Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Program: Partnerships and Collaboration for Families with Young Children
KANA’s Community Services is working hard to launch a new program to support families with young children. The Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Program works to facilitate and build comprehensive systems of care that support families with young children (birth to three) and the communities they live in, as part of promoting positive early development and early school success for young children.
Through partnerships and collaboration, ECCS works to integrate service delivery and collaboration to improve childhood development. As part of these efforts, Strengthening Families™ is a research informed, strengths based approach to reduce child maltreatment and promote healthy family and child outcomes through a framework of five protective factors: social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete supports in times of need, parental resilience, and social and emotional competence of children.
In mid-October, the KANA Early Childhood Comprehensive System Program provided a Strengthening Families™ two day interactive training with focus on how communities can help parents find support during tough times, discover helpful parenting knowledge, and connect with people they can count on. Discussion included how this approach could be adapted for Kodiak community, building on local values and traditions. Attendees included Office of Children Services, Early Childhood Special Education, Child Advocacy Center, Infant Learning Program, local Preschool/Daycare programs, ICWA workers –local and village based, village participants, USCG employees, Sun’aq Tribe staff and others. [xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]
With a growing base of community members trained in the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Approach, these supports will be used to enhance work that is already being done and will assist our community in becoming more intentional in supporting the factors that keep families strong and prevent child maltreatment. KANA is hiring for the ECCS Program Coordinator position, you can find out more at https://kodiakhealthcare.org/careers/#job-openings.
Ouzinkie Sauerkraut Workshop for Wellness and Diabetes Prevention
The community of Ouzinkie is taking steps to explore how healthy eating and behavioral changes can help reduce risk for diabetes and benefit overall wellness with help from partners at KANA and community volunteers.
At the request of the Native Village of Ouzinkie Tribal Council, KANA’s Community Health Aide in Ouzinkie, Genny Miller, presented information on the range and rates of disease in the community. Rates of diagnosed diabetes among Alaska Natives and American Indians under the age of 35 have doubled in recent decades, making our people twice as likely to have diagnosed type 2 diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. People with diabetes can experience devastating complications, including heart disease and stroke, blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations. But people with diabetes, working with their support network and health care providers, can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications and premature death.
In order to boost awareness for wellness and diabetes prevention, KANA’s Community Health Aide staff helped to organize a weekend workshop featuring the benefits of making and eating sauerkraut. Rebecca Dawn, KANA RN, volunteered to teach the class. Participants learned about the benefits of probiotics available in homemade sauerkraut, how they can help to rebuild and maintain health, and made a batch of sauerkraut together to enjoy with their families. Access to healthy food is a challenge of living in rural Alaska, but with efforts towards wellness and plans for success, our communities are making strides to overcome this obstacle.
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, a time when health care professionals, organizations and communities around the country bring attention to diabetes and its impact on our people. By adopting a healthier lifestyle, we can prevent up to 90 percent of type 2 diabetes cases.
Health Insurance: Peace of Mind for Alaska Native People
Everybody wants to make good decisions about their own health care. Reduce stress, eat right, exercise and see your doctor regularly. We all want health and peace of mind, especially when it comes to our families. Don’t let worries about health insurance or coverage when you are away from home get in the way. Thankfully, there are new insurance options that offer coverage. Under the new health care law, more American Indian and Alaska Native people can get better coverage at our Alaska Tribal hospitals and health clinics.
Many American Indian and Alaska Native people now qualify for health insurance through Medicaid, Denali KidCare and the New Health Insurance Marketplace. The time to sign up is now, before someone you love really needs it.
Do you want health insurance paid for you?
The Tribally-Sponsored Health Insurance Program may pay for health insurance for you if you qualify.
Where can I get more information and sign up?
Click here to contact KANA’s Alternate Resource Specialist, Rosa Cruz, or call 907-486-9861 to see if you are eligible and get help with enrollment.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]
