Health

People in Bethel are preparing for the arrival of COVID-19 because the region’s isolation will not protect them.

Hospitals nationwide lack enough face masks to protect their healthcare workers from the coronavirus. Thankfully, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation doesn’t have that problem yet. No cases of the virus have been diagnosed in the region. To remain ahead of the curve, YKHC is distributing kits for community members to assemble masks.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, life in the villages poses its own set of challenges. Since some communities are without running water and many people live in overcrowded homes, many state and federal guidelines for how to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus do not apply. Here are some recommendations that the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has tailored for Y-K Delta village residents:

A coronavirus case has yet to be confirmed in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Even so, regional leaders, businesses, local governments and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation are taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19. Ten new cases were announced in Alaska on March 26, bringing the state’s total to 69.

As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Alaska grows by the day, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is preparing to respond to cases in the Y-K Delta. The health corporation serves about 58 communities, all of which are off the road system. KYUK will continue to update this post with additional information about YKHC's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Leaders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta want Gov. Mike Dunleavy to sign a shelter-in-place order, and to support economic relief for regional airlines. The Association of Village Council Presidents, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Lower Kuskokwim School District, Yuut Elitnaurviat, and the Bethel Native Corporation all signed a letter which was sent to the governor on March 25.

Public health nurses, or PHNs, are among the healthcare workers on the frontlines of disease and outbreaks in rural Alaska. With the coronavirus pandemic, PHNs are figuring out how to work with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation and its health aides to battle the pandemic. At the same time, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is also experiencing an outbreak of tuberculosis.