Archive for May, 2008
ABADA Board meets in Barrow, Alaska
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
I have been to the land of the midnite sun. Last Saturday, Ed and I left Ketchikan for the frozen northern region of Alaska. It was a great adventure to see a much talked about part of our state. The sun will not set there now until August. It is as light at 2 a.m. as it is at noon. Amazing. We journeyed there to attend the joint meetings of the Advisory Board for Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Alaska Mental Health Board. Held three times per year around the state, these boards meet to advocate, educate, and listen to folks with regard to behavioral health in their communities. We take the information we gather and act as advisors to the governor’s office on those topics. Appointed by the governor, each of us represents a different part of the system, such as consumers, providers, and beneficiaries. We visited several sites around Barrow. The largest challenges, in my opinion, are communication between the various entities and perhaps isolation. Although, I must say, I found the spirit of the community of 4500 to be uplifting. They really do have amazing opportunities within this small town to do fabulous things and they seize upon those moments. Drugs and alcohol do seem to be a problem within this “damp” community. But I was pleased to hear that the AA program is in place and many community resources available on both the substance abuse side and the mental health side. They do struggle with the separation when a family member must be sent to Fairbanks or Anchorage for treatment, as do all families when in crisis. They are doing the best they can with what they have. The members of the ABADA and AMHB advisory boards met with lots of the local residents and held three days of business meetings while in Barrow. We learned alot, we shared with each other and the community and it was a great learning trip for all of us. I am honored to be part of this team. The folks who give of their personal time to attend, educate, advocate and participate are an amazing group of individuals interested in making life better for all Alaskans. You can learn more about the boards and their activities at the State of Alaska web site.
While I was gone, the staff has been extremely busy. Karen (KEOKUK) has been working in the Juneau office for two weeks. She was there to assist during another staff member’s vacation and also to allow her to become a CPR/FA instructor. Cindi (KETCHIKAN) flew to Juneau to train Karen and Pam (JUNEAU) in CPR/FA instruction. Congratulations to both of them on their achievement as American Safety and Health Institute Instructors. It is hard work and I appreciate their dedication. They also visited Haines to provide some drug screening and CPR/FA training. The other staff members have been equally as busy in their respective offices with our wonderful clients, kicking off their summer seasons. We value our clients and are excited to see each of you in one of our offices.
As always ~ Safe Journeys ~ Renee
