the cultural beliefs and practices of their patients. This is essential for providing safe and effective care, as it helps to ensure that patients feel comfortable and respected during their treatment. Achieving cultural safety is a complex and challenging process, but it is essential to address the health disparities in Alaska and provide equitable and high-quality patient care. By educating nurses about cultural safety, and by creating a culture of cultural safety in healthcare organizations, progress can be made towards achieving this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the Alaska nursing industry in u n i m a g i n a b l e w a y s , a n d t h e n ex t decade will require a larger, stronger, and more diversified nursing workforce that is technologically savvy and prepared to provide integrated care. It will require nurses who value health a n d w e l l - b e i n g a n d a re re a d y t o address systemic inequities that have fueled wide and persistent health disparities across the state. Lincoln Garrick is an assistant professor of business, MBA director, and alumnus at Alaska Pacific University. He has more than twenty years of experience in the business, marketing, and communications f i e l d s , p rov i d i n g public affairs and strategy services for national and Alaska organizations. Dr. Marianne Murray, DNP, RN, CHSE is a professor of nursing and the director of nursing programs at APU. Since coming to APU, Murray has been involved in the creation of the curriculum in the practical nursing program and the associate degree program. Murray has served as the executive director of the Alaska Board of Nursing and assisted with many regulation changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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WE LLN E S S More than 35 Alaska hospitals and medical clinics designed since 1976. www.bettisworthnorth.com
The collection and use of healthcare data By Alexandra Kay
Public Data Gathering
Health systems collect data through the US Census Bureau and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) managed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). BRFSS is a telephone survey about healthrelated risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. BRFSS completes more than 400,000 adult interviews each year, making it the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world. According to CDC, “By collecting behavioral risk data at the state and local level, BRFSS has become a powerful tool for targeting and building health promotion activities.” In addition to the federal health statistics, states collect and analyze their own. According to the National Institutes of Health, some states collect disease registries and some do not; some conduct health surveys and some do not. In Alaska, the Division of Public Health within the Department of Health (which split from the Department of Health and Social Services in March 2022) maintains two collections of data. The section of Health Analytics and Vital Records tracks births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. These data include the medical condition of each newborn and mother and, for each Alaskan who dies, the causes are catalogued to distinguish among illnesses or accidents, plotting the incidence over time. Meanwhile, the section of Epidemiology collects a Health Impact Assessment. These data include the condition of healthcare services infrastructure, access to clean water and sanitation, food security and diet, exposure to hazardous materials, surveillance of injuries and accidents, and social determinants of health, such as education status, family dynamics, or stress.
Private Sector Collection
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People & Patients, Facts & Figures
“W
i t h o u t d a t a , w e’re b l i n d t o t h e n e e d s of the community and where to direct our resources,” says Nathan Johnson, senior director of community health investment at Providence Alaska. Data is the natural byproduct of any interaction in the healthcare system. The admissions desk records payment information; an assistant measures patient weight, blood pressure, and heart rate; laboratories encode reams of results; and physicians note their diagnostic findings. This data is essential for creating positive outcomes, but safeguarding the privacy of patients and their data is just as important for Providence and other health systems. Once those individual data points have been made anonymous, compiled across the entire population, and spread over time, a general picture emerges of the health of the overall community.
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Health systems like Providence Alaska use governmentgathered healthcare data plus what they collect to drive resources based on community needs. Hospitals and other healthcare providers have electronic medical records that include primary causes for hospital admission and data that reflects diagnostic trends. “The ER is sort of the canary in the coal mine for the community,” says Johnson. A recent glaring example was Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
to address identified needs—work that includes community partners.” Like other large healthcare systems, P rov i d e n c e A l a s k a a l s o c o n d u c t s key stakeholder interviews to fill in gaps in federal or state data. “When it comes to population-level data, it is very important to make sure that your data sample is representative of the community, and we understand that it’s very difficult to reach certain parts of the community,” says Johnson. “So we talk to the leaders of the organizations that have large service u m b re l l a s i n t h e c o m m u n i t y — l i k e the Anchorage Community Health Center and Catholic Social Services, both of which serve some of the most vulnerable populations in Anchorage. Data never speaks for itself. You end up triangulating a lot of data points with the experience and depth of community and organizational leaders who have knowledge in particular areas of need.”
Data-Driven Projects
D a t a , s u r v ey s , a n d s t a k e h o l d e r interviews have driven two of Providence’s recent, ongoing projects:
“Coming back to this data helps us better understand the needs of the patients we serve and to get upstream and look in the prevention space, and that is inclusive of behavioral health. That data allows us to identify patterns so we can get ahead of them. Nathan Johnson Senior Director of Community Health Investment Providence Alaska
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the COVID-19 pandemic, during which health systems were at capacity, and the ER was the bellwether, he explains. Johnson adds, “Coming back to this data helps us better understand the needs of the patients we serve and to get upstream and look in the prevention space, and that is inclusive of behavioral health. That data allows us to identify patterns so we can get ahead of them.” Hospitals also rely on community h e a l t h s u r v ey s t o m a k e i n f o r m e d decisions. “We collect secondary data through the Census and BRFSS, but in Alaska’s rural communities, the data samples are too small to get good information that way, so we field community health needs assessment surveys in the communities we serve,” says Johnson. “These help inform our annual grant making, which is driven by what we learn from those needs assessments. Right now we are in the middle of a community health needs assessment for Valdez. We’ll complete it by the end of the year, and for the first few months of next year we’ll create a community health improvement plan
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“A lot of people think that public health systems have this data, but we have to go out with communitylevel surveys, like BRFSS and the surveys Providence fields, and the polling is challenging. It’s very expensive because, to do statistically valid community polling, there is a lot of work involved.” Nathan Johnson Senior Director of Community Health Investment Providence Alaska
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Providence Alaska House will serve as a supportive housing and recuperative care facility in Midtown Anchorage, and the Crisis Stabilization Center will help adults aged 18 and older get through a mental health crisis. Construction on Providence Alaska H o u s e i s n ow u n d e r w a y, a n d t h e project is expected to open in 2024. The facility will be for low-income people aged 55 and older who are experiencing homelessness and disabling health conditions, and it will include forty-five permanent supportive housing units and six recuperative care units. Supportive housing offers a permanent place to live for those experiencing homelessness. Recuperative housing is for those being discharged from the hospital and will give patients who are experiencing homelessness a period of time to convalesce and prepare for permanent housing placement. “ S u p p o r t i v e i s t h e k ey w o rd i n permanent supportive housing. Individuals with these health challenges at this age often find it challenging to live independently, and we will be partnering with others to bring services to these individuals on-site,” says Johnson. “But we needed to look at the data to get a sense of the magnitude of the issue. In this instance, the whole idea of living outside in Alaska with any health condition would be challenging at best, but for those with these disabling conditions it’s profound.” The Crisis Stabilization Center and behavioral health urgent care are designed to include three different programs to serve people experiencing a mental health crisis: a b e h a v i o ra l u r g e n t c a re w a l k - i n clinic; a 23-hour crisis stabilization for those experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis, meant t o d i v e r t p e o p l e f ro m e m e rg e n c y rooms (ERs) and avoid unnecessarily high levels of care; and a 24-hour residential crisis stabilization for those who need to stay multiple days in order to stabilize. The 23- and 24-hour programs will begin accepting patients in mid-2024. The walk-in clinic is not yet under construction. “ The center plans were driven by m y r i a d d a t a , i n c l u d i n g n e e d s assessment and hospital admission d a t a f ro m t h e E R , ” s a y s J o h n s o n .
Neither of these projects would be possible without the collection of data—both large and small—to aid in the planning.
Security and Challenges
H o s p i t a l s a n d o t h e r h e a l t h c a re facilities and providers are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when it comes to individuals’ privacy around their health records. By law, health information can be shared for some specific reasons not directly related to a patient’s care—making sure doctors give good care, reporting when flu is in the area, or for federal reporting— b u t t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n i s s h a re d a s anonymous, aggregate data. “Our community surveys are entirely a n o n y m o u s , s o i t ’s a l l a g g re g a t e d a t a a n d w e’re n o t g e t t i n g d ow n into specifics,” says Johnson. “Where internal admissions data is concerned, we’re bound by HIPAA, and where data is shared with outside partners, it’s all de-identified and aggregated at a very high level.” One large issue with health facilities collecting information is the siloing of data. Because many health systems are privatized and competitive, it becomes challenging from a community perspective and a government perspective to determine community needs and challenges in a marketplace where the providers are competing for resources. “There are resources required to do data collection, and it’s very expensive right now to collect population-level data,” says Johnson. “A lot of people think that public health systems have this data, but we have to go out with community-level surveys, like BRFSS and the surveys Providence fields, and the polling is challenging. It’s very expensive because, to do statistically valid community polling, there is a lot of work involved. To drive meaningful interventions and community change, the community survey samples need to be representative of the community we are trying to serve.” In the end, using the data becomes about resourcing a solution, whether it’s a housing project for the homeless, a mental health facility for those in crisis, or some unknown-as-of-yet future healthcare need.
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You bring out the best in us. Thank you for voting Providence Alaska Medical Center the Best of Alaska hospital. We are committed to ensuring Alaskans receive the best care close to home. We’ve also once again been recognized as a top health care provider by U.S. News & World Report. Providence Alaska Medical Center has been named 2023-2024 Best Regional Hospital in Anchorage and High Performing in seven procedures and conditions. Thanks to the great work of all our caregivers, providers and community partners, enabling us to serve our community with award-winning care. Learn more at Providence.org/PAMCawards.
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Medicare Ambassadors New outreach to connect seniors with healthcare resources By Terri Marshall
E
ach day, about 10,000 Americans mark their 65th birthdays. As a p re s e n t , t h o s e n ew s e n i o r citizens are entitled to governmentb a c k e d h e a l t h i n s u ra n c e t h ro u g h Medicare. With approximately 110,000 Medicare recipients, Alaska has the fewest of any s t a t e , y e t re a c h i n g beneficiaries presents unique c h a l l e n g e s . To o v e r c o m e t h e s e challenges, the Alaska Medicare Information Office launched the Ambassador Program, a trusted resource for determining the best Medicare coverage for individual medical needs.
The Basics of Medicare
Established in 1965 as an expansion of the Social Security system, Medicare is a federal insurance program for c i t i z e n s w i t h t h e m o s t ex p e n s i v e healthcare needs. In addition to people age 65 and older, Medicare also covers younger people who have been on Social Security disability for twenty-four months and those who have end-stage renal disease (permanent kidney failure). 40 | December 2023
W h i l e M e d i c a re p rov i d e s m u c h needed assistance to eligible participants, understanding the program’s varied plans can be daunting. A p p rov a l o f c ov e re d s e r v i c e s f o r Medicare benefits is usually based on what is medically necessary. Amounts paid for covered services are based on payment schedules set by Medicare. Under Medicare Part A, which covers hospital and hospice charges, healthcare providers are not allowed t o c h a rg e m o re t h a n t h e a m o u n t Medicare approves. Under Medicare Part B, which covers general medical expenses, excess charges are allowed f o r s o m e s e r v i c e s , b u t t h e re a re limitations. Medicare pays most costs, but significant gaps can leave large bills to pay. M e d i c a re s u p p l e m e n t a l p o l i c i e s are used to cover excess medical costs not covered by Medicare A or B. Medicare supplemental policies are also referred to as Medigap, or Part C, coverage. Private insurance companies sell these policies.
In Alaska, companies selling Medigap coverage are limited to “Standardized Policies” identified by the letters A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Identifying the policies needed to maximize insurance coverage can be overwhelming. Getting information to those eligible to receive Medicare is vital to helping them navigate the somewhat confusing labyrinth the numerous programs entail.
The Alaska Medicare Information Office
The Alaska Medicare Information Office (MIO), part of the state health department, provides unbiased, authoritative counseling and outreach to help Alaskans get more out of M e d i c a re , s u p p l e m e n t p l a n s , a n d p re s c r i p t i o n d r u g p l a n s ( e n a c t e d in 2006 as Part D). The state office is funded by three federal grants: • State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program grants pay for free, unbiased counseling to Medicare beneficiaries,
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Larson and office assistant Teresa Garfield complete the team. The MIO relies on volunteers to help get information out to Alaskans currently eligible for Medicare and to those approaching age 65. Currently t h e re a re a b o u t 1 0 0 v o l u n t e e r s . “We have two types of volunteers,” says Norwood. “In-kind volunteers that need to know and understand M e d i c a re f o r t h e i r j o b s a n d t r u e volunteers who just want to help. All our volunteers devote time and energy to this valuable program.” In the volunteer counselor program, participants must complete fourteen hours of online training followed by two full days of in-person training to go over more specifics of Alaska’s Medicare program and the various insurance companies that work with Medicare. “Not everyone can devote the time required to do this amount o f t ra i n i n g , ” s a y s N o r w o o d . “A l s o , not all agencies have a dedicated staff member that has the time to complete the training process, and in some instances there could be a conflict of interest.”
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“The Ambassador Program was a goal of mine for several years before we were able to launch it… Watching it grow and sharing information about the program is very exciting.” Dana Norwood Program Coordinator Alaska Medicare Information Office
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families, and caregivers and offers community outreach and group education about Medicare. • Senior Medicare Patrol focuses on empowering and assisting Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers on how to detect fraud and abuse. • The Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act funds outreach and assistance to limitedincome Medicare beneficiaries to help them apply for programs that lower their Medicare costs. Alaska MIO Program Coordinator Dana Norwood joined the office in the fall of 2017. “I didn’t know anything about Medicare at that time, but I had a director who served as my mentor and she brought me up to speed,” Norwood recalls. The team at MIO comprises just four individuals. Norwood oversees the department and manages the grants that fund the office programs. Terri Crockett serves as volunteer coordinator and is responsible for recruiting and training volunteers from all over Alaska. Project assistant Jeanné
H E A LT H C A R E Medicare Ambassadors are a point of contact to share information about the program, more easily embedded in communities than volunteer counselors who go through nearly a week of training. jacoblund | iStock
The program also lost some volunteers during COVID-19 lockdowns when most people were staying home to avoid illness.
