Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Alaska News

News stories from the past 60 days.

May 31, 2024 - Features a harm reduction program serving residents of Alaska's rural Kenai Peninsula. Explores strategies for making services, including syringe exchange and opioid-overdose treatment distribution, accessible to remote populations.
Source: Alaska Public Media, PBS, NPR
May 24, 2024 - Describes the launch of an HPV testing program and anticipated impacts on rural Alaskans. Highlights the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer, and high rates of cervical cancer among Alaska Native and American Indian women. Discusses how self-collecting for HPV tests can decrease barriers for rural populations.
Source: Alaska Public Media, PBS, NPR
May 23, 2024 - A proposed federal bill would add veterinary services to the duties of the Indian Health Service. Discusses the public health risks of rabies and other zoonotic diseases in rural Alaska where veterinary care is often limited.
Source: Alaska Beacon
May 17, 2024 - An analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families showed that Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah had fewer children enrolled in Medicaid at the end 2023 than before the pandemic. States with the largest drops in coverage have large rural areas, where clinician shortages, long drives to care, and poorer health outcomes are common.
Source: Stateline
May 9, 2024 - Reports on recent legislation to expand the definition of "village" in Alaska in an effort to increase eligibility for infrastructure funding for small communities. Notes how rural is defined, the potential for increased competition for funds, and the need to include rural partners in the discussion.
Source: Alaska Beacon

Last Updated: 6/3/2024