To Anchorage Interviews

H2004-17-25

1) A history of her education and involvement in the Community Health Aide Program, including some information on the pay and training of health aides.
Department of Community Health Services\ Tribal Health Consortium\ maiden name -- Redfox\ Kwiguk\ Emmonak\ high school -- Oregon\ college\ graduation\ training -- LPN\ health aide\ Emmonak village council\ nursing program -- Alaska Methodist University\ Bachelor of Science\ Johnson, Axel\ Johnson, Pearlie\ medical aides\ Kizofnikof, Ursula\ Lamonte, Russell\ Shirley, Ambrose\ health aides -- pay\ pay -- source\ pay -- amount\ training\ pay -- increase\ Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP)\ Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation\ Wainwright, Robert\ Nice, Phillip\ training -- location\ training -- phases\ Bethel\ Anchorage\ training -- duration|     

2) What she studied at training sessions and what it was like being a health aide in Emmonak.
training -- content\ screening\ dental\ anatomy\ first aid\ patient history\ work week -- hours\ leave -- sick\ leave -- annual\ health aide -- alternate\ hunting\ health aide -- primary\ work schedule -- on-call\ patient -- escort\ hospital\ travel\ house calls\ clinic -- location\ Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schoolhouse\ refrigerator\ radio\ privacy\ screening\ radio traffic\ time\ call number\ weather\ Emmonak -- population\ villages -- size\ responsibility|

3) The kinds of illnesses and emergencies she dealt with as a health aide.
radio traffic\ reception -- quality\ doctors -- help from\ standing orders\ emergencies\ judgement\ experience\ diseases -- recognition of\ patients\ illnesses\ respiratory\ infections -- ear\ throat -- sore\ throat -- culture\ tonsils -- pus\ penicillin\ medicines\ treatment\ equipment\ stethoscope\ otoscope\ heart\ lungs\ hemoglobinometer\ urine -- dipsticks\ antibiotics\ medicine -- triple sulfa\ penicillin\ anticillin\ erythromycin\ eardrops -- cortosporin\ medication -- prescription\ Bethel\ medication -- orders\ clinic\ medicine -- storage\ blood pressure\ diabetes -- incidence of\ cancer -- prevalence of\ illness -- changes in\ fevers\ children -- seizures\ autumn\ hunting -- moose\ accident -- shooting\ groin\ dog team\ weather -- wind\ patient -- transport\ patient -- shock\ blood pressure -- low\ tourniquet\ patient -- death\ airplane -- transport\ communication -- doctors\ CPR\ patient -- pediatric\ pneumonia\ antibiotics -- dosage\ hemoglobin -- low\ weather\ transport\ death -- difficulty\ age\ support\ blame|

4) Being a health aide in a small community, treating family members, and issues of privacy.
community -- size of\ job -- difficulties\ family -- treatment of\ availability\ illness\ compassion\ empathy\ nursing -- dream\ high school\ health aide\ burn-out\ nursing program\ age\ training -- preparation\ emergencies\ clinic -- hours\ house calls\ child -- fever\ elders\ radio traffic\ privacy\ office\ clinic -- size\ door\ windows\ medicine\ cabinets\ sink\ clinic -- construction\ nursing school -- graduation\ clinic -- regional\ Axel and Pearlie Johnson Clinic|

5) Her medical career after being a health aide.
school -- Anchorage\ job -- nurse\ Alaska Native Medical Center\ Indian Health Center\ work -- surgical floor\ shifts\ family\ job -- clinic\ pediatrics\ job -- hours\ experience -- inpatient\ position -- level II\ infant pediatrics\ position -- research\ UCLA -- contract\ Hemophilous Influenza type B -- vaccine\  vaccine -- license\ Center for Disease Control\ infant hepatitis study\ McMann, Dr ?\ Community Health Nurse -- immunization program\ immunization -- rates\ immunizations -- home\ pediatric\ Anchorage\ program -- high risk\ infants\ mothers\ nurse midwife\ field health -- case management\ pediatrics\ referrals\ Bethel\ Dillingham\ Barrow\ appointments -- coordination\ job -- current\ research\ traditional food -- monitoring\ Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation -- villages\ Aleutian and Pribilof Islands -- villages\ study -- contaminants\ heavy metals\ pesticides\ nutrients\ mothers -- pregnant\ recruitment\ blood -- sample\ babies -- birth\ contaminant -- transfer\ diet -- traditional\ health -- benefits\ danger\ fish -- mercury\ college -- graduation|

6) Delivering babies, and cultural factors that influenced patients and care providers in the village.
babies -- delivery\ midwife\ Public Health Nurse\ assistance\ career -- satisfaction\ career -- changes\ dream -- pursuit of\ work\ socializing\ work -- demands\ telephones\ CB radio\ lifestyle -- single\ husband -- meeting\ health aides -- men\ hunting\ health aides -- gender\ subsistence\ stores -- food\ men -- role of\ fall\ seals\ winter\ rabbits\ heat -- wood\ wood -- collection\ stove -- oil\ oil -- cost of\ fur -- sale\ mink\ wolf\ wolverine\ doctors\ villages -- travel to\ visits -- frequency\ visits -- duration\ Public Health Nurse\ Bethel\ patient -- list\ appointments\ time -- perceived importance\ jobs -- availability|

