Wellness Strategies for Health
The Wellness Strategies for Health (WSH) program is focused on preventing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke among Alaska Native people through strategic policy, systems, and environmental changes and effective community-clinical linkages.
The WSH team supports chronic disease prevention throughout Alaska by providing funding and technical assistance to Tribal health partners, and carrying out special projects and statewide initiatives. Currently, WSH coordinates three projects:
Good Health and Wellness
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country Component 2 (GHWIC C2) grant, this five-year project supports implementation of culturally adapted evidence-based strategies to:
- Increase opportunities for safe physical activity, access to healthy foods, and community support for breastfeeding
- Increase tobacco-free areas and reduce tobacco use
- Strengthen community-clinical linkages (CCLs) to better serve people with prediabetes
- Strengthen CCLs and team-based care to better serve people with high cholesterol or high blood pressure
Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
Through a three-year grant from the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, the WSH team is working with partner Tribal health organizations throughout Alaska to develop and implement:
- Culturally tailored interventions to address tobacco use and support good nutrition
- CCLs to increase access to health care and preventive care programs at the community level
Campus Healthy Food Project
The Campus Healthy Food (CHeF) Project is a partnership between the EpiCenter and the State of Alaska Division of Public Health focused on increasing the number of healthy food and beverage options available at ANTHC facilities and making it easier for people to choose those options. The five-year project began in 2018 and is funded by the CDC’s State Physical Activity and Nutrition grant.