Many people
wonder what kind of access Alaskans have to medical care. Much of the population in Alaska is spread
out, sometimes miles away from a neighbor, much less a hospital or clinic. The rule of thumb in Alaska is, if there is a
road leading to your home, you are not considered rural. So what do they do when they have a medical
emergency? Well, it's not easy for
sure.
In one large
rural area of Alaska, the mostly Native American population opted to use
federal government funds to build a medical facility, and supply it with an
aircraft that could go to a rural home and transport patients. This was in the early 1990s, and they have
yet to work out the logistics. The main
problem is the weather. They cannot
agree on how to operate any type of flight equipment for 9 months out of the
year. They have discussed building the
hospital anyway, but with no definitive means of transportation there, it has
not been cost effective enough for support.
So, for now, if you are in a remote area of Alaska and need medical
care, you might want to hope your housemate is a health care professional.
Options for Medical Services
A large rural
area of Alaska is home to an aging population.
Many of the residents are in need of medical care, yet have difficulty
getting to a medical facility. A
volunteer MED transport company agreed to provide services for those in need,
but it did not go smoothly. A 74 year
old native Alaskan cut his leg severely with a filet knife, and needed numerous
sutures. He was in the area for the new
transport system, yet weather and terrain made it difficult for them to reach
him. The rescue crew started out at 4 pm
to make what should be a one hour drive to the resident’s home. The hour drive would be accurate when weather
conditions were not a factor. The two
EMT Workers made it with ½ mile of the patient's home, and navigated by foot
the remainder of the way. It was 3 pm
the following day before they arrived at the medical center with the
patient.
The time had
passed that sutures could be done, and because the knife was used to filet
fish, there was a high risk of infection.
The patient spent 17 days hospitalized before returning home. This is typical in this area, and this
incident was no one's fault; however, they plan to transport patients simply
failed. Current government officials are
trying to devise a plan best suited for the aging population in this area.
Hospitals & Staffing
The hospitals
in the major cities of Alaska are generally well stocked, staffed, and
supplied, however smaller medical centers are not so fortunate. Many roads are not passable during extreme
weather conditions, and medical supplies cannot be delivered. Blood shortages have been a real problem in
the more isolated areas, as well as lack of trained medical staff. A scholarship grant was started to train
nurses that would then relocate to the rural, however it was not successful as
anticipated. Currently there is a
shortage of nurses in the isolated areas of Alaska, and there are incentives to
bring workers in.
Related: The Happy Side of Nursing
Statistics
Statistically
speaking, Alaskans are pretty healthy people.
The death rate percent-wise is no higher than in the lower states. Heart disease is extremely rare among the
population in Alaska, in fact, it has the lowest rate of heart disease within
the United States. This is presumed to
be due to the large amount of fish consumed.
The omega rich diet has paid off and the residents are proof. The ice span in Alaska is actually above the
national average, again most likely due to the amount of fish consumed, and
lack of red meats.
Native
Alaskans claim to be hearty individuals, able to care for themselves, and the
statistics indicate they are right. There
is, however, still a need for health care services to be extended in this
area. Many children go unvaccinated, and
a majority of pregnant women in rural areas do not seek medical care during
pregnancy. This essentially leads to a
medical crisis for portions of Alaska, and currently there is no planned
solution. As of now, there are no
definitive answers about the medical care dilemma, but new ideas are being
explored with hopes that a solution will be reached in the near future.
Comments
Post a Comment