The Launch of the Ambassador Program
The MIO launched an Ambassador Program in the spring of 2022, and it continues to grow. Organizations that have regular interactions with Medicare beneficiaries participate in the program and provide resources about Medicare benefits and contact information to reach Medicare counselors for patients who have additional questions. “ T h e A m b a s s a d o r P ro g ra m w a s a g o a l o f m i n e f o r s ev e ra l y e a r s before we were able to launch it,” s a y s N o r w o o d . “ Wa t c h i n g i t g row and sharing information about the program is very exciting.” The spark came alive for the Ambassador Program in 2018. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for agencies that deal with seniors— such as community health centers, senior centers, pharmacies, and even some tribal offices—to help spread information to help Alaskans understand Medicare and the benefits 42 | December 2023
they are entitled to receive,” explains Norwood. “I reached out to everyone I could think of where our seniors might go, including libraries, the Elks Club, Moose Lodges, and more.” Norwood says she believed Alaska needed another method of getting information out to seniors, beyond the MIO’s cadre of volunteers, in part due to the size of the state. “Our geography sets us up differently than states in the Lower 48,” she explains. “We’re so large that many folks don’t even know what’s available, and due to the number of small villages in the Interior of Alaska, there may not be a Medicare provider in the area.” In contrast with volunteers, ambassadors can be fielded with less training. They represent the office through handout documents, acting as a point of contact at outreach events. “The Ambassador Program is a really easy program to be involved in,” says Norwood. “Our main goal is to ensure we get all the necessary Medicare basics into the hands of a local ambassador who can then share that information with seniors within their community and, when necessary, connect individuals with a Medicare counselor for one-on-
one assistance in selecting the Medicare program that is best for that individual.” During the launch in spring 2022, Norwood visited several communities to introduce the Ambassador P ro g ra m t o t h e l o c a l p o p u l a t i o n a n d o rg a n i z a t i o n s w h o m s h e f e l t could aid in sharing information with seniors. On a trip in Southeast, she connected with agencies in Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka. In t h e I n t e r i o r, N o r w o o d c o n n e c t e d with Denakkanaaga, a Koyukon Athabascan nonprofit, to build relationships with people who can, in turn, be a trusted resource for seniors within their community. “My goal is to strive to have at least one ambassador in every community,” says Norwood. “Ideally, I would love to have a Medicare counselor in every community too; however, having at least one ambassador in place to build community trust is vital.” Norwood acknowledges that getting someone to return her call, especially in extremely remote communities, is challenging at times. Believing in-person visits are more effective in building trust and understanding, Norwood is planning another round of visits through the Interior to introduce the Ambassador Program.
How Ambassadors Work
Members of the Ambassador Program are supplied with tabletop signs to display, letting Alaskans know they are an information resource. The information they have at hand comes in the form of pamphlets. “Agencies that would like to provide Medicare education and information display the table topper for customers and clients to see,” explains Norwood. “When folks request information, the ambassador provides the handouts, captures the dissemination efforts on the program reporting sheet, and submits the reporting sheet by fax to the MIO monthly.” Through partnerships with volunteers a n d s t a t ew i d e o rg a n i z a t i o n s t h a t can help provide accurate and authoritative Medicare information to their community, the MIO has a much greater reach, which results in Alaskans receiving the information and benefits they are entitled to through the Medicare program.
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December 2023 | 43
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H E A LT H C A R E
Interior F Medicine Foundation Health Partners cares for the Fairbanks community By Rachael Kvapil 44 | December 2023
oundation Health Partners provides such a range of healthcare services in Fairbanks and the Interior region that it’s easier to identify procedures outside its wheelhouse. “ We don’t work on open heart surgeries, and we don’t work on brains,” says Dr. Angelique Ramirez, Foundation Health chief medical officer. Sarah Martin, chief nursing officer for the community hospital operator, clarifies, “We do perform cardiac surgeries. We just don’t perform open heart surgeries.” Foundation Health Partners is a w h o l l y ow n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f T h e Greater Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation, which was established in
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“We partner with a broad array of organizations to regularly discuss common goals… And together we do our best to invest in the community through improved services or better methods.” Kari Burrell Internal and External Affairs Senior Director Foundation Health Partners
Celebrating 20 years of the movement and 100 years of mission
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Ella Goss, MSN, RN Chief Executive, Providence Alaska 2024 Anchorage Go Red for Women Chairperson
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 45
HEALTHCARE
the late ‘60s to build a replacement it in the early ‘90s to replace Careage for St. Joseph’s Hospital, irreparably North, which was the only private damaged by a flood in 1967. The nursing home provider in Fairbanks community raised funds for Fairbanks when the foundation purchased it in M e m o r i a l H o s p i t a l ( F M H ) , a n d i n 1982. Tanana Valley Clinic (TVC) was 1975 it enlisted Banner Health, an a separate facility also operated by Arizona-based nonprofit healthcare Banner Health. In 2015, the foundation purchased TVC, making it a “partner” network, as the operator. After forty years, the foundation in the organization. decided in 2015 that local operation would better serve the community. Meet the Partners “Banner Health is a big system, From its headquarters in Fairbanks, and part of what they wanted to do Foundation Health serves patients was streamline care in the region, throughout the Interior. FMH is a which meant taking some of the care 152-bed hospital that provides care out of Fairbanks,” says Shelly Ebenal, in twenty-seven specialties ranging F o u n d a t i o n H e a l t h P a r t n e r s C E O. from behavioral health, cancer care, “A f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g a f ew laboratory, pain treatment, alternative operators, it was and surgical care to women eventually settled that we and infant services. In 2021, would become independent FMH provided treatment operators with a board of for 4,384 inpatient and d i re c t o r s t o ov e r s e e t h e 150,165 outpatient visits. hospital, Tanana Valley Clinic, The emergency room and the Denali Center.” cared for 32,368 patients, The Denali Center is and 1,106 babies were a l o n g - t e r m c a re f a c i l i t y delivered that year. c o n n e c t e d t o F M H by a Shelley Ebenal Serving the Interior since Foundation Health corridor. The foundation built Par tners 1959, TVC is the largest and
H E A LT H C A R E
“We’ve been very focused on ‘grow your own’… Meaning we realize that we could assist community members by offering entry-level job opportunities and work with them to further their education and career advancement.” Nicole Welch Chief Human Resources Officer Foundation Health Partners
46 | December 2023
An additional challenge comes with most comprehensive clinic in the state, with a main facility and an adjacent 1st providing care for patients from outlying Care center for walk-in family medical areas. Foundation Health spokesperson services. In 2020, the number of visits Kari Burrell says patients who must drive to TVC and the 1st Care center totaled long distances or fly in from remote 142,747. In addition to primary care, communities would often like to get all TVC also offers medical specialties that their medical needs met during a single include asthma, allergy, behavioral visit. However, scheduling multiple health, endocrinology, and osteopathic appointments is not always possible since steps in the process, such as manipulative medicine. Completing the circle of care, Denali obtaining lab results, are needed first. “Our providers try to help patients Center is a 90-bed facility providing s h o r t - a n d l o n g - t e r m c a re s i n c e navigate those situations as quickly as possible,” says Burrell. 1994. Based on the Eden “Sometimes it doesn’t work A l t e r n a t i v e p h i l o s o p h y, out, and patients have to s t a f f p rov i d e c a re t o a n come back for a second trip.” assigned elder and rooms To better assist remote are designed in a homepatients, Burrell says like fashion to prevent Foundation Health is patients from suffering from u p g ra d i n g i t s e l e c t ro n i c what the Eden model’s comedical record system. f o u n d e r D r. B i l l T h o m a s Currently, there are fourteen calls the "Three Plagues of Kari Burrell parts of the system, and Nursing Homes"—loneliness, Foundation Health t h e g o a l i s t o d ev e l o p a helplessness, and boredom. Par tners In 2021, Denali Center provided services w a y t o c o n n e c t a l l p a r t s . T h o u g h for seventy-three residents in need of it is several years out, Foundation long-term and dementia care and skilled Health would eventually like to find a way to extend access to providers nursing or rehabilitation. E b e n a l s a y s F o u n d a t i o n H e a l t h outside of its system, to help with creates services and makes decisions better care coordination. Foundation Health has also done based on its overall mission: People First. Community Focused. Excellence more with telehealth services to meet Every Time. She says everybody from the changing needs of patients. Two the board of directors to frontline telehealth services regularly employed a re Te l e s t ro k e , w h i c h w o r k s w i t h staff live that mission. patients when a local neurologist isn’t available, and TeleNephrology The Safety Net In addition to the roughly 100,000 for dialysis patients. “We can’t be everything to everyone, residents in the Fairbanks area, F o u n d a t i o n H e a l t h i s e f f e c t i v e l y but we try,” says Martin. responsible for providing healthcare services to the northern See One, Do One, two-thirds of the state. Teach One Martin says staff do their From a medical staffing best to be ready for anything perspective, Ramirez says at any time. That level of that the remoteness of preparation comes at a cost, the Interior often requires though. Supply chain issues physicians and nurses to can affect the level of patient practice at a much broader care, so Foundation Health scope than a dedicated developed a storage system specialist. She feels that Sarah Martin for items that are regularly Foundation Health Foundation Health tends Par tners used or harder to acquire. to attract people who like “We are very deliberate in identifying to practice on this level and are driven things we have to keep on hand, more by a community mission. tracking our periodic automatic Workforce development is a top replenishment levels, and even keeping priority, according to Nicole Welch, older technology around,” says Martin. F o u n d a t i o n H e a l t h c h i e f h u m a n “We’re hoarders of the best kind.” resources officer. “We’ve been very Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
different one. “You may come in as a phlebotomist and suddenly pass out when there’s blood,” says Ebenal. “At that point, Nicole’s team will reach o u t a n d f i g u re o u t o t h e r c a re e r options that are available. They ’re very good at finding careers. They don’t give up on people.” There is also a financial benefit to the community, given that Foundation Health is the largest private employer in Fairbanks. Its annual operating budget is more than $300 million, with $180 million-plus in payroll. Furthermore, an expansive healthcare organization is a quality-of-life amenity as people c o n s i d e r m ov i n g t o F a i r b a n k s t o support other industries.
Stuff, Staff, and Space
Foundation Health has received a number of awards at its facilities. FMH won the Organ Donation Referral Achievement Award, the Silver Level Beacon Award for Excellence (Intensive Care Unit), the Commission on Cancer O u t s t a n d i n g A c h i ev e m e n t A w a rd , and Mountain-Pacific Health Awards, among others. Honors for Denali
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Chenega and Chugach shareholder Thomas Kompkoff participates in TCC’s Step-Up Program to develop leaders.
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 47
HEALTHCARE
learning and professional focused on ‘grow your opportunities has enhanced own’,” says Welch. “Meaning employee engagement. we realize that we could “ This has been a huge assist community members financial investment,” says by offering entry-level Welch. “It’s also been a huge job opportunities and investment by our staff who work with them to further consistently work with new their education and students, particularly staff career advancement.” who are already busy and Welch adds that a health Nicole Welch maybe even burned out.” s y s t e m i s m o r e t h a n Foundation Health Ramirez says the benefit p h y s i c i a n s a n d n u r s e s . Par tners Career opportunities are available of working with students is knowing f o r n e a r l y e v e r y f i e l d , i n c l u d i n g that some will continue their careers, m e d i c a l , i n f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y, o r re t u r n l a t e r t o n ew p o s i t i o n s , education, business, finance, human with Foundation Health. Established professionals often find many benefits resources, and more. Welch says that Foundation Health from teaching students on a personal will always rely on a pipeline of out-of- and community level, even if a student state applicants who come to Alaska, goes elsewhere to work or continue in part, for the adventure. However, their education. “When you’re a better Foundation Health has found that in- teacher, you’re better at what you’re state hires tend to stay longer than doing,” says Ramirez. Ebenal adds that working with out-of-state counterparts, who often move away after a few years. This educational staff is a great testing finding spurred a renewed dedication ground for students who are still trying to local workforce development, where to focus their careers. More than once, staff are able to learn as they work. a student has started in one area of Welch says providing these types of study but ended up in a completely
H E A LT H C A R E
In June, the Denali Center became the first Alaska facility to receive a Silver Achievement award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living for improvements in specific measures of quality. Foundation Health Parners
Center include the Mountain Pacific Commitment to Quality Award, the American Health Care Association Bronze Baldridge Quality Award, and recognition by US World and News Report Best Nursing Homes. Martin says these are all evidencebased awards that point to organizations, departments, and service lines that are exceeding s t a n d a rd s , a n d t h ey d e m o n s t ra t e that Foundation Health has the technology, the expertise, and the facilities to support the needs of the community. "We are who we are b e c a u s e o f o u r e m p l oy e e s , ” s a y s Martin. “The physicians and staff live the mission and are engaged in caring for friends, neighbors, and families in our community.” For all its success, Foundation Health is also dedicated to continued improvement. Burrell says it is currently working on a community health needs assessment for the Interior that will lead to a community health improvement plan. She says a healthy community is more than just healthcare; it’s a long-term partnership with social services, education, and the borough government to find creative ways toward healthy living. 48 | December 2023
"We are who we are because of our employees… The physicians and staff live the mission and are engaged in caring for friends, neighbors, and families in our community.” Sarah Martin, Chief Nursing Officer Foundation Health Partners
“We partner with a broad array of organizations to regularly discuss common goals,” says Burrell. “And together we do our best to invest in the community through improved services or better methods.” Foundation Health is also collaborating with Virginia Mason Institute on workflow optimization that allows services and operations
to run more efficiently. Even with a community-focused mission, Ramirez says processes are often designed from the provider or staff’s perspective, but they don’t have to be. “Sometimes we need outside help to hold that mirror up and ask whether something we’re doing is really in the best interest of the patient,” says Ramirez. Collaboration distributes problem solving beyond established leadership to everyone involved in daily operations, Ramirez adds. Although staff spend most of their time completing assigned duties, they can also spend a small amount of time on continual process improvement as they develop new skill sets. She says this cultural shift will go a long way toward preparing Foundation Health Dr. Angelique Ramirez for a future that Foundation Health c o u l d i n c l u d e Par tners disasters, more epidemics like COVID-19, or new technologies. R a m i rez s a y s , “ We w a n t p e o p l e to not just get care but the best care close to home.”
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Lung cancer screening and early detection can save lives
P
rovidence Imaging Center is committed to lung c ancer awareness and screening because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Alaska. According to the American Lung Association it accounts for 25 percent of cancerrelated deaths—more than breast, pancreatic, and colon cancers combined. “Lung cancer is not the most common cancer, but it is taking more lives because it’s often found late,” says Jean Dore, RN, BSN, Lung Cancer Screening Coordinator.
IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION Forty-six percent of lung cancer cases nationwide are not discovered until a late stage, when the survival rate is only 6 percent. The good news: Finding lung cancer early— before symptoms arise—makes treatment and cure possible. Detecting lung cancer in its initial stages can decrease mortality by at least 20 percent in high-risk populations and increase the five-year survival rate to 60 percent. An estimated 8 million Americans qualify as high-
risk because they smoke or used to smoke cigarettes. However, only 5 percent of eligible, high-risk individuals are getting screened for lung cancer, which is why Dore is staunchly committed to educating the public about the importance of screening. “The more eligible people who are screened, the more lives we can save,” she says. To qualify for lung cancer screening, the patient must meet all the following criteria: • Must be age 50-80; age 5077 if covered by Medicare • Currently smoke, or quit smoking within the last 15 years • Symptom free • Have a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (determined by medical provider) • Complete a shared decisionmaking visit with your medical provider
computerized tomography (CT) scan that only takes a few minutes for patients to complete. Using minimal radiation, the sc anner creates images that can indicate abnormal areas that m ay b e c an ce r. Lung cancer screening is recommended annually for all eligible individuals, and the test is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurance with pre-authorization. A diagnostic evaluation is needed instead of a scre ening, Dore adds, if someone already has symptoms, such as a cough that worsens or won’t go away, unexplained weight loss, unexplained shortness of breath, constant fatigue, or coughing up blood. “Our goal is to educate Alaskans so as many high-
risk individuals as possible c an m e et with th e ir medical providers to see if they qualify for this lifesaving scan,” Dore explains. “At Providence Imaging Center we’re committed to seeing the dignity of every individual who walks through our doors, especially the poor and vulnerable. The Sisters who opened the first Providence Hospital have left us a legacy of caring, compassion, and easing the way of each and every person. That’s what guides us every day.” “If you are a smoker or have been a smoker,” Dore emphasizes, “please talk to your medical provider about lung cancer screening. Get screened for the ones who care about you and for your own peace of mind.”
THE SCREENING PROCESS Jean Dore RN, BSN
The screening test for lung cancer is a low-dose
www.ProvImaging.com
H E A LT H C A R E
Testbed for I nnovative Enterprises
L
aunched officially in January 2020 with seed funding from the Anchor Point Foundation and additional funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and the Mat-Su Health Foundation, Health TIE is an Alaska-based healthcare innovation hub to catalyze solutions through business startups, pilot projects, and bringing changemakers together. It is important to address Alaska’s h i g h h e a l t h c a re c o s t s d u e t o t h e impact they have on Alaska’s economic future. Over the last few decades, economists and consultants have p ro d u c e d a m u l t i t u d e o f re p o r t s analyzing Alaska’s high healthcare costs, which can be distilled into a simple explanation: Alaska’s large g e o g ra p h y a n d s m a l l p o p u l a t i o n make it hard to achieve economies of scale. Comparisons between states show Alaska ranks at the very top for healthcare costs: an average of $9.76 billion annually, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Unfortunately, high healthcare costs have real consequences resulting in missed economic opportunities for Alaskans as well as the overall economy. Concerns a b o u t h e a l t h c a re k e e p p o t e n t i a l entrepreneurs trapped at their day jobs, prevent established businesses from expanding, and discourage startup companies from relocating. Finding solutions isn’t easy or straightforward. Healthcare is a tangled web of practices, insurance policies, federal and state regulations, and Byzantine administrative practices, all of which can also increase costs and defy
50 | December 2023
easy solutions. Health TIE’s premise is straightforward: support and work with the best healthcare changemakers so Alaskans can benefit from their ingenuity, care, and services while also attracting a pipeline of healthcare innovators so Alaskans can be the first to access new approaches and technical innovations. Decreasing budgets and workforce c h a l l e n g e s h a v e re d u c e d c r i t i c a l services for some of Alaska’s most vulnerable Alaskans. To bring new ideas and continue services, Health TIE focuses on four primary sectors: senior care, behavioral health, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental/physical disabilities.
Support for Healthcare Innovators
To h e l p e n t re p re n e u r s w h o a re developing healthcare solutions, Health TIE actively contributes to the startup ecosystem. As part of Alaska Startup Week October 1-7, 2023, Health TIE hosted a panel highlighting six local healthcare entrepreneurs. The panelists were Dr. Sandra Heffren with Effective Health Design, Dr. Patrick Dulin with Step Away, Dr. Aderonke Akindipe with Rejuvenate Health and Wellness, and Holly Brooks and Calisa Kastning with Moms Matter Now. Passion and purpose led to the development of each business, and panelists graciously shared their experiences to benefit audience members who may want to follow their pathways but avoid costly assumptions and mistakes. Creating spaces for innovators to cross-network,
Health TIE provides a platform for changemakers By Jacqueline Summers support one another, and strategically move ideas forward increases their opportunities for success and for Alaskans to eventually benefit. Along with working with Alaskabased innovators, Health TIE works with startup companies beyond Alaska’s borders through incubators, startup communities, and angel investors. H a r n e s s i n g f o u n d e r s ’ e n e rg y a n d leading-edge expertise introduces new options for care. Outside startups bring high levels of expertise and scalable ideas ready to add creative, positive disruption and quickly widen care access. Working collaboratively with Alaskan partners, the founders are eager to better understand Alaska’s challenging healthcare environment while assisting health and social service providers to re-envision care delivery. Alaska’s distinctiveness— rugged, difficult, and remote—makes the state a valuable testing ground and helps companies leverage Outside interest and investment. Working with changemakers and startup healthcare companies allows for new solutions that are implemented quickly and bypass long meetings and solutions-by-committee that often grind down attempted changes. New ideas are experimentally introduced, vetted proactively, and quickly discarded if they aren’t working. Through filtering and supporting new healthcare startups, Health TIE introduces new methods and new technologies that have the potential to dramatically i n c re a s e a c c e s s t o c a re a n d p u l l forward systemic changes.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
MapHabit
Building on neuroscience, MapHabit is a technical platform that creates customized visual and audio maps for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, traumatic brain injuries, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Overseen by care providers and reducing some of their care burden, MapHabit allows users to independently manage their lives. A collaborative partnership between Daybreak, Inc. and the Alaska Association of Developmental Disabilities, paired with funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, has given twenty Alaskans opportunity to use MapHabit. A post-trial report will inform the collaborative partners of the platform’s success and will also be available to the general public.
Pear Suite
P e a r S u i t e i s a c a re n a v i g a t i o n platform designed to efficiently connect community health workers to resources for their clients. Social drivers of health—including food access, transportation, housing, and social connections—can significantly affect health outcomes, but connecting clients to resources is often time consuming, confusing, and difficult. Pear Suite is a tech-enabled platform that integrates community resources into an easily accessible, trackable database that i n c re a s e s s u c c e s s f u l c o n n e c t i o n s and boosts outcomes. Peer leader navigators with the Alaska Literacy Program are currently using Pear Suite to better support sixteen ethnic and refugee communities.
OpiAID
Accessing and successfully completing care are critical for anyone trying to recover from opioid misuse. Transitioning to medication-assisted t re a t m e n t ( M AT ) e f f e c t i v e l y h e l p s patients moving toward recovery, but transition can be quite difficult because calibrating medication doses depends on understanding how individuals’ bodies react to the transition. OpiAID created a wearable device that assesses biometric information and allows patients and their care teams www.akbizmag.com
to understand in real time how they are adjusting to medications. This allows for timely adjustments and interventions that move them toward c o m p l e t i n g t h e i r t re a t m e n t s a n d , ultimately, toward recovery. With funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, an OpiAID pilot project is under development with the High Utilizer Mat-Su program, funded through the Mat-Su Health Foundation and Dr. Sarah Spencer in Ninilchik, as well as several other Alaska MAT programs.
Step Away
Although opioids capture headlines, alcohol misuse continues to be an enormous problem for Alaskans and the state economy, costing billions of dollars as shown in the Summary of the Economic Costs of Substance Use Disorders in Alaska 2019 Update report developed by Mckinley Research Group (then-McDowell Group) for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. It states that combined estimated direct costs borne by state and local governments, employers, and individuals contributed to alcohol misuse in 2019 was approximately $2.4 billion. For Alaskans who bravely acknowledge they need assistance, accessing care can be time consuming, long, and expensive. For the past ten years, UAA psychologist Dulin has been working to get a solution into the hands of Alaskans. Through his research, Dulin d ev e l o p e d S t e p A w a y, a c l i n i c a l l y validated alcohol moderation app that helps users reduce or eliminate problem drinking. Step Away has been shown to be as effective as many counseling programs and—because it allows users to personalize their experience by creating customized goals, support systems, and rewards—it helps to empower them and keep them engaged. Along with connecting Dulin and Step Away to Recover Alaska, a statewide alcohol education and advocacy initiative, Health TIE is working with Dulin to integrate Step Away into e s t a b l i s h e d t re a t m e n t p ro g ra m s . Using Step Away allows increased communication and options that extend beyond the clinical environment and into people’s everyday lives. Alaska Business
Zinnia TV
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska has been using Zinnia TV as part of its education and outreach programs since 2020. Because it is an easy and low-cost solution for people caring for loved ones at home, Zinnia TV is included as a suggested resource in the Alaska Dementia Action Collaborative guide. As the conditions progress, A l z h e i m e r ’s a n d d e m e n t i a a f f e c t individuals' abilities to process information and communicate. Caregivers and family members can use the videos to reduce isolation and draw those with Alzheimer ’s or dementia into conversation or to s o o t h e o r d i s t ra c t s o m e o n e w h o may be experiencing a difficult day. T h ro u g h t h e ra p e u t i c v i d e o t o o l s , Zinnia TV supports individuals and their caregivers with programming that engages viewers without being overwhelming. Specially developed videos guide viewers through daily activities like eating, bathing, a n d d re s s i n g . T h ey c a n a l s o h e l p reconnect to past interests like cars, babies, nature, or pets.
Building Ties
Businesses and entrepreneurs are good at solving hard problems, which is why Health TIE will continue to help build connections between Alaska and the Outside, between i n n ov a t o r s a n d o p e ra t o r. I n s u c h a closely-networked state, it can take as few as three committed Alaskans to move projects forward. S u p p o r t i n g h e a l t h c a re i n n ov a t o r s i n t ro d u c e s n ew p o s s i b i l i t i e s a n d allows Alaskans to envision a healthier future that supports Alaskan families, communities, and the economy. Jacqueline Summers is the co-founder and executive director of Health TIE. She studied anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder and earned a master ’s degree in adult education a t UA A . S u m m e r s previously cofounded the technology company beadedstream and runs her own grant preparation consultancy. December 2023 | 51
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To illustrate Health TIE’s mission and goal, following is a sample of Health TIE pilot projects.
H E A LT H C A R E
T
Alaska Business Top Docs
his year marks the first annual publication of the Alaska Business Top Docs, a directory of the best doctors practicing in Alaska as nominated by their peers. To gather this information, we invited local, licensed doctors to tell us which of their peers they think excel in providing healthcare to Alaskans through an online survey.
A NESTHESIOL OGY
EMILY OLSEN
BARBARA M. CHEN
ANCHORAGE
Providence Alaska Medical Center
ANCHORAGE Providence.org 907-561-0005
MINHE KIM
Providence Alaska Medical Center
ANCHORAGE Providence.org 907-561-0005
PETER LUNOE
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
BEN MARVIN
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
JOHN MORRIS
Denali Anesthesia
ANCHORAGE
bestanesthesiateam.com 907-264-9999
DAVID MOSTELLER
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
JOHN NAYLOR
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
The result is approximately 190 doctors who have demonstrated their passion for providing quality healthcare to Alaskans. This list is not intended as a directory of doctors that are currently taking patients, though many undoubtedly are. It is instead a way to highlight excellence and celebrate healthcare providers in Alaska.
BE H AVO R I A L H E A LT H, A DDI C T I O N M E DI C I N E
DANIEL SUVER
bestanesthesiateam.com 907-264-9999
MARK O. SIMON
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
plasticsurgeryak.com 907-563-2002
NICHELLE C. RENK
foundationhealth.org 907-458-5300
DE R M A T O L O G Y
Denali Anesthesia
FAIRBANKS
Alpenglow Pain & Wellness
ANCHORAGE
alpenglowpain.com 907-677-7246
SCOTT ROISSING
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
MARY BETH SCOTT-CALOR ANCHORAGE
FAIRBANKS
ANCHORAGE akcrs.com 907-222-1401
Alpine Surgery Center
ANCHORAGE
JANA COLE
alpinesurgery.com 907-563-1555
Plastic Surgeons of Alaska
ANCHORAGE
FERNANDO TOVAR
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
plasticsurgeryak.com 907-563-2002
JUNE M. GEORGE
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
Alaska Colorectal Surgery
ANCHORAGE
KIPP VOTH
Anesthesia Care Associates of Alaska
PALMER
akcrs.com 907-222-1401
SHERIDAN MORGAN
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
Alaska Native Medical Center
ANCHORAGE
Providence Alaska Medical Center
ANCHORAGE
dermalaska.com 907-646-8500
Porter Heart & Vascular Center
Alaska Colorectal Surgery
JOSEPH SEELIG
NICHOLAS A. WHITE
ROMEL WRENN
KERRIE R. BOSSARD
alpenglowpain.com 907-677-7246
JEFFREY BIDINGER
Alaska Center for Dermatology
COL ON & RECTA L S U RGE R Y
Alpenglow Pain & Wellness
ANCHORAGE
C A R DI O L O G Y
foundationhealth.org 907-458-6450
acaofalaska.com 907-290-5784
Plastic Surgeons of Alaska
ANMC.org 907-729-2700
ANCHORAGE
GINA BROWN ADULT & PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY * Alaska Family Dermatology
ANCHORAGE
akfamilyderm.com 907-268-2067
PETER EHRNSTROM
Alaska Center for Dermatology
ANCHORAGE
dermalaska.com 907-646-8500
MICHAEL MICHENER
Alaska Center for Dermatology
ANCHORAGE
dermalaska.com 907-646-8500
ROBERT MORELAND
Alaska Center for Dermatology
ANCHORAGE
dermalaska.com 907-646-8500
KIMBERLY WONDERLICH Wonderlich Dermatology
FAIRBANKS
wonderlichderm.com 907-456-1979
Providence.org 907-561-0005
52 | December 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
E M E RGE N C Y M E DI C I N E Alaska Regional Hospital
ANCHORAGE
alaskaregional.com 907-276-1131
JARON COOMBS
Mat-Su Regioinal Hospital ER/Mat-Su Emergency Physicians
PALMER
matsuregional.com 907-861-6620
JENNIFER DOW
Alaska Regional Hospital
ANCHORAGE
alaskaregional.com 907-276-1131
BENJAMIN T. SHELTON
Providence Medical Group/Alaska Emergency Medicine Associates
ANCHORAGE Providence.org 907-212-3111
KEITH WINKLE
Alaska Regional Hospital
ANCHORAGE
alaskaregional.com 907-276-1131
E N D O C R I N O L O G Y, DI A BE T E S & META BOLISM JANICE KOVAL
Internal Medicine Associates
ANCHORAGE
internalmedak.com 907-276-2811
PATRICK M. NOLAN Dr. Maciejewski, Inc.
