Click on a section below to hear the audio.
Clara Morgan talks with Karen Brewster on November 9, 2005 at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska about...
1) Some background on her life and how she became a health aide.
birthplace\ Lower Kalskag\ winter camp\ health aide\ Jackson, Dr. Shirmer\ Wrangell\ Bethel\ Public Health Service\ Aniak -- trips\ volunteers\ work -- medical\ Morgan, William -- husband\ child -- pneumonia\ penicillin -- powder\ water -- distilled\ injections -- training\ villages\ teachers -- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)\ Leech, Mariel\ lodge -- Aniak\ health care\ supplies -- medical\ Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation -- Health Aide Program\ training\ pay\ program -- interest in\ children\ chief -- Vanderpool, Louis\ training -- duration\ Bethel\ nieces\ telephones -- communication\ plans\ babysitting\ transportation\ clinic -- house\ neighbor -- Qupuanak, Rayfield\ cabinet -- locked\ equipment\ stethoscope\ pressure cuff|
2) An overview of her career as a health aide, then as a supervisor-instructor, and the evolution of the clinic at Aniak into a sub-regional clinic.
Public Health Service\ building -- Federal Aeronautics Administration\ clinic\ doctor\ wife -- helper\ Bethel\ district clinic -- work at\ doctors -- turnover rate\ paramedic\ charts\ villages \ Aniak\ Joshua, Nellie\ health aide\ flying services -- Aniak\ airplanes\ patients -- transport\ health aides -- transport\ medevac\ flights -- charter\ Bethel -- communication with\ health -- problems\ job -- supervisor-instructor\ Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation\ job -- part-time\ job -- full-time\ travel\ villages -- communication with\ children -- age\ home office\ sub-regional clinic -- construction\ Aniak -- hub\ office -- relocation\ clinic -- name\ village councils\ Clara Morgan Sub-Regional Clinic\ patients\ treatment -- trouble shooting\ health aides -- hiring\ interviews|
3) The beginning and end of her health care career, and how communications changed over time.
retirement\ maiden name -- Baldwin\ marriage -- date\ volunteering -- inspiration\ doctor -- pushy\ council\ teachers\ residents\ children\ health aides -- need for\ district clinic\ health care -- availability\ Bethel\ doctors -- communication with\ FAA station -- radio phone\ telephone\ radio call\ northern radio\ radio -- relay\ Knaknak Hospital\ Dillingham\ doctors -- traffic\ villages -- upriver\ paramedic -- traffic\ health aides -- traffic\ co-workers -- voices\ spring -- breakup\ ice -- conditions|
4) Some of the illnesses and injuries she treated as a health aide.
health care -- training\ illnesses\ illnesses -- treatement of\ babies -- fever\ mother\ Kalskag\ Aniak\ father -- Minnesota\ baby -- ill\ blizzard\ airplanes -- grounded\ cough -- treatment of\ tent -- steam\ fever -- treatment of\ medicine -- aspirin\ treatment -- sponge bath\ temperature\ parents -- young\ children -- first\ hope\ difficulty\ weather -- improvement\ flight -- Bethel\ cuts\ injury -- pressure cooker\ neighbor\ explosion\ steam -- burns\ wounds -- dressing\ arms\ hands\ blisters\ cleanliness\ aspirin\ training\ supplies\ medication\ guidebook -- size\ manual -- size\ illness -- otitis media\ common cold\ headache\ earache|
5) The increase in the incidence of accidents in the village, and helping to deliver babies.
accidents\ emergencies\ dog sleds\ snow machines\ motorcycles\ businesses -- trucks\ people -- response\ telephones\ health council -- fundraising\ money -- donations\ supplies\ airplane -- crash\ boat -- accident\ district clinic\ pilot\ freight\ doctors\ paramedic\ accidents -- increase in\ gunshots\ knife wounds\ bones -- broken\ head wound -- gunshot\ treatment\ medevac\ paralysis\ babies -- delivery\ training\ midwife\ Nikolai, Marie\ medical aide -- work\ births -- observation\ delivery -- techniques\ string\ scissors\ Bethel -- check ups\ delivery -- village\ labor\ delivery -- twins\ deliveries -- number of\ help\ clinic\ nurse -- arrival\ labor -- early\ doctor -- observing\ health aide\ suction bulb\ placenta\ legs\ babies -- size\ birth -- joyful|
6) How she and others dealt with deaths and loss in the village.