7) The frequency of visits from outside health practitioners, and a few examples of difficult cases she dealt with successfully.
doctors -- visits\ doctors -- types\ general medicine\ family practitioner\ Bethel\ Dillingham\ Public Health Nurses -- immunizations\ tuberculosis (TB)\ health -- women\ PAP smears\ health aides\ immunizations -- training\ physical exams\ vaccines -- temperatures\ refrigerators\ vaccines -- storage\ vaccines -- expiration\ emergencies\ patient care -- successes\ Hepatitis A\ training\ contagion -- spread of\ illness -- prevention\ disease -- Typhoid\ patient -- pediatric\ Typhoid -- frequency of\ patient -- carrier\ disease -- recognition of\ symptoms\ fever\ baby -- recovery\ antibiotics\ infection\ Bethel\ tests -- blood|

8) Use of traditional medicine, treatment of tuberculosis in the early days, and a story about Dr. Walter Johnson.
health aide program\ community -- response\ medicine -- traditional\ herbs\ Oregon -- high school\ healer -- traditional\ plants -- medicine\ caithluk -- stinkweed\ boils -- treatment of\ tobacco leaves -- use of\ infection -- drawing\ colds\ throats -- sore\ sores\ bandages\ leaf -- large\ tuberculosis -- incidence of\ Johnson, Pearlie\ Johnson, Axel\ Johnson, Dr. Walter\ Kwiguk\ doctor\ doctors -- role\ dental\ tooth -- removal\ school -- nursing\ Alaska Native Medical Center -- emergency room|

9) The locations and histories of the communities of Kwiguk and Emmonak, and what inspired her to go into medicine.
community -- name\ community -- location\ community -- seasonal\ Kwiguk\ Emmonak\ cannery\ post office\ store -- Alaska Commercial Company\ Johnson, Axel\ Johnson, Pearlie\ store -- Northern Commercial Company\ school -- location\ Kwiguk -- disapperance of\ erosion\ community -- relocation\ relocation -- date of\ Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) -- schools\ job -- health aide\ family -- support from\ parents\ siblings\ house -- crowded\ cooking\ baking\ school -- encouragement\ inspiration\ determination\ grants\ school -- nursing\ mentor\ teacher-- eighth grade\ Henry, Robert\ intelligence\ capacity\ laziness\ high school -- honor role|

10) Advice for young people who might be considering a career as a health aide, and reflections on what she learned as a health aide.
advice\ college -- encouragement\ village\ field -- medical\ health aide\ community health practitioner -- itinerant\ travel\ health aide alternates -- availability of\ base -- Bethel\ supervisor\ pressure -- relief\ schedule -- demands\ recreation\ camping\ boat\ experience\ influence\ patience\ work\ independence\ decisions\ diagnosis\ symptoms\ patient -- care|

11) Patient confidentiality and diagnosis when all they had was radio communication.
communication -- radio\ communication -- doctors\ radio traffic -- confidentiality\ names\ doctor\ medical records\ birthdates\ telephones\ clinic -- radio\ school -- radio\ Emmonak\ villages -- health aides\ Alakanuk\ Ayunerak, Paula\ Hanson, Elma\ Sheldon's Point\ Afkan, Julia\ Nunam Iqua\ Kotlik\ contact -- need for\ communication -- radio\ descriptions -- quality of\ patient history\ report\ diagnosis -- difficulty\ training\ training -- manual\ guide\ manual -- volumes\ blood pressure -- norms\ pulse|

12) Working through difficult situations, working as a young health aide with no training, and starting a family while working and helping her husband through school.
hiring\ training\ health aides\ work -- duration\ shots\ knowledge\ hunting\ patient -- pediatric\ medicine -- penicillin\ penicillin -- care of\ heat\ refrigerator\ viscosity\ color\ husband\ family\ nursing school\ children -- number of\ children -- ages of\ work -- shift\ family -- schedule\ husband -- school\ difficulties\ daycare\ family -- time for\ children -- college\ careers -- nursing\ degree -- biology\ Minnesota\ marriage\ great-great grandfather -- shaman\ family -- history|

13) Hygiene in Emmonak through time, and how improved health care and public education have changed the rate of illness in rural Alaska.
Emmonak -- history\ Emmonak -- sanitation\ filth\ honey buckets\ water -- running\ sewer system\ waste -- dumping\ holes\ slough -- dumping\ illness -- Hepatitis A\ disease -- prevention\ health -- education\ children -- immunization\ Alaska -- rural\ health care\ television -- announcements\ pamphlets\ advertisement -- effect\ population -- effect\ illness -- Hepatitis B\ vaccine\ hygiene\ diseases -- infectious\ birthday -- age|