ANCHORAGE providence.org 907-222-1714
G A S T RO E N T E RO L O G Y
Primary Care Associates
DOUGLAS HAGHIGHI
ANCHORAGE
Internal Medicine Associates
primarycareak.com 907-345-4343
ANCHORAGE
internalmedak.com 907-276-2811
NOAH T. LAUFER
Medical Park Family Care
KIMBERLY HOUGHTON
ANCHORAGE
Internal Medicine Associates
mpfcak.com 907-279-8486
ANCHORAGE
HALE LOOFBOURROW Primary Care Associates
ANCHORAGE
SPORTS MEDICINE Primary Care Associates primarycareak.com 907-562-1234
michellethomasmd.com 907-644-1033
Internal Medicine Associates
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
afcak.com 907-777-1850
internalmedak.com 907-276-2811
KATHRYN RYAN
Independence Park Medical Services
ANCHORAGE
GERONIMO SAHAGUN
Internal Medicine Associates
ANCHORAGE
ipmsak.com 907-522-1341
internalmedak.com 907-276-2811
PEBBLES SHANLEY
Independence Park Medical Services
ANCHORAGE
BRIAN F. SWEENEY JR.
Dr. Brian F. Sweeney Jr. MD
ANCHORAGE
ipmsak.com 907-522-1341
akgastro.com 907-562-2928
JULIANA SHIELDS
FA M I LY M E DI C I N E
Anchor Medical Group
GE N E R A L S U RGE R Y
BRYAN DAHMS
amgak.com 907-279-4953
TODD BOLING
Capstone Family Medicine
PALMER
capstoneclinic.net 907-745-9088
MARY ANN FOLAND
Primary Care Associates
ANCHORAGE
primarycareak.com 907-562-1234
JILL GASKILL
Medical Park Family Care
ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com 907-279-8486
KATIE J. GRAY
Kodiak Area Native Association
KODIAK
kodiakhealthcare.org 907-486-9800
www.akbizmag.com
ANCHORAGE
South Peninsula Hospital
HOMER
ERIC TUERS
sphosp.org 907-235-3225
Medical Park Family Care
ANCHORAGE
DANTE CONLEY
mpfcak.com 907-279-8486
Foundation Health Partners
JONATHAN VAN RAVENSWAAY Mountain View Urgent Care
ANCHORAGE mvucak.com 907-531-0898
MATISON R. WHITE
Medical Park Family Care
ANCHORAGE mpfcak.com 907-279-8486
ATACSURGERY.COM
ANCHORAGE
PRAVEEN ROY
Arete Family Care
ALASKA TRAUMA & ACUTE CARE
Michelle P. Thomas, MSc, MD, FACS
akgimd.com 907-222-5077
STACEY NIEDER
907-313-0341
AUSTIN T. NELSON
ANCHORAGE
odysseyfamilypractice.com 907-313-4569
ANCHORAGE
907-375-8785
Dr. Michelle Randolph MD PC
KENAI
Ashok Rai MD
alaskagi.com 907-569-1333
MICHELLE RANDOLPH
Odyssey Family Practice
ASHOK RAI
SURGERY * Anchorage
alaskagi.com 907-569-1333
TIMOTHY MILLER
matsusurgical.com 907-745-8100
DARYL M. MCCLENDON
Alaska Digestive & Liver Disease
ANCHORAGE
PALMER
KATHERINE SENTER
ANCHORAGE
ERIC MIKNICH
Mat-Su Surgical Associates
internalmedak.com 907-276-2811 Alaska Digestive & Liver Disease
primarycareak.com 907-562-1234
DAVID MORROW
FAIRBANKS
foundationhealth.org 907-459-3500
GARTH W. LECHEMINANT Mat-Su Surgical Associates
PALMER
matsusurgical.com 907-745-8100
CATHERINE ANNE MORRISON
Alaska Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
MICHELLE P. THOMAS ANCHORAGE
GY NECOL OGY & P E LV I C S U RGE R Y JOHN R. OLIVER John R. Oliver MD
WASILLA
johnrolivermd.com 907-357-6121
HOSPICE AND PA L L I A T I V E URSULA A. MCVEIGH
Providence Medical Group
ANCHORAGE Providence.org 907-212-7997
HOSPITA LIST BARBARA CREIGHTON
Foundation Health Partners
FAIRBANKS
foundationhealth.org 907-459-3500
I N F E C T I O U S DI S E A S E BENJAMIN P. WESTLEY Benjamin Westly MD
ANCHORAGE 907-561-4362
I N T E R N A L M E DI C I N E LISA M. COONEY
Lisa Cooney, MD, PC
WASILLA
907-376-9321
BRUCE FOOTIT
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
FAIRBANKS
foundationhealth.org 907-458-5300
ANCHORAGE
atacsurgery.com 907-375-8785
Alaska Business
December 2023 | 53
HEALTHCARE
DAVID CADOGAN
SHAWNA HICKEL
H E A LT H C A R E
IRINA GRIMBERG
SUSANNE FIX
JESSICA GOLDBERGER
STEVEN LIU
ANCHORAGE
SURGICAL * Coastal Neurology & Neurosurgery
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
Internal Medicine Primary Care doctorgrimberg.com 907-929-5151
KATHY J. HURLBURT
ANCHORAGE
cnnsalaska.com 907-563-4810
Women’s Care of Alaska wcakobgyn.com 907-279-2273
CHARLES PORTERA
Peak Neurology and Sleep Medicine
ANCHORAGE
SURGICAL * Alaska Surgical Oncology
peakneurology.com 907-331-3640
MARK E. RICHEY
Dr. Kathy J. Hurlburt MD
Denali OB-GYN Clinic
kathyhurlburtmd.com 907-278-2880
ANCHORAGE
denaliobgyn.com 844-234-8199
DUSTIN LANG
The Alaska Hospitalist Group
ANCHORAGE
alaskahospitalist.com 907-375-3355
ANCHORAGE
FAIRBANKS
ROBERT LADA
NEONATOL OGY MARY-ALICE JOHNSON
Alaska Neonatology Associates
ANCHORAGE
alaskaregional.com 907-563-3026
N E P H RO L O G Y STEFANO EMILI Aurora Kidney
ANCHORAGE
aurorakidney.com 907-770-7213
DAVID M. LEFLER NEPHROLOGY & HYPERTENSION * Nephrology and Hypertension Associates of Alaska
ANCHORAGE providence.org 907-770-0412
N E U RO L O G Y JAMES BALES
ANCHORAGE
peakneurology.com 907-331-3640
NEUROLOGY & SLEEP MEDICINE * Peak Neurology and Sleep Medicine
Peak Neurology and Sleep Medicine
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
peakneurology.com 907-331-3640
54 | December 2023
aviationmedicinefairbanks.com 907-456-4825
ONCOLOGY & HEMATOLOGY Katmai Oncology Group
ANCHORAGE
ANDREW WILLIAM COX
Fairbanks Cancer Care Physicians
alpenglowak.com 907-357-1113
FAIRBANKS
DANA ESPINDOLA
Anchorage Women’s Clinic
alaskaradiationtherapy.com 907-276-2400 Alaska Oncology & Hematology
ANCHORAGE
alaskaoncology.com 907-279-3155
JOHN S. YORDY RADIATION ONCOLOGY * Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers
PALMER
alaskaradiationtherapy.com 907-745-2900
OPHTH A LMOL OGY ERIC W. COULTER
JOANIE MAYER HOPE
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
Independence Park Medical Services
ANCHORAGE
fairbankscancercare.com 907-452-4768 GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY * Alaska Women’s Cancer Care
anchoragewomensclinic.com 907-561-7111
RADIATION ONCOLOGY * Anchorage Valley Radiation Therapy Centers
NATALIE WALLACE *
fairbankscancercare.com 907-452-4768
WASILLA
anchoragewomensclinic.com 907-561-7111
DANIEL SEIBLE
FAIRBANKS
Alpenglow Women’s Health
ANCHORAGE
alaskaoncology.com 907-279-3155
Fairbanks Cancer Care Physicians
CASEY COOK
Anchorage Women’s Clinic
ANCHORAGE
O C C U PA T I O N A L M E DI C I N E
JACQUELINE COX
OBSTETRICS & GY NECOL OGY
ALLISON GIBBS
Alaska Oncology & Hematology
katmaioncology.com 907-562-0321
peakneurology.com 907-331-3640
ipmsak.com 907-522-1341
MAX RABINOWITZ
chenahealth.com 907-456-8191
ELLEN H. CHIRICHELLA
MARCI TROXELL
ANCHORAGE
FAIRBANKS
ONCOL OGY
cnnsalaska.com 907-563-4810
ROSS DODGE
farnorthsurgery.com 907-276-3676
FAIRBANKS
ANCHORAGE
BRADFORD W. FENTON
ANCHORAGE
KIMBERLY SCHUMACHER
Aviation Medicine Fairbanks
SURGICAL * Coastal Neurology & Neurosurgery
akneurosurgery.com 907-258-6999
SURGICAL * Far North Surgery
markricheymdalaska.com 907-272-4443
ROBERT M. MONBERG
RICHARD PERRIN
ANCHORAGE
MADHU PRASAD
Chena Health
NEUROLOGY & SLEEP MEDICINE * Peak Neurology and Sleep Medicine
SURGICAL * Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates
ANCHORAGE
alaskasurgicaloncology.com 907-868-2075
ANCHORAGE
SURGICAL * Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates
MICHAEL SWENSON foundationhealth.org 907-459-3500
ANCHORAGE
Mark E. Richey MD
LE HE
akneurosurgery.com 907-258-6999
Foundation Health Partners
alaskaoncology.com 907-279-3155
TANYA PASTERNACK
GRAHAM GLASS
ANCHORAGE
Alaska Oncology & Hematology
alaskawomenscancercare.com 907-562-4673
AARON S. KUSANO RADIATION ONCOLOGY * Anchorage Radiation Therapy Centers
ANCHORAGE
alaskaradiationtherapy.com 907-276-2400
Alaska Lasik & Cataract Center alaskalasikcenter.com 907-569-1551
DON DAVIS
Don Davis MD
ANCHORAGE davis-eye.com 907-563-3911
SCOTT A. LIMSTROM
Alaska Retinal Consultants
ANCHORAGE
alaskaretina.com 907-561-1530
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
RABUN FOX
THOMAS PAYNTER
ANCHORAGE
FOOT & ANKLE SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE
Ophthalmic Associates akeyedoc.com 907-276-1617
O R T H O P E DI C S U RGE R Y OWEN L. ALA HAND, UPPER EXTREMITY SPECIALIST Orthopedic Physicians Alaska *
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE
Alaska Orthopedic Specialists
ANCHORAGE
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
HAND, UPPER EXTREMITY EXPERT Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
EUGENE CHANG
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
JAMES EULE SPINE SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
GENE FALKOWSKI SPINE SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
WASILLA
opalaska.com 907-357-2267
MARK FLANUM SPINE SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
DERRICK A. FOGE SPINE SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE
HAND, UPPER EXTREMITY EXPERT * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
WASILLA
opalaska.com 907-357-2267
CHRISTOPHER MANION
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
MICHAEL G. MCNAMARA Alaska Orthopedic Specialists
ANCHORAGE akortho.com 907-771-3500
KURT MENTZER
Alaska Pediatric Surgery
ANCHORAGE
akshoulder.com 907-646-7846
CURTIS MINA
akortho.com 907-771-3500
JENNIFER MITCHELL
ALAN SWENSON
WASILLA
Orthopaedic Research Clinic of Alaska
ANCHORAGE orcaak.com 907-644-6055
TUCKER DRURY
entspecialistsak.com 907-373-1410
STEPHEN B. SCHAFFER
ACENT Alaska Center for Ear Nose and Throat
ANCHORAGE
acentalaska.com 907-279-8800
JACK SEDWICK
Alyeska Center for Facial Plastic Surgery & ENT
ANCHORAGE
PA I N M A N A GE M E N T
MICHAEL MONTANO
LUKE LIU
WASILLA
ANCHORAGE
Pioneer Peak Orthopedic Surgery
Neuroversion
pioneerpeak.com 907-707-1671
neuroversion.com 907-339-4650
GREGORY STROHMEYER
HEATH MCANALLY
Pioneer Peak Orthopedic Surgery
WASILLA
pioneerpeak.com 907-707-1671
Northern Anesthesia & Pain Medicine
EAGLE RIVER
alaskanapm.com 907-622-7246
O TOL A RY NGOL OGY KEVIN JENSEN
ENT Specialists of Alaska
WASILLA
entspecialistsak.com 907-373-1410
ANCHORAGE
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ENT Specialists of Alaska
opalaska.com 907-357-2267
WASILLA
opalaska.com 907-357-2267 Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE
alyeskaent.com 907-561-1421
CHRISTOPHER KOWALSKI
JEFF MOORE
Alaska Sinus Center
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
SPINE SPECIALIST Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
WASILLA
afpent.com 907-931-0897
alaskasinuscenter.com 907-563-6673
O R T H O P E DI C S
DANN LAUDERMILCH
ANCHORAGE
www.akbizmag.com
*
ANCHORAGE WASILLA
Alaska Orthopedic Specialists
DOUG VERMILLION
JESSIE JANOWSKI
RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY * Alaska Facial Plastic Surgery & ENT
TYLER W. SMITH
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE
HEAD, NECK, FACIAL PLASTIC &
CREED MAMIKUNIAN
ANCHORAGE
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
CHRISTINA MAGILL
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
HAND, WRIST & ELBOW SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
akortho.com 907-771-3500
FOOT & ANKLE ARTHROSCOPY SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
JASON R. GRAY
BRYAN HAUGHOM
Alaska Orthopedic Specialists
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
HAND TO SHOULDER SPECIALIST * Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
WASILLA
MARK T. CAYLOR
ELI POWELL
PATRICIA M. FOX
DERYK ANDERSON opalaska.com 907-357-2267
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
ANCHORAGE
akortho.com 907-771-3500
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ACENT Alaska Center for Ear Nose and Throat acentalaska.com 907-279-8800
PA T H O L O G Y ANDREW J. EVANGER Pathology Consultants
FAIRBANKS
907-458-5650
JOHN G. FINK
Cellnetix Pathology Alaska
PALMER
cellnetix.com 907-746-6791
MARK B. LORENZ
Geneva Woods Ear Nose & Throat
ANCHORAGE
entspecialistsak.com 907-563-3515
Alaska Business
December 2023 | 55
HEALTHCARE
CARL ELI ROSEN
H E A LT H C A R E
P E DI A T R I C S
P O DI A T R Y
DANIEL BROWN
CHARLES EDWARDS
ORTHOPEDICS, ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY * Orthopaedic Research Clinic of Alaska
ANCHORAGE orcaak.com 907-644-6055
CYDNEY FENTON ENCOCRINOLOGY * Independence Park Medical Services
ANCHORAGE ipmsak.com 907-522-1341
MISHELLE NACE
Foundation Health Partners
FAIRBANKS
Podiatry Clinic at ANTHC anthc.org 907-729-4030
ANCHORAGE
CARDIOLOGY * Alaska Children’s Heart Center
ANCHORAGE
alaskachildheart.com 907-565-2242
JEFFREY BANKS
Foundation Health Partners
FAIRBANKS
foundationhealth.org 907-459-3500
JANET SHEN
The Children’s Clinic
ANCHORAGE
TIMOTHY RYAN
ANCHORAGE
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY * Radiology Consultants, APC
Anchorage Foot & Ankle Clinic anchoragefootnankle.com 907-344-2155
RAVINDER SHERGILL
Pulmonary & Sleep Specialists of Alaska
WASILLA
passacare.com 907-357-4600
alaskarad.com 907-339-9455
ANCHORAGE
ERIK MAURER
opalaska.com 907-562-2277
SEAN TAYLOR
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-562-2277
alaskarad.com 907-339-9455
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ELIZABETH FERUCCI
Healthy Communities Building
ANCHORAGE anthc.org 907-729-1500
RYAN RAGLE
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
ANCHORAGE opalaska.com 907-249-5542
S L E E P M E DI C I N E
INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY * Premier Vein Alaska & Alaska Radiology Associates
ANCHORAGE
CHRISTINA COPUS opalaska.com 907-249-5542
ANCHORAGE
CHRISTINA DARBY
Alaska Native Medical Center/Sleep Center
ANCHORAGE 907-729-8141
CLAY TRIPLEHORN
Fairbanks Sleep Center
FAIRBANKS
fairbankssleep.com 907-374-9920
56 | December 2023
REBECCA BARNES
Alaska Native Medical Center
ANCHORAGE ANMC.org 907-729-2700
Alyeska Vascular Surgery avs-ak.com 907-562-8346
avs-ak.com 907-562-8346
ANCHORAGE
INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY * Premier Vein Alaska & Alaska Radiology Associates
907-328-0965
alaskarad.com 907-339-9455
ANCHORAGE
opalaska.com 907-249-5542
CHAKRI INAMPUDI
FAIRBANKS
APRIL L. RODRIGUEZ
ANCHORAGE
