Bob Ahgook

H2004-17-20

click here for transcript

Bob Ahgook was born on September 29, 1929 near the mouth of the Colville River. He and his family moved around quite a bit until they settled in Anaktuvuk Pass in the 1940's. In 1953, a flu epidemic hit and Bob helped administer penicillin to the village. In 1968, he was selected as a health aide by village members because people always came to him for help. He had five children to support and was only paid $60 a month. He left the program in 1972 when he had an opportunity to make more money as a carpenter, but continued to help people when he could. He has fond memories of his career as a health aide. Bob Ahgook passed away April 14, 2006.

Click on a section below to access the audio.

Bob Ahgook talks with Marla Statscewich on October 25, 2005 at his home in Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska about...

1) Some background information on his life.
Colville River -- delta\ Nuiqsut\ birthdate\ childhood\ parents\ Ahgook, Jesse\ Ahgook, Mrytle\ siblings -- number of\ sisters -- age of\ adoption\ travel\ Anaktuvuk Pass\ coast -- Prudhoe Bay\ Barter Island\ Wiseman\ Itkillik\ Wiseman -- school\ Fairbanks\ education\ Anaktuvuk Pass -- return to\ Tulugak\ hunting -- learning\ Ahgook, Rhoda -- wife\ wife -- meeting\ bounty hunting -- wolves\ money\ jobs\ trapping|

2) How he got involved helping people as a health aide.
Irving, Dr. Laurence\ University of Alaska\ Paneak, Simon\ health research\ wildlife -- study of\ Rausch, Dr. Robert\ disease -- flu\ medicine -- lack of\ penicillin -- powdered\ Irving, Dr. Laurence -- house visits\ shots -- learning about\ needles -- boiling\ mother -- death of\ training -- Fairbanks\ first aid\ people -- caring for\ shot -- giving\ equipment -- lack of\ stethoscope|

3) How he was selected to become the village health aide.
health aide -- first\ Paneak, Simon\ health care -- early\ people -- caring for\ Irving, Dr. Laurence\ Rausch, Dr. Robert\ medicine -- lack of\ penicillin -- type of\ health aide -- selection of\ village council -- vote\ training\ Tanana Hospital\ Barrow\ Indian Health Service\ treatment\ baby -- delivery\ plane -- type of\ flights -- frequency of\ Wien Airlines\ Bettles\ mail service\ health aide -- selection for\ village -- vote\ Fairbanks\ health aide -- search for\ first aid kit\ knowledge -- extent of\ disease -- flu\ illness -- death|

4) His first training and starting to work as a health aide in Anaktuvuk Pass.
training -- Tanana\ airfare -- Wien Airlines\ Anderson, Andy -- bush pilot\ Bettles\ plane -- type of\ Hughes\ training -- first\ Tanana -- doctor\ Spark, Dr.?\ trapping\ fever\ treatment\ aspirin\ Vick's Vapor Rub\ Vaseline\ trainer -- nurse\ class mates\ hospital -- visits\ patients\ first aid\ patients -- working with\ Anaktuvuk Pass -- work\ work -- location\ cuts\ doctors -- communication with\ radio -- army\ school -- radio|

5) Communicating with the doctor by radio from the school building, and the improvement of a satellite phone line directly to his house.
doctors -- communication with\ communication -- frequency of\ radio -- reception\ weather\ radio -- relays\ University of Alaska\ satellite phone\ telephone line\ communication -- reliability of|

6) Delivering babies was not his favorite part of the job, and it was very hard when patients died, but he enjoyed learning and helping people.
health aide -- experiences\ job -- wages\ schedule -- on-call\ people -- helping\ job -- difficulties\ babies -- delivering\ training\ care -- midwife\ baby -- report on\ size\ weight\ sex\ delivery\ Riley, Rachael -- midwife\ delivery -- house calls\ patients -- death\ doctor -- advice from|

7) Training to be a health aide and the knowledge he had as a hunter that was useful to him as a health aide.
training -- type of\ training -- duration\ Barrow\ Anchorage\ body -- human\ blood -- circulation\ health aide\ hunter\ caribou\ bodies -- animal\ bodies -- human\ bodies -- similarities\ samples -- collection of\ wildlife -- samples\ tests -- radiation\ Alaska Department of Fish and Game -- Fairbanks\ Rausch, Dr. Robert\ Stevenson, Bob\ National Park Service -- Anchorage\ animals -- sicknesses|

