College of Health programs support overdose response in rural Alaska
by Lynda Hernandez, Shelby Kriegh |
In the vast and remote Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta, where communities are separated not by miles of highway but by waterways, tundra, and weather, access to timely healthcare can mean the difference between life and death.
Recently, Lynn Troyer, an academic advisor for the School of Nursing at the University of Alaska Anchorage, traveled to Bethel as part of the Alaska-Rural Community Overdose Response Project (AK-RCORP). The AK-RCORP initiative is a partnership between the UAA Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRH-HW), the UAA Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS), and the State of Alaska’s Project HOPE.
From Bethel, Troyer joined a Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) team traveling to five surrounding communities: Toksook Bay, Mertarvik, Tununak, Nightmute, and Chefornak. Each stop represented not just a destination, but a partnership and an opportunity to connect with communities and expand access to lifesaving overdose prevention tools.
At the center of this work was the assembly and distribution of naloxone (Narcan) kits, a critical intervention in reversing opioid overdoses. In rural Alaska, where emergency response times can be significantly delayed due to geography and weather, having naloxone readily available in communities is essential.
For Troyer, the experience offered a meaningful perspective on the intersection of education and community impact. “I feel grateful to have had engaging experiences that aligned with an opportunity to better relate to both my student populations and healthcare in western Alaska. Exposure to opportunities and becoming involved can truly help one see how they can be uniquely positioned while being trained as future healthcare professionals.”
The need for this work is clear. Alaska continues to experience rising overdose rates, with rural and Alaska Native communities disproportionately impacted. Expanding access to naloxone and providing culturally responsive training are critical steps in reducing preventable deaths and strengthening community response.
The AK-RCORP project will continue outreach in rural communities, with another trip planned for May 2026 to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, extending efforts into the Aleutian-Pribilof region. By combining community partnerships, workforce development, and evidence-based prevention strategies, Alaska AHEC and its partners are helping build a more responsive and resilient healthcare system that reaches even the most remote communities.
For more information about ACRH-HW and CAAS, visit the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce and the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies websites. For more information about Project HOPE, visit the State of Alaska website.
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