FAIRBANKS
Fairbanks Vascular Surgery
Premier Vein Alaska & Alaska Radiology Associates
MARC BECK
ERIK OLSON
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
DARREN SHIRLEY
R A DI O L O G Y
North Star Radiology
MILAN BAJMOCZI
ANCHORAGE
Orthopedic Physicians Alaska
dhaalaska.com 907-729-5800
VA S C U L A R S U RGE R Y
alaskaimaging.com 907-792-7920
JOHN BOTSON
ANCHORAGE
alpineurgentcare.com 907-344-2400
AARON J. BARNES
RHEUM ATOL OGY
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY * Diagnostic Health Alaska/Turnagain Radiology
Alpine Urgent Care & Sports Medicine
Alaska Imaging
ANCHORAGE
PULMONOL OGY & SLEEP
northstarradiology.com 907-459-6555
P H Y S I C A L M E DI C I N E & R E H A BI L I T A T I O N
JASON SAVIKKO
greatlandclinicalassociates.com 907-929-4009
DANIEL TULIP tccpeds.com 907-562-2944
fairbanksradiologists.com 907-456-2784
Greatland Clinical Associates
KELLEY L. CLINE
ANCHORAGE
FAIRBANKS
P S YC H I A T R Y
tccpeds.com 907-562-2944
The Children’s Clinic
alaskaimaging.com 907-792-7920
HEATHER KAUFMAN
ANCHORAGE
SCOTT WELLMANN
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
akfootankle.com 907-569-3668
BRENT J. ROATEN
alaskapediatricsurgery.com 907-929-7337
fairbanksradiologists.com 907-456-2784 INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY * Alaska Imaging
Alaska Foot & Ankle Specialists
ARYEH LEVENSON
ANCHORAGE
SHANE CUMMINGS
WILLIAM PERRY
MATT HEILALA
S P O R T S M E DI C I N E
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY * Radiology Consultants, APC
FAIRBANKS
ANCHORAGE
foundationhealth.org 907-459-3500 SURGERY * Alaska Pediatric Surgery
JESSICA PANKO
Alyeska Vascular Surgery
ANCHORAGE
ZACHARY J. STEINER
Alyeska Vascular Surgery
ANCHORAGE avs-ak.com 907-562-8346
The Top Docs are Alaska’s best doctors as nominated by their peers. In July and August, local doctors were invited through an online survey to nominate those that they believe excel in their area of practice. The nominated doctor’s eligibility (must be licensed and practicing in Alaska) was verified through third-party DataJoe Research and an internal editorial verification process. We recognize that there are many excellent doctors who are not shown in this list. This is only a sampling of the array of talented healthcare professionals in the state. Inclusion on the list is based on the opinions of responding doctors in Alaska. We acknowledge that the results of the survey are not an objective metric. We do not discount that many quality, effective doctors may not appear on this list. *
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H E A LT H C A R E
R A D I AT I O N O N CO LO G Y
Dr. John S. Yordy
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION |
TOP DOCS
Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers
O: 907.745.2900 2940 S. Woodworth Loop, Suite 150, Palmer alaskaradiationtherapy.com
Dr. John S. Yordy’s service-minded upbringing led him to a career in healthcare. “I wanted to work in a field where I could help people and be with them during the times of their life when they need extra support.” He attended Goshen College and the Medical University of South Carolina and then completed residency in Houston at MD Anderson Cancer Center, after which he joined the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. There he worked in the clinic to research medications that can be combined with radiation therapy to make treatments more effective, inspired in part by observing the effects of radiation therapy on his grandfather, who had lung cancer when Yordy was young. “Patients being confident and comfortable in the care they’re receiving— that’s really important,” he says, and so he encourages patients to ask questions and get second opinions to ensure their treatment meets their needs. He says meaningful conversations with his patients are the highlight of his work. “The moments that I value the most are those moments with patients where I feel like we’re making a patient connection, a human connection, a supportive connection… those moments are very special for me, and that’s what really motivates me.”
R A D I AT I O N O N CO LO G Y
Dr. Aaron S. Kusano
Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers
O: 907.276.2400 2841 DeBarr Road, Building A, Suite 100, Anchorage alaskaradiationtherapy.com 58 | December 2023
The foundation of Dr. Aaron Kusano’s career is community. “It’s very storybook,” he says. “I attended Airport Heights Elementary School; I practice literally across the street from the sledding hill that I grew up on.” His early work experience was in information technology in Washington DC, but “it was purely a computer based career, and I really wanted more human interaction,” he says. Ultimately, he found he wanted to pursue clinical medicine, which he did through the University of Alaska/University of Washington WWAMI medical program. Following his residency in radiation oncology in Seattle, Dr. Kusano returned to Anchorage to launch his career. “I find tremendous reward in shared decision making, helping patients achieve their goals, he says. “My specialty affords me the time to educate and build relationships. I am fortunate to work with a superb team that shares those priorities, for me it’s perfect.” He sees his role in the community as extending far beyond his medical office. Among others, Dr. Kusano supports the Alaska Community Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Anchorage Project Access, and 10 Chefs for Causes. He says, “Making a community impact beyond just my job is super important for me—it’s special to get to do that in Alaska .”
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Alpenglow Pain & Wellness is proud to share that their very own physicians, Dr. Nichelle Renk and Dr. Mary Beth Calor, have been selected by their peers as Alaska’s Top Docs 2023 in Anchorage, Alaska! Alpenglow Pain & Wellness’s mission is to enhance the quality of life and function of our patients with care that is truly tailored to each individual patient. This prestigious acknowledgment is a testament to the extraordinary dedication and unmatched expertise of our extraordinary physicians.
But this achievement is not ours alone.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to our dedicated STAFF! Your continuous support, tireless efforts, and passionate commitment to patient care have been instrumental in achieving this remarkable milestone. Together, we have created a sanctuary of healing and hope for our Southcentral community. To our incredible PATIENTS, we owe you our deepest gratitude. Your trust in us fuels our determination to provide the highest quality patient care. Your stories of pain relief, wellness, and resilience inspire us every day. We celebrate this achievement TOGETHER, as a united force for better healthcare. To our providers, staff, and patients, you are the heart and soul of Alpenglow Pain & Wellness.
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Alpenglow Pain & Wellness 2000 Abbott Road, Unit A2 Anchorage, AK 99507
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Mary Beth Calor, DO
MINING
Old Nick’s Metal Nikolai prospect could answer US need for nickel By Amy Newman
GREG BEISCHER President and CEO A lask a Energ y Met als
S
aint Nicholas of Myra, the 4th century Christian bishop, is the namesake of two vastly different c h a ra c t e r s i n m o d e r n m y t h o l o g y. One, of course, is Santa Claus. The other, either by contrast with the giftgiving spirit or by association with midwinter partying, is “Old Nick,” another name for the Devil. Among miners and metallurgists in Europe, Old Nick was blamed for t r i c k i n g t h e m by t a i n t i n g c o p p e r ores with a less useful metal called Devil’s copper, or kupfernickel. After further study revealed it wasn’t copper at all, the element’s name was shortened to “nickel.” 60 | December 2023
The perceived value of nickel has evolved: today the US Geological Survey includes nickel on its list of fifty minerals c r i t i c a l t o t h e c o u n t r y ’s e c o n o m y and national security. “ N i c k e l i s g o i n g t o b e i n g re a t demand,” says Greg Beischer, president and CEO of Alaska Energy Metals (AEM). “We really do need homegrown critical metal mining, and I think Alaska is a huge reservoir for those metals.” In the eastern Interior, Old Nick has been playing tricks at a prospect bearing the saint ’s Russian name, Nikolai. AEM is exploring the roughly 23,000-acre Nikolai Project, located in the Alaska Range about 25 miles
northwest of Paxson. The company’s p re d e c e s s o r, M i l l ro c k R e s o u rc e s , acquired the mineral rights in 2020 in hopes of uncovering nickel deposits to decrease the country ’s dependence on foreign sources and support its energy future. “It’s a prospect that I think within a short period of time I will be able to call an actual deposit,” Beischer says. “And then, hopefully, a couple of years from now, I’ll be calling it a great big deposit.”
Return to Nikolai
Beischer is no stranger to the search for nickel in Alaska. As “a younger geologist” with the former Canadian
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mining company Inco Limited, Beischer led a team to the Interior almost thirty years ago to explore the Nikolai prospect (no relation, by the way, to the Iditarod Trail village of Nikolai in the western Interior). “At the time, Inco Limited was the largest producer of nickel globally,” he says. “The global targeting team had noticed from a high level that the geology at Nikolai resembles the geology at Norilsk, Russia, which is the largest known accumulation of massive sulfur rock [nickel is found i n s u l p h i n e a n d l a t e r i t e - t y p e o re d e p o s i t s ] . S o t h ey s e n t m e f ro m Sudbury, Ontario to Alaska to search this particular site for nickel.” Beischer and his team explored Nikolai for five years. “We did discover nickel mineralization, but we didn’t find the thick, rich, massive sulfite that we’d set out to find,” Beischer says. Though Inco Limited’s interest waned, Beischer ’s was piqued. He’d already settled in Alaska, turning what had started as a temporary relocation into a permanent move. In 2007, believing i n A l a s k a ’s m i n e ra l p o t e n t i a l , h e
founded Millrock Resources as a project generator focused on the discovery and development of high-value metallic mineral deposits—primarily gold and copper—in Alaska and Mexico. I n 2 0 2 0 , M i l l ro c k a c q u i re d t h e mineral rights to the Nikolai Project, which consists of the Eureka and C a n w e l l c l a i m b l o c k s . T h e E u re k a block, which AEM owns 100 percent, comprises 104 state mining claims across roughly 15,750 acres; Canwell, which AEM has the option to purchase, contains 42 state mining claims across roughly 6,721 acres. The acquisition prompted Beischer to change not just the company’s focus but its name as well. “We decided to focus strictly on this one project, Nikolai, in part because I feel so strongly about the potential,” he says. “I hated to give up the name Millrock since we’d developed quite a good reputation in Alaska, but it was a new start, so a new name was in order.”
“They call them lithium-ion batteries, but we should call them graphite-nickel batteries… There are 29 kilograms, or 64 pounds, of nickel in every electric vehicle battery.” Greg Beischer
Focus on Energy
A c c o rd i n g t o t h e U S G e o l o g i c a l Survey, 77 percent of the Western
President and CEO Alaska Energy Metals
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world’s nickel production is used to make stainless steel or combined w i t h o t h e r m e t a l s t o m a k e a l l oy s . The remaining 23 percent is used for alloy steels, rechargeable batteries, catalysts, and other chemicals, coins, and plating. “Nickel’s main use by far has always been the manufacture of stainless steel,” Beischer says. “A little bit of nickel is alloyed with iron, and the steel becomes stainless: that great, shiny metal that we see all over the place, from dishwashers to kitchen s i n k s t o d i s h e s a n d u t e n s i l s . I t ’s used in the aerospace industry, as well,” for turbine blades, discs, and critical jet engine parts. More recently, nickel has become a critical component in lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, which is at the heart of the increased demand. Next to graphite and aluminum, nickel is the third highest mineral, by weight, in some types of lithium-ion batteries. “They call them lithium-ion batteries, but we should call them graphite-nickel batteries,” Beischer says. “There are 29 kilograms, or 64 pounds, of nickel in every electric vehicle battery.” Domestic supply cannot meet growing demand. According to GlobalData, which tracks and profiles mines and mining projects, there are more than 186 nickel mines currently in operation worldwide. The Eagle Mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is the only one in the United States, and its end-oflife is anticipated in 2027. The United States imports approximately 45 percent of its nickel from Canada, and with the S&P 500 Index forecasting the country’s demand for nickel, cobalt, and lithium to multiply twenty-three times by 2035, the end of the Eagle Mine will only increase US dependence on foreign sources. “We really are going to need these metals, and we really do need a secure d o m e s t i c s u p p l y, ” B e i s c h e r s a y s . “There’s no other nickel production in the United States, and not likely to be,” other than in five states: Alaska, Minnesota, Missouri, and Montana, in addition to Michigan.
