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Providence Alaska 2024 Community Benefit Report

Health & Hope is a newsletter designed to educate and inspire Western Montanans on life-saving procedures, community events and services to keep you and your family healthy.

Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1537354

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How we invest in the health of Alaskans $10 MILLION Community health improvement and strategic partnerships $8 MILLION Education and research for health professionals $15 MILLION Subsidized health services $25 MILLION Free and discounted care of the uninsured and underinsured $15 MILLION Unpaid cost of Medicaid and other means-tested government programs Data is consolidated based on unaudited financial reporting. The numbers include home and community care investments and joint ventures by percentage ownership. Providence is a not-for-profit; however, there are taxes from which we are not exempt and must pay in the normal course of operations, just as any business in the community would. These totaled $32 million in 2024 and included taxes on non-exempt properties and payroll taxes. " These stories — and many more — are possible because community partners and Providence work together to provide care. " – Ella Goss, MSN, RN Chief Executive Providence Alaska The providers and fellows that are part of the Alaska Addiction Medicine Fellowship. The fellowship is part of the Alaska Family Medicine Residency program. Fellowship allows physicians to merge social justice and treatment Betty Anderson, M.D., was inspired by her grandfather's medical work in rural Ghana. While studying medicine at Stony Brook University in New York, she witnessed the opioid crisis devastate Suffolk County, reflecting health disparities she learned about as a child. The Alaska Addiction Medicine Fellow- ship caught her attention as a program addressing public health and service gaps. Dr. Anderson is one of two physicians currently in the fellowship, part of the Alaska Family Medicine Residency. This program – accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education – offers advanced training in addiction medicine, boosted by Providence Alaska's $10,000 funding to serve vulnerable populations better. Fellows primarily work at Breakthrough, a Providence-run program supporting individuals aged 13 and up with substance use disorders. Directed by Ryan Wallace, M.D., the clinic provides counseling, addiction treatment medications and harm reduction in a low-barrier setting. Fellows receive training focused on social justice and delivering care to underserved populations, upholding the belief in respecting all individuals, especially in their lowest moments. Will Bemben, M.D., appreciates the evolving medical approach to addiction, emphasizing successful treatments and reduced stigma. Seth Workentine, M.D., the first graduate of the fellowship, now contributes to training future addiction specialists. "Treatments today can be successful," he said. "It's like treating diabetes and high blood pressure. The stigma has improved a lot; harm reduction has really been embraced, and that has changed everything." Together with Drs. Anderson, Bemben, Wallace and others, these fellows represent a new generation of clinicians committed to merging social justice with addiction treatment. LEFT: Kim Bird stands with a photo of her late father, Greg VanKleeck. Seward Area Hospice provided compassionate end-of-life care for their family. RIGHT: Tonya Foote, RN, the program director for Seward Area Hospice.

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