You can’t read the paper or watch the news without hearing about the tough financial and economic times Alaska’s facing. Conversations focus on the problems, deficits and hard decisions that must be made. In times like these, it’s also important to talk about the good work Alaskans are doing to improve the health and wellness of our people.
There are many Alaskans working with community coalitions to prevent suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence and other problems. These coalitions also invest in programs to help support families, schools and healthy youth development. United Way of Southeast Alaska, the Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, the Juneau Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Alternative School Coalition are all engaged in this work.
Being able to access mental health and substance abuse treatment when people need it is essential to solving the opioid crisis, reducing suicide rates and preventing childhood trauma. Health care providers like Juneau Youth Services, Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services and Gastineau Human Services offer evidence-based treatment options in the community.
Treatment works, and people who experience mental health and substance use disorders can achieve recovery. Peer support, employment services, housing, community re-entry services — all of these help people achieve and maintain recovery. NAMI-Juneau and Polaris House are examples of neighbors helping neighbors.
Communities all over Alaska struggle to solve the problem of homelessness. Emergency shelters like the Glory Hole, supportive housing providers and Housing First, and community coalitions are working together to ensure that all Alaskans have a warm, safe place to live.
Monday through Wednesday, Alaskans celebrated the successes and positive impact these organizations and many others are having in our communities. Community organizations joined the Alaska Mental Health Board and Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse on Monday and Tuesday to highlight local efforts to address suicide, addiction and mental illness. Charting the Course to Recovery and Reform: Navigating Behavioral Health Opportunities and Adversity was a free, public event at the Egan Center to learn about effective behavioral health prevention, treatment and recovery programs. It was also an opportunity to discuss how we can improve our system despite the challenges we face.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness hosted its annual conference at Downtown Marriott in Anchorage. The conference was a chance for Alaska’s leading housing and social service professionals to work together to increase coordination of efforts and identify the next steps in ending homelessness in our great state. This year’s Plenary Speakers were Nan Roman, President/CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Kevin Martone, Executive Director of the Technical Assistance Collaborative.
For more information, visit alaskahousing-homeless.org and http://dhss.alaska.gov/abada/
• Kate Burkhart is the executive director of the Alaska Mental Health Board and Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Brian Wilson is the executive director of the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.