A Path Toward Production
T h o u g h t h e n e e d t o d ev e l o p a homegrown source of nickel is clear, 62 | December 2023
finding a path toward domestic production isn’t so simple. “Nickel is a really tough metal to find,” Beischer says. “It’s not distributed over the surface of the Earth very well. It only occurs in specific types of rocks, and geologists have been looking hard for it for over a century because it’s such a good use for steel.” Alaska Energy Metals completed initial drilling at Nikolai this past summer. If the site’s historical grade holds up, CEO Greg Beischer expects in excess of 1 billion pounds of nickel documented in the ground. Alaska Energy Metals
Then there’s the fact that its widespread application means the “easy pickings” have already been u s e d , f o rc i n g g e o l o g i s t s t o w o r k harder to locate deposits. “It’s going to be very difficult for us exploration geologists to keep up with the demand that’s going to be placed on us to find more nickel,” Beischer says. “And so I think, as a result, our industry will be forced to mine lower concentration deposits. The rich, highgrade deposits, the easy pickings, have already been found. Low-grade can work, so long as it’s homegrown.” Beischer thinks AEM can find those deposits at Nikolai, and the company began initial drilling at the site in June. The area had “quite a series of historical holes,” some previously explored by Beischer and his former Inco Limited crew. Each of those holes, he says, intersected the mineralized
zone at almost the same grade or concentration of metal in the ground, but they weren’t enough for AEM to estimate potential yield. “Those historical holes are spread a little far apart for us to be able to calculate a tonnage or concern that we can rely on,” he explains, “so we set out to drill our own holes on a grid pattern, with 300 meters spacing, that will allow us to do just that.” AEM drilled 4,000 meters between J u n e a n d S e p t e m b e r, g a t h e r i n g enough information to publish a n i n i t i a l m a i d e n re s o u rc e i n t h e spring. The company will update its resource calculation after next s u m m e r ’s d r i l l i n g , w h i c h B e i s c h e r hopes will be two to three times more than the 2023 season. “Over the course of the fall and by next March, we’ll be able to determine a tonnage over a certain concentration,” he says. “As long as the grade and thickness hold up, then we should have several billion pounds of nickel metal in the ground, as well as the accessory metals that go with it, which includes copper, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and even a little bit of gold. That should be a big move for our company.” AEM has begun early engineering work for the pre-feasibility study and started the baseline water quality and environmental work. Beischer anticipates concerns about mine development in the area if the project goes forward, but believes Nikolai is “in a really permittable place.” “The creeks and rivers that flow off the project area are those really silty, glacial creeks that really don’t support any fish life at all,” he says. “With no salmon spawning anywhere near the project, I think that really helps in permitting. There are no people that live immediately nearby, and there are no archaeological places in the immediate project area, so I think we’re in a very good permittable site.” For now, Beischer says the focus is on determining whether Nikolai is, if not the complete answer, then at least part of the solution to securing the country’s energy future. “Right now, it’s an exploration project,” he says. “Soon, I hope we can call it a development project, but it’s probably a decade away in the best-case scenario from being a mine.”
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Patricia Morales | Alaska Business
CONSTRUCTION
Barrier for Barrow Coastal erosion protection project begins in Utqiaġvik By Dimitra Lavrakas
T
he Arctic Coast, frozen for most of the year, is alarmingly fluid. Beaches and bluffs along the Arctic Ocean shore have some of the highest rates of erosion in the country, according to a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) report. In August, the USACE–Alaska District signed a project partnership agreement with the North Slope Borough for the Barrow Coastal Erosion Protection Project. As the name suggests, the project predates Alaska’s northernmost town adopting its indigenous name in 2016. Fighting erosion goes back to the ‘90s. Before the effect of global climate change was clearly understood, bluffs along the shore of Utqiaġvik were already slumping, exposing ancestral remains and artifacts. The situation became critical in 2018 when storms wiped away the seawall that protected parts of the downtown 64 | December 2023
area. The lack of coastal protection threatens the integrity of the Old Barrow Landfill and the only fresh water source in Utqiaġvik. The community has been spending millions of dollars every year to build temporary berms by bulldozing beach sand. For a more permanent solution, federal help is on the way.
Losing Soil, Saving Land
In its national Assessment of Shoreline Change, the US Geological Survey (USGS) notes that the North Slope is losing an average of 4.6 feet of coastline per year. For all but three months of the year ( July through September), landfast sea ice protects the north coast from waves, winds, and currents. But in periods of ice-free conditions, as the coastal shield melts earlier and forms later in the fall storm season, erosion increases. USGS predicts
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“This project represents USACE’s ability to construct in remote and austere environments as well as our commitment to rural and native communities on the frontlines of climate change.” Colonel Jeffrey Palazzini Commander US Army Corps of Engineers–Alaska District
Utqiaġvik bluffs continued to peel away in 2008. Dimitra Lavrakas
that the Arctic is becoming more vulnerable to storm surge and wave energy, and more shoreline and more infrastructure will be lost. In January 2022, USACE designated $364 million from the Water Resources Development Act and from the Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act to build five miles of rock seawall to hold back the Chukchi Sea. The f u n d i n g f o r c o a s t a l p ro t e c t i o n i n Utqiaġvik is part of $925 million for Alaska. Money also goes to the Kenai R i v e r c o a s t a l e ro s i o n p ro j e c t , t h e Lowell Creek flood diversion system in Seward, upgrades to the Moose Creek www.akbizmag.com
Dam near North Pole, and funding for the Port of Nome. Later in 2022, the US Senate i n c l u d e d a n u p d a t e t o t h e Wa t e r Resources Development Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023. The legislation s w e e t e n s t h e d e a l by c re a t i n g a 10 percent cost sharing option for economically disadvantaged communities, like Utqiaġvik, to address storm damage prevention and reduction, coastal erosion, and ice and glacial damage. “I’m excited that, at long last, we’ve taken the last step in a years-long Alaska Business
process to build a seawall to protect the community of Utqiaġvik,” said Senator Dan Sullivan in an August press release. “I want to thank the US [Army] Corps of Engineers for their cooperation and the community of Utqiaġvik and the North Slope Borough for their strong leadership.” The feeling was mutual from thenBorough Mayor Harry Brower Jr. “We can’t thank our partners in this fight for permanent costal protection enough,” Brower said of the August partnership signing. “I want to especially thank Senator Sullivan for his relentless work on this project.” December 2023 | 65
A webcam operated by the Sea Ice Group at UAF shows bunkers and piles of dirt placed along the shoreline to protect Utqiaġvik during stormy weather on October 8. The group archives images of ice formation and melt. UAF Sea Ice Group
In 1996, a large slump on the coast of Utqiaġvik revealed the remains of a little girl, estimated to be five to eight years old. Renamed Agnaiyaaq (little girl), she was reburied in the town’s new cemetery. Dimitra Lavrakas
In 2008, the North Slope Borough placed huge sandbags along the coast, joined by 1,200 more in 2016. Dimitra Lavrakas
66 | December 2023
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A house along the coast of the Chukchi Sea was protected from erosion in 2008. Dimitra Lavrakas
S u l l i v a n n o t e d t h a t t h e p ro j e c t is the biggest ever coastal erosion infrastructure built in Alaska, and the federal government is footing 90 percent of the cost.
Seven Years to Build
To a d d re s s t h e r i s k o f c o a s t a l erosion, USACE will construct a rock revetment structure along a 5-mile section of the Utqiaġvik shoreline with approximately 23,200 cubic yards of fill placed in the intertidal and subtidal zones. The material comprises 11,900
cubic yards of armor rock, 6,600 cubic yards of B stone, 2,300 cubic yards of core rock, and 2,400 cubic yards of gravel. An additional protective berm will raise the elevation of Stevenson Street along the coast. The project’s anticipated value is $400 million. USACE–Alaska District Public Affairs Specialist John P. Budnik says work begins in 2024, as soon as a construction contract is awarded. “The Alaska District will have a project management and quality control team
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to ensure the project is built correctly,” Budnik says. Whether the construction contractor will offer jobs to residents is up to that company, Budnick says. Completion is slated for 2031. Upon the signing of the August partnership, the commander of USACE–Alaska District, Colonel Jeffrey P a l a z z i n i , o b s e r v e d , “ T h i s p ro j e c t represents USACE’s ability to construct in remote and austere environments as well as our commitment to rural and native communities on the frontlines of climate change.”
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 67
TOURISM
Christmas Lives Here More than seven decades
of North Pole’s Santa Claus House
Vanessa Orr
Jade Frank | ExploreFairbank s
W
68 | December 2023
By Vanessa Orr
hen Con and Nellie Miller moved to the Interior in 1949, they had $1.40 to their name and two children in tow. To make a living, Con traveled to villages around Fairbanks and traded merchandise and clothing while also buying the inventory of other businesses along the way. After a couple of years, the family moved to what would later become North Pole and opened a trading post. While he was known to the adult community as a businessman, he was known as something else to their children: Santa Claus. “Sometimes when he was traveling to local villages, he would dress up as Santa, and he was the first Santa that the village children had ever seen,” explains grandson-in-law Paul Brown. “When he was building the trading post in 1952, kids would call out, ‘Hello, Santa! Are you building a house?’ That’s where the name came from.” Santa Claus House was a soda fountain, general store, and the first post office in North Pole. Nellie became the area’s first postmistress, and Con later became mayor of North Pole, where he served for nineteen years. As the highway opened the area and Interior tourism boomed in the ‘50s, the store expanded from its local focus to reach a wider demographic. “People started coming to the Santa Claus House to get souvenirs and trinkets of their visits,” says Brown, who works as the establishment’s o p e ra t i o n s m a n a g e r. “ S o w e s t a r t e d t o c a r r y m o re visitor-focused products.” In 1952, the Santa Claus House introduced one of its most popular items—Letter from Santa—which has since sent letters to millions of children (and adults) around the world. “Because we were located between Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright, a lot of airmen would come to ask ‘Santa Claus’ to sign postcards to be sent to the airmen’s families stamped from the North Pole,” says Brown. “That evolved into our Letter from Santa program, which we still do today.” As a result, Santa Claus House sends letters and items to pretty much every country. “We actually have a huge mail order presence that no one realizes,” says Brown. “I can
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confidently say that we’re doing more mail order than any other business in Alaska, as far as exporting products from Alaska to the rest of the world.”
category is apparel because we want to provide something functional—we don’t want to just carry a bunch of trinkets,” Brown says. “On the Christmas side, our biggest seller is Christmas ornaments; a lot of people collect them as souvenirs of every place they visit.” A s a re s u l t o f c a t e r i n g t o b o t h locals and tourists, Santa Claus House consistently ranks as the #1 or #2 attraction in the Interior. Even if people aren’t aware of its reputation, the fact that the world’s largest Santa Claus stands in the parking lot is sure to attract attention.
Con and Nellie Miller established Santa Claus House in 1952, the same year Everett Dahl created a subdivision named “North Pole” in hopes of attracting a toy factory. Santa Claus House
Family-Owned Fun
Since the Millers started the business, more members of the family have become part of the Santa Claus House legacy. Their son, former state legislator Mike Miller, still serves as president, while their granddaughter, Carissa Brown, is the lead buyer and business manager. She runs the business dayto-day with Paul, her husband; their children, the fourth generation, now work in the store as well. To serve North Pole’s transient military population as well as people who come from all over the world to visit the Santa Claus House, the store carries a broad mix of products, ranging from Army and Air Force-themed stockings to pet gifts and ornaments featuring the names of favorite sports teams. The store also stocks products from more than 100 made-in-Alaska vendors as well as some international imports. “As Carissa got more and more active in buying, she made the conscious d e c i s i o n t o p rov i d e p ro d u c t s n o t only that tourists want but that locals w o u l d w a n t a s w e l l , ” s a y s B row n . “A lot of specialty gift retailers are no longer in the Fairbanks area, so we’re very conscientious of other holidays, offering gifts not just for Christmas but for Halloween, Easter, Mother’s Day, and more.” Most of the items are exclusive to Santa Claus House. “Our biggest www.akbizmag.com
Santa and Mrs. Claus outside the Santa Claus House. Santa Claus House
The Big Guy
B u i l t i n E n u m c l a w, Wa s h i n g t o n in 1968 for the Westlake Shopping Center in Seattle, the statue was first used as a gimmick to attract shoppers during the holiday season. It was put up each Christmas and then taken down, which was such a chore that the center decided to put the statue into storage. An association of Anchorage businesses purchased it, and the Santa statue stood outside the federal building in the early ‘80s before going into storage again. Santa Claus House bought the statue in 1983 and trucked it to North Pole, where it’s stood ever since. “He’s never going to move again,” Brown says with a laugh. “We had to move him once, in 2017, which required a crane to relocate him.” On top of a one-and-a-half-ton base, the 900-pound statue rises 50 feet high. “The circumference of his Alaska Business
belly is 33 feet around,” Brown adds. “He’s pleasantly plump.” Children who want to visit a more life-sized Santa can take advantage of the fact that a human Santa is at the store five days a week— every week of the year. “Of course, he has a couple days off each week because he has to check on the workshop and make sure that things are getting properly prepared for Christmas,” says Brown, adding that Santa Claus is jolly enough to work seven days a week leading up to Christmas, when the shop gets “crazy busy.” While it’s no surprise that people want to visit during winter holidays, Santa Claus House is a year-round destination, not subject to the seasonality of the visitor industry in the rest of the state. “We have very heavy visitation in the summertime from people coming from around the world, and [we] see a slight drop in September and October, when most of the rest of the visitor industry in Alaska goes to sleep,” says Brown. “But then we’re back to heavy visitation during the holidays—not just from locals but from people throughout the Interior and the rest of the world.” Winter tourism is a growing segment of the market. Brown says, “There’s a little lull in January, but then it’s aurora visitation season. And that leads us right back into summer season.”
The original Santa Claus House. Santa Claus House
Letters through the Ages
As people have become more aware of Santa Claus House, it has expanded to meet the needs of those seeking the holiday spirit. The Letter from Santa program, for example, has evolved into twentyfive different styles of letter, written for different situations. Parents can December 2023 | 69
Santa Claus House on St. Nicholas Drive in North Pole. Santa Claus House
even customize a paragraph of the text or purchase the letter as a part of special packages that include other holiday-themed items. “ We’ve made some very minor variations of the letterhead over the decades to keep it timeless,” says B row n . “ B u t w e h a v e n ’ t c h a n g e d it significantly so that parents and grandparents can still recognize it as the same letter they got as children.” A f t e r m o re t h a n h a l f a c e n t u r y, the product has become m u l t i g e n e ra t i o n a l . “ The fun thing about our Santa letters is that people who received them when they were children now get them for their kids and grandkids and even greatgrandchildren,” Brown says. L e t t e r s o n t h e s t o r e ’s w e b s i t e testify to this time-honored tradition. "I have been ordering your letters for about twenty years,” reads one testimonial from Nancy. “I have not only sent them to my children, but I have sent them to friends and my parents and coworkers. Just about everyone I know has gotten a letter from Santa.” E x p re s s i n g h e r t h a n k s , N a n c y ’s statement continues, “My children are older now, and they are starting to send them to friends... You don't only bring smiles to children, but to us big children also."
