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Dr. Bill James talks with Karen Brewster on February 1, 2006 at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska about...
1) A little background on his education and his early years in Alaska with the Public Health Service.
education\ Ohio State University\ medical school -- internship\ Denver General Hospital\ draft -- Army\ medical intern\ Indian Health Service -- application\ Alaska -- arrival\ Anchorage -- hospital\ TB -- patients\ beds -- number of\ St. George Island\ Pribilof Islands\ doctor -- need for\ Shaw, Dr. Bud -- EENT\ Native Center\ assistant\ Bering Sea Patrol\ Public Health Service\ Coast Guard\ Seattle\ ice breaker -- "North Wind"\ Bering Sea -- cruise\ presence -- United States.\ Ketchikan\ Juneau\ Tatitlek\ Kodiak\ Russians\ Japanese\ fishing\ boats -- trawlers\ crew -- medical care of\ villages -- day clinics\ Yakutat\ Atka\ helicopters\ boat -- landing craft\ Little Diomede\ Nome\ Elim\ Wales\ Koyuk\ Wainwright\ Point Lay\ Barrow -- hospital\ ocean\ Unalakleet\ Gambell\ Savoonga\ King Island -- population\ summer time -- migration\ Nome|
2) The end of his time at sea and his assignment to the Tanana Hospital.
atomic submarine -- ice pack\ harbor\ submarine -- “Seadragon”\ sea -- conditions\ voyage -- return\ Bering Sea\ Adak\ Kodiak\ orders\ oceanographers\ Arctic Ocean\ pattern -- zig-zag\ water -- samples\ border -- Canada\ water -- freezing\ Seattle -- arrival\ Tanana\ Bering Sea Patrol -- employment\ Public Health Service -- clinician\ Tanana -- vacancy\ bush\ assignment\ station -- two-doctors\ Dillingham\ doctor -- family\ field trips\ villages\ airplane -- type\ airplane -- charter\ Ruby\ Nulato\ Kaltag\ Koyukuk\ health aides\ villages -- communication with\ hospital -- telephone\ airport -- telephone\ Anchorage -- communication with\ radio -- single side-band\ Galena\ Huslia\ Hughes\ Allakaket\ Fort Yukon\ Arctic Village\ Venetie\ Circle\ Anaktuvuk Pass\ Alaska Native Service -- service unit|
3) His preparation and orientation for the assignment to Tanana and how things have changed in medical education over the years.
Anaktuvuk Pass -- first trip\ flu\ doctor\ airplane -- charter\ houses -- sod\ medicine\ supplies\ cases -- metal\ bandages\ service area -- highway system\ Fairbanks\ Dot Lake\ Mentasta\ Cantwell\ Anchorage -- service unit\ population\ Nenana\ Healy\ service unit -- size of\ villages -- travel to\ records -- medical\ villages -- population\ Alaska -- map\ janitor -- Tanana\ airplanes -- flights\ travel -- means of\ Public Health Service -- preparation\ lapse\ Hadley, Dr Owen\ orientation -- lack of\ Public Health Service --- orientation\ Anchorage\ teeth -- pulling\ fillings -- temporary\ eye care -- refractions\ Sheldon, Dr. ? -- opthamologist\ glasses -- prescription\ specialty\ internship -- rotating\ surgery\ medical care -- internal\ medical care -- OB-GYN\ medical care -- pediatrics\ confidence\ residency -- training\ medicine -- family\ residency -- duration|
4) The evolution of his career as he quit the Public Health Service for other things and eventually returned to it.
childhood\ Ohio\ medicine -- interest in\ father -- veterinarian\ science\ math\ siblings -- oldest\ siblings -- careers\ family -- influences of\ communication -- radio\ storekeepers\ missionaries\ missionaries -- wives\ nurses\ church -- Episcopal\ Hughes\ Allakaket\ Venetie\ Nulato\ Ruby\ Kaltag\ communication -- radio\ radio -- location\ communication -- content of\ patients -- condition\ advice\ public health nurse -- Tanana\ villages -- downriver\ communication -- reliability of\ Public Health Service\ Medical Officer in Charge -- Tanana\ career -- advancement\ pressure\ military -- draft\ experience\ Kotzebue\ Bethel\ Window Rock, Arizona\ boat race -- Yukon 700\ Circle\ Tanana River\ nurse -- call\ airplane -- crash\ Fairbanks\ Dunlap, Dr?\ wife\ nurse\ spine -- compression fracture\ Lundquist, Dr.?\ Tanana Clinic -- establishment of\ doctors -- need for\ commission -- resignation\ residency\ winter -- cold\ kids -- young\ car\ wife\ medical care -- private practice\ Idaho\ residency -- pediatric\ Ohio\ Tanana Clinic -- pediatrician\ Native Clinic\ consultant -- pediatric\ Public Health Service\ Chief Andrew Issac Clinic\ Fairbanks\ Tanana Chiefs Conference|
5) Changes in how medical care was provided in Alaska, and what life was like in Tanana with a young family.
Congress\ Indian Self Determination Act\ tribes -- rights\ contracts -- government\ services\ health care -- contract\ Chief Andrew Issac Clinic\ Fairbanks\ Bureau of Indian Affairs\ social services\ private practice\ Indian Health Service\ people\ travel\ Public Health Service\ Tanana\ school -- kids\ grade -- level\ Fairbanks\ house -- rental\ schools\ classmates\ daughter -- student\ Tanana -- students\ learning\ Lathrop High School\ wife -- work\ kids -- caring for\ wife -- Native\ Fort Yukon\ work -- Wien Airlines\ Tanana -- marriage\ life -- village\ kids -- swimming\ river -- current\ driftwood\ raft\ danger\ worry\ transportation -- snowmachine\ snowmachine-- pull-start\ pick-up truck\ kids -- driving|
6) His lifestyle in Tanana and his memories of the origins of the Community Health Aide Program.
Tanana -- hospital\ housing\ apartment -- crowding\ water -- running\ heat\ maintenance\ apartment -- location\ school\ children\ health aides -- work\ Community Health Aide Program\ Moses, Bertha\ Allakaket -- missionary\ missionary -- wife\ wife -- nurse\ midwives\ fieldtrips -- nurses\ pilots -- assistance\ health -- leadership\ liaison\ blood pressure\ temperature\ ear infections -- treatment\ training\ equipment\ stethoscope\ notoscope\ medicine\ Anchorage -- meeting\ plan -- training\ Tanana\ Anchorage -- hospital\ hospital -- head of\ facility -- use of\ hospital -- admissions\ hospital -- overcrowding\ tonsillectomies -- number of\ pediatric ward -- crowding\ nurses\ beds\ competence\ money\ court marshal -- threat of\ Johnson, Dr. Walter\ Community Health Aide Program -- establishment of|
7) Early communication between the villages and the frequency of doctor's visits to the villages.
communication -- radio\ communication -- satellite\ radio traffic -- frequency of\ villages -- communication with\ Tanana\ telephones -- introduction of\ satellite -- introduction of\ telephone traffic\ radio -- single side-band\ health aides -- training\ diagnosis\ treatment\ clinics\ supplies\ medicines\ field trips -- schedule\ supplies -- transportation of\ doctors -- number of\ trips -- number of\ doctor -- duties\ duties -- division of\ Fairbanks\ Fort Yukon\ Tanana\ Koyukuk River\ Anaktuvuk Pass\ Tok\ Galena\ villages -- visits| |