Community Health Services plays a central role in supporting wellness, prevention, and healthy living across the Northwest Arctic region. The department brings together a wide range of programs designed to strengthen community safety, promote lifelong health, and ensure access to essential services. Through initiatives such as Injury Prevention, Women, Infants & Children (WIC), Emergency Medical Services, Public Health Nursing, the Office of Environmental Health, and Diabetes & Nutrition, the team works to protect health, reduce risk, and empower individuals and families with knowledge and resources. Grounded in local values and a commitment to holistic care, Community Health Services helps residents build healthier lives at every stage.

Chris Dankmeyer
Director of Community Health Services

907-442-7181

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, new mothers and young children eat well, learn about good nutrition and stay healthy.  WIC provides:

• Checks that can be used to purchase healthy foods such as milk, eggs, cereal, beans, yogurt and fruits and vegetables
• Information about nutrition and health to help families eat well and be healthy
• Support and information about breastfeeding
• Assistance in finding health care and other community services
• Breast pumps to help support breastfeeding mothers

People eligible for WIC are:

• Pregnant women
• Breastfeeding women
• Postpartum women
• Women whose pregnancy ended early
• Infants
• Children up to the age of five

WIC is for all kinds of families:  married and single parents, working or not working.  If you are a father, mother, grandparent, foster parent or legal guardian of a child under 5 years of age, you can apply.

907-442-7241

The Maniilaq Association Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program’s mission is to support the development and sustainability of EMS in the Northwest Arctic Region. This is accomplished by acting as the region’s resource center for instructors, certifying officers, providers, and community members. The program designates representatives to work in collaboration with the State of Alaska Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS); and provides representation on the State Training Committee, State Medical Direction Committee, and a Regional Director reporting to OEMS and the Alaska Council on Emergency Medical Services (ACEMS).

The following courses can be offered or contracted by the EMS Program:

American Heart Association Certification: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS), Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider (BLS), HeartSaver First Aid/CPR

State of Alaska EMS Certification: Emergency Trauma Technician (ETT), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT1), Emergency Medical Technician 2 (EMT2), Emergency Medical Technician 3 (EMT3), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)

Sign up for Classes Online:
CPR/First Aid Class Sign-Up Portal

Organizations seeking to set up CPR certification classes, please send a list of students including job position and email contact for each student. CPR courses are typically 6-10 students. To find out more about the Maniilaq EMS Program please call (907) 442-7241 or email nicholas.jicha@maniilaq.org.

907-442-7144

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - noon, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Maniilaq Public Health Nursing (PHN) provides a wide array of services to residents of the Northwest Arctic Borough and Point Hope. PHN supports the mission of both Maniilaq Association and the Alaska Division of Public Health Section of Public Health Nursing (SOPHN): “Protecting and improving the health of Alaskans through partnering with individuals, communities, and systems while advancing self-reliance, dignity, and cultural integrity!” Our mission within Maniilaq Health Services is to protect and improve the public’s health through the prevention and control of disease and disability. PHN Services are available 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a closure from 12:00 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch. To make an appointment, please call 907-442-7144. Walk-ins are welcome. The types of services we provide include:

• Immunizations
  • A beneficial part of preventive health care, available for children and adults.
  • All school entry vaccinations are available
• Well-Child Exams
• Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) outreach, screening, and referral
• Confidential testing for sexually transmitted diseases, treatment, and contact follow-up
• Tuberculosis screening, counseling, treatment, and contact follow-up
• Tuberculosis Screening in Schools
• Presentation and Outreach
  • Factual and medically accurate health messages in schools and to high-risk groups
  • Covering healthy relationships, risk reduction, and prevention of HIV, STDs, pregnancy, and more.

Environmental Health is the science and practice of evaluating physical, chemical, and biological hazards in air, water, soil, and food; and then limiting exposures to those hazards to promote human health and reduce disease and injury. The Office of Environmental Health has four highly trained staff and seven distinct programs that support the creation of healthy community environments in Northwest Alaska:

• Rural Utility Support – We assist communities with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act compliance, conduct sanitary surveys, promote sustainable operation and maintenance, provide utility training opportunities, review sanitation facility designs, and participate in the State and Federal sanitation project funding process.
• Maniilaq Environmental Health Lab – We operate a state certified microbiological lab that tests drinking water for harmful pathogens as required by the Total Coliform Rule and Long-term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule. We also have water quality testing equipment including colorimeters, pH/conductivity meters, turbidimeters, jar testers, and other equipment available for analysis.
• Institutional Environmental Health – We routinely inspect the Maniilaq Health Center and village-based health clinics to ensure Joint Commission accreditation and a safe environment of care for staff, patients and visitors.
• Rabies Prevention – We sponsor a volunteer corps of lay vaccinators capable of providing free on-demand rabies vaccinations in communities. We also conduct follow-up animal bite investigations for patients, coordinate specimens of suspected rabid animals to the Alaska State Virology Lab, and promote animal control in communities.
• Food Safety – We provide Certified Food Protection Manager services and food handler staff to assist the operation of The Siġḷuaq. We conduct traditional food safety outreach and education, develop state-approved food safety plans, and upon request, conduct food establishment inspections.
• Indian General Assistance Program (IGAP)
  • IGAP Coordinator Technical Assistance: We assist regional IGAP Coordinators with work plan development and grant implementation.
  • Healthy Homes Assessment & Outreach: Medical providers can refer respiratory distressed patients to our program for a healthy home consultation. Through a home assessment and air matters toolkit intervention, we help educate, empower and equip homeowners to create healthier home environments.
  • Recycling/Backhaul Coordination: We work with communities to backhaul and recycle electronic wastes, lead-acid batteries, and aluminum cans. We operate a small recycling center in Kotzebue that collects and stages these wastes for later backhaul to recycling centers.
• Injury Prevention
  907-442-7765
  The Injury Prevention Program’s goal is to reduce the amount of unintentional injuries and injury-related deaths in Northwest Alaska. To achieve this, we have a small store in the Public Health Nursing building, where safety gear is sold at a discounted price. We also support communities with the Kids Don’t Float program, sponsor safety training sessions, provide education and outreach, and maintain a regional injury database.

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