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Southeast Alaska: Tribe Holds 81st Annual Tribal Assembly - Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Central Council) held its 81st Annual Tribal Assembly April 20-22, 2016 in the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. Over 100 Delegates from Southeast Alaska, Anchorage, Washington, and California gathered in Juneau to conduct tribal business and elect new officers.

Edward (Sam) K. Thomas, Marvin Adams, Jacqueline Pata, Ralph Wolfe, William Micklin, Rob Sanderson Jr., Miciana Hutcherson, and President Richard Peterson standing at podium.
Photo courtesy Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

The opening day of Tribal Assembly included a special welcome from Governor Bill Walker and Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott which reaffirmed the state’s committed to strengthening its relationship with tribes. Governor Walker also announced the appointment of President Richard J. Peterson to his 11 member tribal advisory council.

The commencement day also included a State of the Tribe Address by President Peterson followed by a series of reports covering tribal operations, financials, and the Tribe’s business enterprise. In line with this year’s theme, Prosperity through Sovereignty, the State of the Tribe Address covered the governmental activities of the Executive Council, significant accomplishments of the Tribe, and top administrative priorities. Areas of accomplishments covered the new Tribal Title IV-E Maintenance Agreement with the State of Alaska and the Alaska Supreme Court’s recent ruling that reaffirms Central Council’s Tribal Court has the authority to issue child support orders which must be recognized by the State of Alaska’s Child Support Services Division. Priorities identified include tribal court expansion, land into trust, language preservation, improving and expanding program services, and economic development through strategic business acquisitions and continued exploration of alternative sources of revenue.

A special report from Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation (THTBC) CEO Richard Rinehart and Business and Economic Development Manager Myrna Gardner provided an update on THTBC’s subsidiary and limited liability company T&H Services, the development of the Tribe’s cultural immersion park, and the upcoming acquisition of an accomplished and profitable government contracting company that will generate unrestricted revenue for the Tribe.

“This is going to change the face of the Tribe and we expect to see returns as early as next year,” said President Peterson. “The board has done its due diligence and thoroughly vetted out the government contracting company which we expect to close on next month.”

On Thursday, tribal elections resulted in the unanimous reelection of incumbent President Peterson who ran unopposed. Delegates also seated 1st Vice President (VP) Robert Sanderson Jr. of Ketchikan, 2nd VP William Micklin of San Francisco, 3rd VP Ralph Wolfe of Yakutat, 4th VP Jacqueline Pata of Juneau, 5th VP Marvin Adams of Anchorage, and 6th VP Edward (Sam) K. Thomas Jr. of Craig; Chief Justice Michelle Demmert of Washington and Tribal Court Judge Lisa Lang of Hydaburg; Delegate Citizen of the Year James Jack Sr. of Juneau; and Emerging Leader Miciana Hutcherson of Washington. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 27, 2016

Southeast Alaska: Thorne Bay Health Fair features health screenings and promotes local food - Thorne Bay will have a Community Health Fair on Friday, May 13, 2016, at the Thorne Bay School, hosted by the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC).

Events will take place from 8:00 am to 12 noon and will include health screenings and vendor booths promoting a healthy lifestyle. Many of the vendors will be focusing on locally grown and harvested foods as a way to achieve and maintain health.

SEARHC will be distributing material to teach attendees about the benefits of local and traditional foods in the area. Examples of the educational material include, “Good Beach Food,” a children's coloring book, desk calendars, posters, food guides, seafood recipes, and nutritional information. In addition, there will be educational and promotion information on Men's Health.

Attendees can also look forward to visiting with local gardener, and writer James David Sneed, who will feature gardening tips at his booth. Another local gardener, Shane Aysrand will provide information about the Community Garden in Craig, and let people know about opportunities for planting and renting space there.

The Prince of Wales Health Network will be passing out “Grow! Harvest! Eat!” bumper stickers to raise awareness about the Network’s initiative that places an emphasis on locally grown and harvested foods as a tool to improve and maintain health. The mission of “Grow! Harvest! Eat!” is to educate and remind community members that the Island’s best foods are locally grown and harvested. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 27, 2016

Alaska: Alaska has the highest average health care prices - Among the commercially insured, wide variation in prices have some states paying more than double what other states pay for health care, finds a new analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The study also finds that within states, health care prices can vary threefold. The study, published today as a Web First in Health Affairs, is accompanied by HCCI’s National Chartbook of Health Care Prices—2015, which illuminates differences in prices for over 240 common medical services in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

Compared to the national average, Alaska has the highest average health care prices, followed by Wisconsin, North Dakota, New Hampshire and Minnesota. In New Hampshire and Wisconsin, over 20 percent of health care services are twice the national average price. While in Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Tennessee, over 90 percent of health care services are priced lower than the national average.

Prices vary more around the nation for some health care services than others. For example, states have similar prices for acupuncture, while prices for cataract removal vary significantly from state to state. The greatest variation in prices was observed for imaging, radiology and lab tests. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 27, 2016