ANTHC Alaska Native Epidemiology Center

12/04/2025

Check out the latest updates to our Regional Health Profiles Data Dashboard!

We’ve added rural water and sewer information and statewide pregnancy-associated mortality data to provide even deeper insights.

Our interactive dashboard includes many key health indicators for the Alaska Tribal Public Health System. Charts and tables are updated whenever new data becomes available, and we regularly add new measures.

👉 Explore the dashboard and other great data products on our website today! https://epi.anthc.org/data-dashboard/

image credit: wayde carroll photography, used with permission.

12/01/2025

Epicenter Provides Technical Assistance for Alaska Tribal Health Organizations!

We support Tribal health programs and projects throughout Alaska and have expertise working with federal, tribal, state, regional, and community partners involved in Alaska Native health. Do you need help health data from your region or assistance with analysis?

https://epi.anthc.org/contact-us/

11/24/2025

Encourage kids to be to***co free!
Alaska youth smoking has significantly declined over past 12 years, but Alaska Native youth have higher smoking rates than non-Native youth. Explore Alaska Native Adolescent Health data at https://epi.anthc.org/factsheets/. It is important to encourage kids not to start smoking, and set the example of a smoke-free lifestyle.

If you smoke, contact the Alaska To***co Quit Line by phone: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), by text: text READY to 34191, or online at https://quitnow.net/Alaska

Image Credit: Wayde Carroll Photography @ waydecarroll.com

11/21/2025

Living in Alaska with diabetes

It's important to monitor Diabetes for many reasons. Having accurate prevalence data is essential, but effective and supportive monitoring can lead to better health outcomes for people living with Diabetes. The Diabetes prevention team here at ANTHC wrote a great paper n 2024 which highlights important information about how many Alaska Native people live without major complications of the disease.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11080664/

Image credit: Wayde Carroll Photography waydecarroll.com

11/19/2025

What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels during a prolonged period of time. When you have diabetes, either your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in the blood and can lead to serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Learn the facts: epi.anthc.org/factsheets/

Image: Dreamstime.com

11/17/2025

November is COPD Awareness Month

COPD is caused by many factors, to include to***co use. Alaska Native mothers are protecting their most vulnerable by reducing prenatal to***co use. See the Maternal and Child Health and Prenatal To***co Use Indicator on our interactive dashboard.

https://epi.anthc.org/data-dashboard/

Photo Credit: Wayde Carroll Photography waydecarroll.com

11/15/2025

Did you know diabetes affects Alaska Native communities at higher rates? Learn the facts!

epi.anthc.org/factsheets/

Image copyright Wayde Carroll Photography waydecarroll.com

11/12/2025

We are excited to announce that Alaska Maternal Child Health and Immunization (MCHI) and the Alaska Public Health Association (ALPHA) are partnering to offer a joint summit in 2026! The summit will take place January 20-22, 2026 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, AK.

The 2026 theme will be Stronger Together: Strengthening Public Health Through Partnerships. Along with sessions focused on public health in Alaska, there will be an MCHI track through the 3-day conference focusing on Maternal, Family, Child, and Immunization health.

Early registration is now open! alaskapublichealth.org/registration
Ticket includes a one-year ALPHA membership ($100 value).

The Alaska Maternal Child Health and Immunization Conference brings rural and urban health professionals together to learn about best practices and tools for the prevention of key and emerging MCH and family health issues.

The Alaska MCHI conference is a collaboration between the Alaska Division of Public Health and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native Tribal Epidemiology Center and is held every two years.

Stay tuned or sign up to receive information about the January 20-22, 2026

11/10/2025

Regular screening saves lives—learn more about breast cancer screening recommendations and early detection in Alaska Native communities: Breast Cancer Screening.

Breast cancer screening is a measure of females aged 50–74 years who reported a mammogram within the last two years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends mammograms to test for early signs of breast cancer every two years for females aged 50–74 years.37 Note that as of 2021 they are reviewing their current breast cancer screening recommendations and may release new guidelines in the future.

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. Among women at average risk, mammograms are the recommended way to find breast cancer early when it is easier to treat.

https://epi.anthc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Breast-Cancer-Screening.pdf

Image Copyright: Wayde Carroll Photography @ waydecarroll.com

11/08/2025

Every day is dental hygiene day! Brush 2 minutes, 2 times a day, every day, to keep your mouth healthy. Help kids develop good dental habits early to keep their teeth healthy over their lifetime.

Childhood dental caries includes Alaska Native mothers who self-reported their infants or children have ever experienced dental caries. Data from the Alaska Oral Assessment are based on visual inspections performed by dentists at the child’s school. Caries, also referred to as cavities or tooth decay, are caused by a bacterial infection that destroys the hard outer protective lining of the teeth.! Learn more athttps://epi.anthc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Childhood-Dental-Caries.pdf

Photo Copyright: Wayde Carroll Photography waydecarroll.com

10/21/2025

10/17/2025

UPDATED: 8:45 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Please share.

Individuals from communities affected by flooding who have not yet notified their community leader or shelter manager of their desire to leave should do that immediately.

After conversations with communities and shelter managers, we understand there are less than 100 individuals who are still looking for transportation from communities affected by flooding to a safe location in Anchorage, Bethel or another location of their choosing in the YK region.

Beginning Friday, Oct. 17, YKHC will request the State Emergency Operations Center to begin assisting YKHC and community partners with stabilization of housing, utilities and infrastructure before freeze up, which we anticipate will occur within weeks.

We will continue to share information and updates on our social media channels as they become available.