Workshop in Progress
Charming holiday displays help visitors get in the holiday spirit. Vanessa Orr
70 | December 2023
Since its inception, the store has grown from an 800-square-foot building on the Richardson Highway to an 18,000-square-foot space on St. Nicholas Drive. “In 1974, the state rerouted the Richardson Highway, so Con and Nellie bought a new property alongside the new highway and doubled the square footage,” says Brown. “A 1978 expansion tripled the square footage, and another expansion in 2017/2018 more than doubled that.” Santa Claus House now fills 18,000 square feet, but even that isn’t enough. “We’re about to expand again,” Brown s a y s . “A s t h e v i s i t o r i n d u s t r y h a s grown, we’ve grown.” The upcoming expansion will include a 6-acre park, seasonal restaurant, a n d ev e n t u a l l y s h o p s a ro u n d t h e perimeter of the park. Called Silver B e l l S q u a re , B row n s a y s t h e a re a Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
will have a Disneyland Main Streettype feel, offering different activities depending on the season. “We’ll be opening the different pieces of it in stages,” starting next summer, according to Brown. He adds that the new addition will double the store’s workforce, and more expansions are planned once the first phase of Silver Bell Square is complete. “ We w a n t t o b e m o re t h a n j u s t a store; we want to be a full-blown attraction,” he says. “Think of us as a very small-scale Disney. Over time, there will be shopping, restaurants, activities, and lodging. Our goal is to make this a full-scale resort.”
Sharing the Holiday Spirit
Providing a place where people can enjoy the magic of Christmas year-round is not only the company’s mission—it’s their passion as well. Executive Assistant Heather Burke has worked in various roles at Santa Claus House for the past eighteen years, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else.
“Not only is the family wonderful to work for, but you can’t beat it being Christmas all year long,” she says with a laugh. “ The guests that come in are excited to experience Christmas no matter what time of year it is, and that’s wonderful to see.” Brown admits, “It sounds cliché and corny, but being a business called the Santa Claus House located in North Pole, Alaska, we kind of feel like we speak in the voice of Santa.” As he puts it, “We are guardians of the Santa story and in perpetuating the magic of Christmas.” It’s a business, but it’s also a vibe. “All the hiring we do, our customer service, even the media interviews w e g i v e a re a l l a b o u t p ro t e c t i n g the magic of Christmas, not just f o r c h i l d re n , b u t f o r p e o p l e o f a l l ages,” Brown says. “ This is a happy place, and when people come in, we do everything we can to share the joy and spirit of Christmas so that they leave happier than when they entered. We are the embodiment of the holiday spirit.”
“I can confidently say that we’re doing more mail order than any other business in Alaska, as far as exporting products from Alaska to the rest of the world.” Paul Brown Operations Manager Santa Claus House
The Juggling Act:
Managing Holiday Season Stress house and hosting festive gatherings, the expectations can be immense. Social media makes this more troublesome, often creating ideals that create unrealistic expectations and unfair comparisons.
hile the holiday season is a time of celebration, gratitude, and togetherness, it's also a season full of stressors that can take a toll on our mental and emotional wellbeing and relationships. Balancing these demands can feel like an overwhelming juggling act.
Holiday pressures spread well beyond personal and social circles. Year-end, work-related tasks can also contribute to stress, such as deadlines that must be met before the year ends. The pressure to achieve annual goals, complete projects, and prepare for year-end reviews can lead to heightened stress levels. It's not uncommon for people to feel real anxiety that leaves them emotionally drained.
One major stressor during the holiday season is the pressure to create the perfect Christmas experience. From finding ideal gifts to decorating the
Balancing the demands of work with personal obligations can be overwhelming. The holiday season is a time for rest and relaxation, but work can often encroach on
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– S P O N S O R E D
www.akbizmag.com
this valuable time, preventing individuals from fully unwinding. No matter the stresses you may be experiencing, remember to take a moment to destress and prioritize self care. Setting realistic expectations, saying no more often, and delegating personal or work tasks can take some of the pressure off. For year-end work demands, effective time management and open communication with colleagues and superiors are key. By taking proactive steps to manage these stressors, you can better savor the magic of the holiday season.
Charles Bell Vice President of Sales & Marketing 907-230-8213 cbell@akbizmag.com
CO N T E N T –
Alaska Business
December 2023 | 71
THE SAFETY CORNER
Moment of Roof Inspection, maintenance, and removal to combat snow loads By Sean Dewalt
72 | December 2023
maintenance plan for roofs, especially in regions of the state that traditionally see higher snowfall.
One for the Books
Last winter (a La Niña year) saw numerous roof collapses across the state. Each of the businesses that suffered these property losses faced difficulties in rebuilding these structures due to the well-documented shortages of available, qualified contractors in the Great Land. In Anchorage, 6 feet of snow fell between December and February. It was the ninth time on record since the early ‘50s that the city had seen more than 100 inches of snow in a single season. Buildings began collapsing in February under the stress of accumulating snow and ice. Sadly, a Midtown building collapsed on February 18, killing one person and trapping two others. March had multiple snow events throughout the month. Into April, blizzard warnings continued through many parts of Alaska. April broke the all-time record of 31 inches of snow for the month in Anchorage. By the time the month was done, sixteen buildings in the city had collapsed.
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
Sean Dewalt | Umialik Insurance Co
W
inter is off and running in Alaska, and the National Weather Service is predicting this to be an El Niño season. Alaskans should expect above-normal temperature and precipitation along the coast and above-normal temperature and below-normal precipitation in the Interior, especially throughout the winter. Many regions received early October snowfall, and a Snotel [snow telemetry] site near Thompson Pass had already measured 19 inches on October 12. I f y o u r c o m p a n y d o e s n o t a l re a d y h a v e w i n t e r snow removal plans in place, this would be the time to start. This should include a formal
Historic weather data in Anchorage show that the record snowfall year was the 2011/2012 winter season, with 134.5 inches recorded and the coldest January in Alaska’s history. It also had one of the most ferocious storms to hit the Bering Sea in twenty-five years, with 35-foot waves and a storm surge of 8.6 feet that pounded Nome for days. That season was also an El Niño season. Preparing for these winter seasons takes a combination of planning, preventative maintenance, and formal contingency operations. Early-stage planning should start with a review of roof conditions and a knowledge of the roof design, drainages, roof coverings, and snow load capacity.
Load Requirements
Alaska building codes for snow loads vary greatly from region to region. Some jurisdictions have building code requirements, while other locations in the state have guidelines. Some locations in Alaska have no oversight for construction. Snow loads are measured in pounds per square foot and are generally adopted by local governments. In Anchorage, for example, municipal codes regarding snow loads have been adopted from international residential and building standards and modified for local, seasonal snow loads. This dates to the ‘70s. The minimum required snow load capacity in Anchorage is 40 pounds per square foot. By comparison, the requirement in the Fairbanks North Star Borough is 50 pounds per square foot, and in Juneau it is 70. This is a minimum required value regardless of the pitch or type of roofing. Some critical facilities or new facilities with flat roofs may be designed for higher loads. It is important to know how a building was constructed and how much load it was designed for. One way to affirm these facts is to hire an engineer to inspect the building and calculate the load rating, regardless of the roof type. Last year, a concern regarding a commercial roof design called a top chord hung roof truss was brought to light due to the snowy conditions. This design dates to the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the flaw in the engineering of this roof style is how the connection is made with the load-bearing wall www.akbizmag.com
and is subject to failure in which the wood splits. According to Municipality of Anchorage Engineering Services Manager Ross Noffsinger, “Once one truss fails, the load it was supporting now gets transferred to other trusses. They may pick it up and hold it for a while, but generally they’re the same type of truss. They can start to crack, and then eventually the whole thing can fail catastrophically.” Multiple collapsed buildings in Southcentral Alaska experience t h i s ex a c t f a i l u re . T h e s e t y p e s o f buildings should have an aggressive s n ow re m ov a l p l a n t h a t i n c l u d e s f re q u e n t re m ov a l o f a c c u m u l a t e d ice and snow to prevent undue overloading of the building.
Snow Removal
Another important factor is knowing where the snow is going to be placed once it is removed from the roof. Summer photos of the roof will aid in mid-winter operational decision making once the surface is covered in snow. By knowing where scupper drains or skylights are located, for example, t h e r i s k o f d a m a g e d u r i n g s n ow removal can be reduced. A schematic is another good idea, and combining these plans with a qualified contractor walk-through in advance of winter is even better. Snow removal companies should be selected based on reputation and quality of work, and they should provide a certificate of liability insurance with the building owner listed as an additional insured on the insurance policy. That way, if property damage caused by negligent work of the snow removal company does occur during snow removal, the claim is likely handled by that company’s insurance carrier. Lastly, it is best to remove the snow in early February if December and January are snowy months. Waiting until later in the season when it becomes dire will cost more, as snow removal companies become busy and unavailable, and time becomes a factor as the stresses on the building continue to increase toward collapse.
An Ounce of Maintenance
Interim roof maintenance can reduce the chances of incidents s u c h a s w a t e r d a m a g e , a n d t h ey Alaska Business
offer the opportunity to inspect the roof for items that could lead to a larger issue. Check if the heat trace is working, the quality of the roofing material, missing fasteners, or areas that do not drain. In the wintertime, heat from the building as well as from melt-andfreeze cycles will create ice that can migrate under the influence of gravity. When the building does not drain correctly—which will likely cause ice dams on the edge of the building—the disproportionate loading can increase the probability of a collapse. Ice is much denser than snow, and one inch of ice is equivalent to roughly a foot of fresh snow. Therefore, keeping ice dams from forming is crucial. In any assessment, bear in mind that the overall calculation of the weight of snow on the roof should include all water, ice, and snow that is present. It is impossible to know what the winter will bring for weather. This uncertainty can be managed by actively addressing concerns before larger p ro b l e m s a r i s e , s t a y i n g o u t f ro n t of property risks, and knowing that snow in Alaska is largely inevitable. The costs associated with proper roof maintenance, including snow removal, pale in comparison to a large property or liability claim. Always remember that the workers, residents, and business invitees are relying on the property owners to ensure that the buildings are a place where people are safe. Providing a safe environment is not just a good business or investment strategy but will also help protect the most important resource that we have: human life. After all, risk never sleeps.
Sean Dewalt is a Senior Loss Control C o n s u l t a n t f o r U m i a l i k I n s u ra n c e Company in Anchorage. Dewalt has been working in safety and risk management in Alaska since 2000. This column is intended to be informational and is not intended to be construed as legal advice.
December 2023 | 73
INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS FashionPact After a devastating roof collapse last winter, FashionPact is returning to full strength. The Anchorage secondhand store, in business since 2021, opened a new location in October at 68th Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway. It replaces the flagship location near Downtown, at the junction of the Seward and Glenn Highways, where the roof caved in, ruining inventory stored there for an expansion shop in South Anchorage. That small shop became a lifeboat until owner Brittani Clancey could find new retail space. FashionPact resells donated clothing and shares 40 percent of sales with “allies,” dozens of local nonprofits chosen by donors and customers. fashionpact.com
Three Bears Alaska Next in the expansion plans for Three Bears Alaska are a couple of gas station convenience stores in North Pole. The Wasilla-based grocery chain has its eye on two Sourdough Fuel locations, pending transfer of a liquor license for the Badger Road station. The other gas station is at the North Pole Plaza shopping center, at the intersection of Santa Claus Lane and St. Nicholas Drive. Three Bears is also discussing acquisitions in Delta Junction and Unalaska, and the company is planning another convenience store in the former Spenard Builders Supply location in Eagle River, next to Fred Meyer. threebearsalaska.com
Golden Valley Electric Association The electric utility for Fairbanks and the Interior helped Westinghouse Electric Co. apply for a US Department of Energy program that could lead to an innovative thermal storage facility. Slabs of insulated concrete would store surplus electricity as heat, enough to power 2,000 homes for a month 74 | December 2023
when released through a heat pump. Westinghouse would site the facility next to the Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) coalfired power plant in Healy, although GVEA has not committed to using it. The project was selected as one of nine nationwide that could qualify for a $50 million federal grant. Westinghouse could build the storage unit by 2028. gvea.com
Glacier Oil & Gas A new unit has been formed on the eastern North Slope. The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas approved the creation of the Grey Owl unit, covering 14,667 acres operated by Balcony Natural Resources, a subsidiary of Glacier Oil & Gas. Another subsidiary, Savant Alaska, operates the Badami unit about 20 miles to the northeast. The Grey Owl acreage had been controlled by JPD Family Holdings, which traded its state leases in exchange for 10 percent ownership of Glacier Oil & Gas. The unit application comes with a five-year exploration plan. glacieroil.com
Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals One of the top seven small businesses in the country, in the eyes of the US Chamber of Commerce, is in Anchorage. Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals was a finalist for the honor of “America’s Top Small Business,” narrowed from a field of more than 15,000 applicants nationwide. Led by founder and principal auctioneer Dan Newman, the company offers online and live estate sales, business liquidation, benefit auctions, and personal property appraisals. “We're honored to have been voted the US Chamber's Top Small Business in our Northwest region and incredibly proud of our team for their daily contributions and dedication towards taking care
of our customers, growing our company, and representing Alaska," says Newman. The winner of the $25,000 grand prize, announced October 19, was Elderly Instruments, a family-owned music store in Lansing, Michigan. alaskapremierauctions.com
Harvest Alaska Construction is underway on a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant on the North Slope. Harvest Alaska, the mid-stream affiliate of Hilcorp, is building the facility. When it is complete by the end of 2024, Harvest Alaska will supply LNG to the Interior Gas Utility, which plans to truck gas purchased from Hilcorp to Fairbanks. North Slope LNG is meant to replace Cook Inlet gas that the utility liquifies at its own facility at Point MacKenzie. After erecting buildings, winter construction involves connecting to the fuel gas pipeline. Process modules are scheduled to be trucked north in the spring. harvestmidstream.com
Alaska Chamber The Alaska Chamber presented its Premier Business Awards to an outstanding Alaskan, two companies, and a fellow chamber of commerce. The William A. Egan Outstanding Alaskan of the Year went to Bob Berto of Ketchikan for his involvement with Alaska Marine Pilots, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and other tourism, finance, and healthcare efforts. The Bill Bivin Small Business of the Year Award (for an Alaska company with fewer than 100 employees) went to Northern Alaska Tour Company of Fairbanks. The Rita Sholton Large Business of the Year award was given to the Alaska Railroad Corporation. And the Cordova Chamber of Commerce wins Local Chamber of the Year for 2023. alaskachamber.com
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
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ANCHORAGE FAIRBANKS
RIGHT MOVES Anchorage Chamber
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A telecom manager and concert musician is the new President and CEO of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s Mc Ardle board hired Kathleen McArdle, who helped establish Verizon’s Alaska presence as manager of sales operations. Since moving to Alaska from Arizona nearly ten years ago, McArdle has served on the boards of Anchorage Opera and the Anchorage Community Concert Band, where she performs on tenor saxophone. McArdle studied psychology at Texas Tech University and Our Lady of the Lake University, earning a master’s degree and practicing as a licensed counselor. She then obtained an MBA degree from Grand Canyon University.
