Community Contacts
(Last Updated 4/13/2024)
Community Contacts
When arranging meetings, it works best to email (most are YK emails, unless noted otherwise) or call a few days before to arrange a tour. The goal in visiting these different community programs is to understand how they function in the community, along with finding out how you, as a provider, can help patients utilize these programs.
FIT
Family Infant Toddler Program. This program provides PT, OT, and speech services to children under 3 years old, after which they can present through the school system for these services. The therapists are generally in Bethel once a month around the third week of the month. Other times of the month, they will do telehealth or video visits with families. It is strongly recommended to do this during the first year of residency. It is best to contact them early on with multiple community time options because you can usually observe an afternoon when they are evaluating children. The FIT office is located next to WIC, which is past the ED
Contact: FITMailList@ykhc.org
WIC
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. WIC is located next to FIT, which is past the ED
Contact: Henry Batchelor, WIC nutritionist, email is henry_batcherlor@ykhc.org (WIC office ext is 6459)
TWC
Tundra Women's Coalition primarily functions as a resource for domestic violence victims. TWC currently includes a 30-bed shelter, a 24-hour crisis line, administrative offices, a Legal Advocacy program, a Community Education Program with a village outreach component, a youth violence-prevention program called Teens Acting Against Violence, a Children’s Program, Irniamta Ikayrviat (Children’s Advocacy Center), an Engaging Men and Boys Program, a Housing Program with Transitional Houses, and a Thrift Store.
Coordinator: Eileen Arnold (Eileen_Arnold@twcpeace.org)
TAAV (Teens Acting Against Violence) meets at TWC on Thursdays at 4:30 pm. When getting an introduction to TWC, it is good to meet around 3:30 pm to tour TWC and CAC, then attend the TAAV meeting to get an introduction to the program.
McCann
YKHC’s McCann treatment center is a 14 bed all male (ages 10 to 18) comprehensive psychiatric residential treatment facility, with a focus on inhalant and substance abuse, for children and adolescents from the YK Delta. They provide high quality and cost effective psychiatric, psychosocial, educational, and cultural services to emotionally and behaviorally disordered children, adolescents, and their families.
Contact: Karl Glore (karl_glore@ykhc.org)
Dental
Contact: Ext 6229 or go to talk to the Dental front desk
Optometry
Contact: Ext 6336 or go talk to the Optometry front desk
OCS
The Office of Children’s Services works in partnership with families and communities to support the well-being of Alaska’s children and youth. Services will enhance families’ capacities to give their children a healthy start, to provide them with safe and permanent homes, to maintain cultural connections and to help them realize their potential.
Contact: 543-3141
CAC
Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) stress a child-focused multidisciplinary approach to investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child sexual abuse cases. The CAC that serves the YK Delta is called the Children’s Center. They respond to children and caregivers when there is a report of child sexual abuse to provide evaluation services in a safe, child-friendly environment. Located at TWC and can be incorporated into your TWC tour.
Contact: Farah Sears, FNP (farah_sears@ykhc.org) or Jen Prince, MD (jennifer_prince@ykhc.org)
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists help people with physical injuries or illnesses of to regain range of movement and control their pain. They help determine the root causes of the trauma, counsel patients, and work with them to create a plan for rehabilitation. At YKHC, they work with orthopedic surgery to assess patients prior to orthopedic evaluation concerning the need for surgery. They also provide wound care advice for management while inpatient or self-care in an outpatient setting.
Contact: Ext 6342 or go talk to the PT front desk
Public Health
Bethel PHC collaborates with partners in coordinating local health fairs, emergency preparedness exercises, and various health promotion and community awareness activities, including Wellness Wednesday Radio Shows on local radio network, KYUK. Public health nursing plays a major role in infectious disease surveillance and investigation. They partner with State of Alaska Epidemiology through local public health nursing case investigations of tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), foodborne illnesses and other reportable diseases such as giardiasis.
Contact: 543-2110
Prematernal Home
This is hotel-like housing for soon-to-be moms who are required to be in Bethel from local villages by 36 weeks gestational age of their pregnancy.
Contact: Ext 2590
Bethel Youth Facility
The Bethel Youth Facility consists of a Detention Unit with a design capacity of eight residents and a Treatment Unit with capacity of 11 residents, and currently expanding. Residents are primarily Alaska Native.
BYF Nurse: Nick Thompson 545-6422 (main 543-5200)
ONC (Orutsararmiut Native Council)
The Orutsaramiut Native Council is a Federally recognized governing body for the community of Bethel, Alaska. The council is comprised of a Traditional Chief, Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and four Council Members.
Contact: Eleanor Miller (emiller@nativecouncil.org) main number 543-2608
Bethel Winter House
Shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness that is open from 8pm to 8am every night during the winter with additional dates as funding allows. Always looking for volunteers to cook a meal for the residents.
Contact: admin@bethelwinterhouse.org
Bethel Family Clinic
Bethel Family Clinic is a community health center that was established in 1979. They provide acute and chronic outpatient clinical care at a clinic in Bethel, travel to many of the villages to perform sports physicals, have basic lab services, and basic pharmaceuticals available.
Contact: Shadi Rabi, Operations Director 543-3773
