News Release

Alaska Organizations Awarded $2.1 Million in Federal Grants to Improve Rural Health Care

HHS Deputy Secretary Alex Azar today announced five grants worth $2,135,989 that four organizations in Alaska will use to improve the delivery of health care in rural parts of the state. Azar made the announcement while visiting health care sites and tribal communities in Alaska.

The grants go to the Alaska organizations listed below:

• The University of Alaska Anchorage received two grants totaling $908,409. The first, worth $491,032, will continue the training of workers to address the needs of the state�s elderly population and disabled Alaskans who require long-term care. The second grant, totaling $417,377, allows the university to continue a multi-year effort to recruit Alaska Natives to enroll in and complete a four-year registered nurse education program
• Providence Health Systems in Anchorage received a $491,032 grant to recruit, train and place physicians throughout rural Alaska, operate the Family Practice Center in Anchorage, and support additional medical residents to provide services to underserved populations in rural areas.
• The University of Alaska Fairbanks received $491,032 to continue a program that trains Alaska Natives as psychologists.
• The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services in Juneau received a $245,516 grant to prepare guidance to license and certify Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) sites and provide policy and program assistance to them. FESC sites, located in remote areas of the state, care for severely injured or ill patients until they are transported to an acute care hospital.

The Alaska grants were part of a broader list Azar released that contained another $1.4 million in similar grants to improve rural health care in other states.