8) More information about the many things he learned as a hunter, and why he did not continue as a health aide.
caribou -- food value\ caribou -- sick\ sickness -- recognizing\ tapeworm\ caribou -- preparation of\ dog food\ liver\ lungs -- monococus\ radiation -- levels\ samples -- collection of\ body -- parts of\ job -- wages\ family -- supporting\ children -- number of\ hunting\ health aide -- alternate\ Riley, Rachael\ Hugo, Beverly\ training|

9) Management of the health aide program between Tanana Chiefs Conference and North Slope Borough, and why he stopped being a health aide.
doctor -- help from\ prescriptions\ medicine\ patient -- travel\ Fairbanks\ Tanana\ health aide program -- management\ Tanana Chiefs Conference\ North Slope Borough\ Barrow\ job -- wages\ patient -- care of\ travel -- route\ airplane\ travel -- Barrow\ Anaktuvuk Pass\ contract -- TCC, North Slope Borough\ clinic\ job -- length of\ job -- switching\ job -- wages\ job -- carpenter|

10) The difficulties of being a health aide and on how important health aides are to their communities.
work -- quitting\ patients -- advice\ Hugo, Beverly\ health aide -- difficulties\ patients -- death of\ medication -- regularity of\ chemotherapy\ tuberculosis\ doctors -- visits\ patients -- quantity of\ health aides -- importance to villages\ training -- costs|

11) Illnesses he treated and the tools and medicines he had to use.
treatment -- type\ treatment -- frequency\ cuts\ fevers\ flu\ training\ stitches -- first time\ sutures\ needles\ first aid kit -- contents\ needle -- lack of\ band-aides\ medicines -- types\ health aide -- Anaktuvuk Pass\ infections\ penicillin\ first aid kit -- size of\ shots -- dosages\ supplies\ patients -- care for\ patients -- transport\ doctors -- authorization\ airplanes -- charters\ Tanana|

12) The frequency of doctor's visits to the villages, patient transport in case of emergency, and names of a few of the health providers he remembers well.
travel -- with patient\ weather\ seizures\ doctors -- travel\ money -- Trans-Alaska Pipeline\ budget -- size of\ Tanana\ Brown, Dr. George\ Anaktuvuk Pass\ doctors -- meetings\ Springer, Dr.?\ doctors -- travel\ Tanana Chiefs Conference -- Fairbanks\ public health nurses\ shots -- immunizations\ population -- size of\ community health aides -- men\ Paneak, Simon\ training -- women\ training -- men\ trainers -- nurses\ government program\ doctors -- military\ school|

13) Working with doctors on describing symptoms and prescribing medication.
patient -- care of\ case -- specific\ people -- helping\ training -- patient care\ patient -- not know how to care for\ doctor -- help from\ symptoms -- description of\ descriptions -- difficulty of\ temperatures\ body -- parts\ medication\ booklet\ doctor -- advice|

14) The time he realized he was having a heart attack and saved his own life, thanks to his training.
booklet\ manual\ book -- human body\ mothers\ children -- raising of \ heart attack\ training\ alone\ CB radio -- call\ clinic -- van\ volunteers\ EMT\ health aide\ pills\ weather -- poor\ airplane flight -- Frontier Airlines\ oxygen\ medicine\ Fairbanks Memorial Hospital\ doctor\ Tanana Valley Clinic\ Anchorage\ rescue plane\ Ahgook, Rhoda\ Fairbanks\ knowledge\ life -- saving of|

15) The kinds of work he did after being a health aide.
health aide\ carpenter\ job -- immediate\ money\ family\ pay -- amount of\ house -- building of\ job -- equipment manager\ Barrow -- Public Works\ family -- location of\ school -- construction of\ job -- plant manager\ retirement\ carpenter -- training\ CIPM -- additions\ work -- government\ retirement -- lonely\ work -- carpenter\ repairs\ mayor -- new\ lay-off\ Alaska Department of Fish and Game\ samples -- wildlife\ samples -- collection\ hunting\ trapping|

16) Reflection on being a health aide and an anecdote about a patient.
learning\ symptoms -- heart attack\ children -- health\ fevers\ alcohol-free\ drug-free\ health aide\ walking -- difficulty\ knees -- injections\ doctors -- helpful\ mentors -- advice\ elders\ healing -- traditional\ hunting\ talking -- teaching\ listening|