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AEDC
The board of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) found a successor to longtime President and Wright CEO Bill Popp close at hand. The organization’s vice president, Jenna Wright, can keep the job, a few weeks after she was named to the position on an interim basis. Wright holds bachelor’s degrees in marketing and finance from UAA, as well as a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in business intelligence and data analytics. She applied her background in the private sector and in government, most recently as deputy director of the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles and Director of Business Operations at Microcom.
ANVCA
Ahtna, Incorporated
The Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) hired Curtis J. McQueen as Executive Director. McQueen used to McQueen serve on the association’s board when he was CEO of Eklutna, Incorporated; he served in that position from 2005 to 2019, during the start of ANVCA in 2010. McQueen is Tlingit from the Eagle-Killer Whale Clan, a citizen of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, a shareholder of Sealaska, and an adopted member of the Native Village of Eklutna. He is also a current board member of the Rasmuson Foundation, Alaska’s largest philanthropic foundation.
Ahtna, Incorporated has a new Vice President of Information Technology (IT). Brian Robbins joined the team to oversee IT needs for the Robbins Alaska Native corporation for the Copper River region and its entire family of companies. Robbins is an accomplished IT professional with a proven track record in the industry. He began his career in IT in the military. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree with double majors in business administration and cyber security. With a diverse background in multiple technology and leadership roles, Robbins brings a wealth of expertise to his new position.
Aleknagik Natives Limited
Doyon, Limited
An executive of one Alaska Native regional corporation is taking over leadership of a village corporation in a different region. Aleknagik A arons Natives Limited (ANL) selected Miriam Aarons as its President and CEO. In her new role, Aarons oversees all facets of ANL’s business operations, ensuring strategic alignment and advancing a collaborative and growth-oriented corporate culture. Aarons, an enrolled tribal member of the Native Village of Unalakleet, was previously vice president of corporate communications for Bering Straits Native Corporation, where she started working in 2012. However, she spent her early childhood in the Dillingham area. Aarons earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in international relations from Columbia University.
The Alaska Native corporation for the Interior region, Doyon, Limited, is giving broader oversight of its information technology Mercer (IT) business lines to Tom Mercer, expanding his role as President and General Manager of Arctic IT to include leadership of designDATA as well. Whereas Arctic IT specializes in implementing and managing Microsoft cloud solutions in Alaska from its home base in Anchorage, designDATA is a Maryland-based managedIT firm serving the Washington, DC area that was acquired by Doyon Government Group. Mercer joined the Doyon family of companies as the president and GM for Arctic IT in 2022. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from North Dakota State University and a master’s degree in management of technology from
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RIGHT MOVES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NORTHERN AIR CARGO
Committed to the Alaska Spirit 76 | December 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
the University of Minnesota. He holds four patents for his work in commercializing multiple digital products.
Alpha Media
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The seven radio stations in Alaska owned by Oregonbased broadcaster Alpha Media have a new Market Manager. Nikki Hilton Hilton took over for longtime manager Scott Smith, who announced his retirement last January. Hilton most recently served as senior vice president of sales in Spokane, Washington for rival broadcaster iHeartMedia. In her new position, Hilton oversees six stations in Anchorage: 750 AM KFQD, 590 AM KHAR, KWHL 106.5, KOOL 97.3 (KEAG), “The Mix” 103.1 (KMXS), and “KBear” 104.1 (KBRJ), offering formats that include news/talk, sports, rock, adult hits, adult contemporary, and new country, respectively. The group also includes the classic country station 100.9 KAYO in Wasilla. Hilton is an award-winning media expert with more than twenty-eight years of broadcasting experience in the United States and Canada.
Thompson & Co.
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Thompson & Co. (T&C) Public Relations promoted Bri Kelly to Vice President, adding her to an executive team responsible for leading the Kelly development of the agency and its integrated services. In her new role, Kelly manages agency clients and builds on national media outreach opportunities while working seamlessly with T&C’s sister agency Blueprint Alaska, providing project management on integrated communication campaigns and strategic communications work for resource clients,
such as Donlin Gold. Kelly has provided strategic communications counsel to clients in Alaska’s travel and leisure industries for more than twelve years. Since she joined T&C, Kelly modernized the press credential and communication process for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and led media relations for the race for more than seven years. She’s also assisted journalists on behalf of the Alaska Travel Industry Association and coordinated national broadcast productions. Behind the scenes, she’s a crisis communications responder, certified by the Public Relations Society of America.
US Army Corps of Engineers
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James Sauceda assumed duties as the Chief of the Engineering, Construction, and Operations Division for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)– Alaska District in June. In Sauceda his new position, Sauceda leads a team of more than 200 personnel, and he serves as the district’s dam and levee safety officer. Sauceda earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from UAA and is a registered professional engineer in Alaska. He has more than thirty years of federal experience with USACE and the US Department of State. In 2014, he was selected as the Alaska Federal Executive Association’s Federal Employee of the Year.
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Design Alaska
Design Alaska, a Fairbanks-based multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm, promoted Cutter Degerlund to become its Civil Engineering Department Leader. Degerlund graduated from UAF with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He is a licensed professional civil engineer with fourteen years of
experience designing civil infrastructure in Alaska. The company says Degerlund’s expertise in surveying, site design, utilities, transportation systems, and other civil Degerlund infrastructure will be invaluable to the team.
First National Bank Alaska
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First National Bank Alaska (FNBA) named Suzanne Whittle as a Senior Vice President and the Director of Compliance and Branch Whit tle Operations Support Director. In her new role, Whittle oversees FNBA’s Compliance Department, including the bank’s Fair Lending and Quality Assurance, Bank Secrecy Act Compliance, and Branch Operations Compliance sections. Whittle brings more than fortytwo years of banking experience. She also served as president and in various other board roles for Kids' Corps, Inc., a Head Start agency.
Tlingit & Haida
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The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) promoted Christina Lee to the position of Reentry & Recovery Lee Operations Manager. Lee has been working since January 2021 as the Reentry & Recovery coordinator. In her new role, Lee manages the tribe's three non-congregate shelters, which provide sober and supportive housing to people released from incarceration or returning from treatment. Lee’s Tlingit name is Sheét and she is from the Deisheetaan clan. She holds a Chemical Dependency Counselor I certification from Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health Certification.
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Alaska Business
December 2023 | 77
ALASKA TRENDS
E
very month of 2023, a theme has recurred in this magazine: Alaska needs workers. Employers are practically (and sometimes literally) begging for applicants. Economic forecasts show that migration into the state isn’t keeping up with Baby Boomer retirements. Demographic data that describe the problem are also a sign of salvation. Watched as closely as a stock ticker, the state’s vital statistics measure a natural increase in population. The birth rate in 2022 of 12.7 per 1,000 far outpaces the death rate of 774 per 100,000. Just wait until 2040 or so, and these newborns will be ready for the workforce. Inspired by Alexandra Kay’s article “People & Patients, Facts & Figures,” this edition of Alaska Trends illustrates data from the Alaska Vital Statistics 2022 Annual Report produced by the Health Analytics and Vital Records section of the state’s Division of Public Health. It reveals that the most common names for 2022’s newborn Alaskans were Oliver, Charlotte, and Aurora. The oldest mother was 50, and 64 percent of mothers had adequate prenatal care; 130 mothers had none. The oldest Alaskan to die in 2022 was 107. The overall death rate started climbing in 2020 with the arrival of a new top cause, COVID-19, although accidental deaths have also been surging. Cancer is still the most common cause of death, particularly lung and colon cancers, and tobacco contributed to 471 deaths, or 8 percent. Healthcare providers, risk managers, and human resources departments use these data to balance services to the community’s needs. These figures also form a fascinating snapshot of the lives Alaskans lead, from cradle to crypt.
736,556
Alaskan Residents in 2022
267
10
Twin Births
Triplet+ Births
4,754
4,607
Boys
9,361 Resident Births
5,701 Resident Deaths
BIRTHS BY LOCATION IN 2022
8,610 Hospital Births | 468 Birthing Center Births | 252 Home Births
10,000
Girls
7,500
5,000
2,500
33% of births were attended by midwives. 78 | December 2023
0
Hospital
Birthing Center
Home
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
662
4,805
Adoptions Granted
2,208
Marriage Ceremonies
Legal Separations Marriage is up.
ADOPTIONS GRANTED BY COURT (2018-2022)
The marriage rate of 6.5 per 1,000 of population was
1000 Tribal Court
Cultural Court
up from 6.3 in 2021.
State Court
750 500
Separations are down. 250
Divorces, dissolutions, and annulments dropped to 3 per
0
2018
2019
2020
2021
1,000 of population.
2022
3,248
40% of deaths occured in hospitals.
Male Deaths
2,298 deaths occurred in hospitals, and nearly as many occurred in the decedent's residence: 2,254.
Opps! There were 547 accidents
300 Poisoning/exposure to noxious substances
making it the
Motor vehicle/land transportation
3rd leading
#1 cause of death is cancer.
200
Falls Transport (water, air, space combined) Drowning/submersion Exposure to smoke, fire and flames
100
Malignant neoplasms
Discharge of firearms
with 1,060 deaths
Other
is consistently the top cause of death in Alaska.
Female Deaths
ACCIDENTAL DEATHS (2018-2022)
in 2022,
cause of death.
2,453
0 2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Life expectancy is on the rise. An Alaskan born in 2022 can expect to live 76.8 years, up from 75.4 in 2021. www.akbizmag.com
73% are cremated. Cremation was the most common method of disposition (73%), followed by burial (24%) in 2022. Alaska Business
December 2023 | 79
What book is currently on your nightstand? The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. What charity or cause are you passionate about? Animal welfare. I do a lot of work with Friends of Pets. What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work? Walk the dogs… Right now, we only have three: three dogs, three cats. What vacation spot is on your bucket list? Probably Greece.
Photos by Monica Whit t
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be? I think a lion. There’s so much about a cat that’s mysterious to me, and to have a big cat that you could rub their belly, comb their mane, and have a protector in the house would be lovely.
80 | December 2023
Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
OFF THE CUFF
Michele Girault Q
uiet ly one of the largest private sector employers in A laska, the 500 staff of Hope
Community Resources suppor t people with disabi lities at assisted-living homes statewide. “We’ve tried to be a big organization that’s more fami ly friend ly, as much as we can,” says Executive Director Michele Girau lt. From a fami ly of teachers, Girau lt ex pected to become an educator unti l a col lege friend invited her to join a smal l institution in California. She recal ls, “I never even volunteered with Special Olympics. But I fel l in love with the people and the work.” Li kewise, Girau lt fel l in love with A laska during a vacation, and a one-
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Girault: A high ropes course in Kodiak. Being very afraid of heights, I was able to master that. That was a big accomplishment. AB: What are you superstitious about? Girault: Be kind? I don’t know if karma is a superstition, but I think if you send out good stuff, good stuff will come back—and if you don’t, you better watch what’s coming back. AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant? Girault: Moose’s Tooth.
year stay turned into for ty. “I felt so free here, li ke you cou ld real ly make a difference as one person,” she says.
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert? Girault: P!nk.
One way Girau lt makes a difference is by rescuing animals, li ke her gray pood le-Maltese mi x, Esther. She also has a
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance? Girault: Travel probably… I have an affection for Colorado; we have a cabin there, so I do go back and forth there.
Ti betan terrier and Labrador retriever. At work, Girau lt strol ls through the studio where clients make ar t that’s sold in Hope’s wel l-stocked gal ler y. A shade of blue paint catches her eye, and it clicks with the tit le of the fantasy novel she’s reading. The teacher is always learning. Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time? Michele Girault: I am one of those people that can’t stop volunteering. I go from work to volunteering. www.akbizmag.com
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn? Girault: Technology; I learn something new every day. Many of the people that we support teach me things.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute? Girault: I can stay calm in the midst of chaos. I think that’s my superpower. It was very helpful during the pandemic. What’s my worst? I am not tech savvy.
Alaska Business
December 2023 | 81
ADVERTISERS INDEX 3-Tier Alaska.......................................... 61 3 tieralaska.com
Davis Wright Tremaine Llp...................... 43 d w t .com
Airport Equipment Rentals..................... 83 airpor tequipmentrentals .com
Denali Commercial................................. 25 denalicommercial.com
Oxford Assaying & Refining Inc.............. 75
Alaska Pacific University......................... 37 alaskapaci f ic .edu
First National Bank Alaska........................ 5 f nbalaska.com
Parker, Smith & Feek.............................. 63
Alaska School Activities Association ...... 27 asaa.org
GCI.......................................................... 9 gci.com
ps f inc .com
Alpenglow Pain & Wellness ................... 59 alpenglo wpain.com
Great Originals Inc................................. 31 grea toriginals .com
prov idence.org
Altman, Rogers & Co.............................. 23 al trogco.com
Lifemed Alaska...................................... 57 li femedalaska.com
American Heart Association................... 45 hear t .org
Lynden.................................................. 84 l y nden.com
Anchorage Convention Centers............. 21 anchorageconventioncenter s .com
Material Flow & Conveyor Systems, Inc........................................... 67 ma terial f lo w.com
State of Alaska Department of Health.... 33
Moda....................................................... 3 moda.com
Stellar Designs Inc................................. 23
Bettisworth North................................. 35 be t tis wor thnor th.com
Moda..................................................... 41 moda.com
Structured Communication Systems...... 11
Chugach Alaska Corporation.................. 47 chugach.com
MTA - Matanuska Telecom Association... 13 mtasolu tions .com
Conrad-Houston Insurance Agency....... 37 chialaska.com
NCB....................................................... 15 ncb.coop
Construction Machinery Industrial........... 2 cmiak .com
Nenana Heating Services, Inc................ 15 nenanahea tingser v icesinc .com
Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc..................... 19 cook inle t tug.com
New Horizons Telecom, Inc.................... 16 nhtiusa.com
Anchorage Radiation Therapy Centers.................................................. 58 alaskaradia tiontherapy.com
Northern Air Cargo...........................76,77 nac .aero
ox fordme tals .com
Providence Health & Services Alaska...... 39
Providence Imaging Center ................... 49 providence.org/locations/ak/imaging-center Span Alaska Transportation LLC............. 17 spanalaska.com
heal th.alaska.gov
s tellar- designs .com
s tr uc tured.com T. Rowe Price........................................... 7 alaska529 plan.com Tongass Federal Credit Union................ 19 tongas s fcu.com United Way of Anchorage...................... 29 li veuni tedanc .org
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