Cancer Education for Community Health Aides Promotes Community Wellness
Beginning in 2015, with a funding award from the National Cancer Institute, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) cancer education team launched a series of interactive, online cancer education modules (CHAP Distance Learning Network releases new cancer education modules) to address a need for accessible cancer education in rural Alaska. The education program has continued to develop and roll out engaging learning modules as they are completed. The ninth module, “Tobacco and Cancer,” was recently released; the final module “Eating Well, Being Active, Decreasing Cancer Risk” will be released this fall.
These online modules, which offer Community Health Aides and Practitioners (CHA/Ps) continuing education hours, are an important part of engaging CHA/Ps in cancer control and preventative care. Cancer is the leading causes of death for our people and the modules were developed with Alaska Native culture in mind to best serve CHA/Ps and their communities.
Each module was developed with feedback from Alaska’s CHA/Ps, CHAP leadership, community members, project partners and content experts. CHAP learners wanted to see relevant local information, personal stories, visual teaching aids and content that shows respect for individual learners’ cultures. These are all included in the modules and each module concludes with an evaluation survey and opportunity for feedback to ensure the modules continue to reflect the needs of the CHAP learners themselves.[xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]
One survey respondent commented about the cancer education online learning module, “It brought to light some issues for cancer patients that I otherwise would have had no idea about. It didn’t just brush on a subject and leave you wanting more answers, any question I had was quickly answered in the module. The information was concise and put together in a way that was very fluid and made sense to be in that order.”
From March 2015 – July 2016, 338 end-of-module surveys were completed and the monthly total continues to increase month after month as more people complete the modules. All modules are available free of charge online at the CHAP Distance Learning Network website.
Additionally, this fall, the cancer education team is launching a course with University of Alaska Fairbanks, “Cancer:Risks, Diagnosis and Treatment Cancer Education with Storytelling.” Registrations are due September 12 for this online learning course approved for 3 credits with UAF.
New 6 Week Group Exercise Program for Elders
Native Elders provide connections to our families, communities, regions, languages, and cultures. Our Elders deserve special services to ensure they get the best possible care. The Wellness Center will be offering a special exercise program for Elders beginning September 20. This program is designed specifically for Elders who suffer from joint and muscle aches and pains, poor balance or endurance, shortness of breath, weakness, or other problems to help them get the most out of life.
Groups are organized into 6-week sessions, including two classes per week to provide a regular schedule of physical activity with plenty of social interaction to stay connected to the community and continue an active lifestyle. Please contact the Wellness Center to sign up for the program and schedule a short visit so that we get to know you and determine your current level of fitness to help you get the most from the program.
Infant Learning Program & Alaska Blind Children Discovery Project Offer Vision Screenings for Young Children on October 7th
The Infant Learning Program (ILP) is working in collaboration with the Alaska Blind Child Discovery Project (ABCD) and Dr. Arnold, a pediatric ophthalmologist with Alaska Children’s Eye and Strabismus (ACES), to provide vision screening to children 6 months to 5 years throughout the Kodiak Archipelago. Dr. Arnold pioneered the Alaska Blind Child Discovery project detecting amblyopia in young children. He has been travelling to Kodiak for 15 plus years to see pediatric patients, generally travelling to Kodiak in April and October.
The project works to identify children at risk for amblyopia, permanent vision loss in one eye because of untreated vision problems in the first years of life. The screenings completed by the ILP prior to his visits are done with a specialized camera called the Plus Optix, which takes a picture of the eyes to detect conditions such as strabismus and refractive errors. Instant results are received indicating “pass” or “refer”.
If a child receives a “refer” information will be sent to a Dr. Arnold to determine if further assessment is needed. While Dr. Arnold has an established caseload of patients here in Kodiak, he does take new referrals. Referrals generally come from medical providers, parents, and the ILP or Lions Club through vision screening. Providers and parents wishing to refer for pediatric ophthalmology can contact ACES at (907) 561-1917.
Dr. Arnold will be in Kodiak Friday October 7th seeing patients at the KANA Community Services building at 194 Alimaq Dr. Appointments can be made by contacting ACES (907)561-1917. Dr. Arnold will also be offering a Provider Training regarding detection and treatment of vision issues in young children the morning of October 7th at the PKIMC Pillar/Pyramid training rooms from 8-9. A light breakfast will be provided.
In preparation for Dr. Arnold’s visit to Kodiak, the ILP will be visiting local daycare/preschool programs to offer vision screening the week of September 26th to 30th. In addition to those screenings, the ILP is available to screen any child, 6 months to 5 years, please contact ILP at 486-1366 to set up an appointment.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adversal-468×60″]