patients -- death of\ death -- coping with\ drink\ difficulty\ relatives\ death -- type\ illness -- terminal\ death -- sudden\ drowning\ accidents\ shootings\ counselors -- debriefing\ loss -- discussion of\ elders -- comfort from\ families -- loss\ groups -- meetings\ youth\ health aide -- effects\ family\ siblings\ accidents -- coping\ methods -- natural|
7) Mentors and teachers who taught her and inspired her.
mentors\ teachers\ inspiration\ Jackson, Dr. Shirmer\ women -- health care providers\ Gregory, Olinka -- mother\ Simeon, Anna-Mary\ Cutter, Mary\ Nikolai, Marie\ midwife\ medicine -- traditional\ Mckinley, Mary Anne\ snow blindness -- treatment of\ spruce tree -- use of\ spruce tree -- juice\ remedies\ plants -- use of\ wormwood (stinkweed)\ tea -- use of\ cleansing\ mother -- used plants\ poultice -- making\ leaves\ shortening\ boils -- treatment of\ infection -- treatment of\ wormword -- caithluk\ traditional medicine -- use of\ clinic\ home|
8) The difficulties of being a health aide, such as finding childcare and money worries.
job -- difficulties\ children -- care for\ husband -- work\ neighbor -- Abruska, Marie\ Anchorage -- training\ school\ daughter -- Linda\ work -- schedule\ telephone\ house -- two-room\ exam table -- bed\ clinic -- opening\ doctor\ distance -- walking\ transportation -- vehicle\ lunch\ work -- schedule\ schedule -- on call\ Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation\ health aide -- alternates\ job -- wages\ volunteer\ job -- balance\ family -- balance\ husband -- work\ Northern Consolidated Airlines\ paycheck -- first\ Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP)\ St. Mary's\ airlines\ lifestyle\ money -- need for\ lifestyle -- subsistence\ bills\ children|
9) How being a health aide has affected her life, and some information on patient transport.
job -- effects of\ health aides -- training\ volunteer\ job -- quitting\ children\ work -- alone\ health aide\ villages\ interest\ money\ patients -- recovery\ babies -- delivery\ life -- new\ job -- natural\ man -- cooking\ children -- care of\ job -- difficulty\ arguments\ perseverance\ family -- effects on\ children -- effects on\ Bethel -- meeting\ health conference -- national\ Atlanta, Georgia\ daughter -- questions\ medevac\ villages -- clinics\ villages -- supplies\ Aniak\ stretchers\ trauma box\ blankets\ sleeping bags\ airplane -- type\ pilot\ passenger\ seats -- removal of\ patient -- condition|
10) Some emergency situations she was faced with.
Aniak\ clinic\ emergency\ girl -- labor\ medevac\ telephone\ child -- choking\ Bethel -- ambulance\ pregnancy -- ectopic\ internal bleeding\ treatment -- IV\ flight -- rough\ weather -- poor\ belly -- inflammation\ circle -- red\ flight\ patient -- hysterical\ patient -- death\ work -- schedule\ schedule -- night calls\ babies -- ill\ clinic\ treatment -- changes in\ fever\ temperature -- effects of|
11) A funny story about making a house call, and a word of encouragement to young people considering a career as a health aide.
story -- funny\ health aide -- house call\ winter\ baby -- ill\ slough\ husband\ dog sled\ neighbors -- waving\ sled -- runner\ health aides -- shortage\ villages -- leaving\ youth -- encouragement\ health aide -- career\ career -- rewards\ retirement -- check|