KAREN: We were talking about, you said some of the changes in the health care system was one of my questions, and also the -- the changes in the equipment, in the technologies, when you -- since when you started as a health aide and --

STELLA: To now?

KAREN: To now.

STELLA: Yeah, we had just basic -- well, you know, we had our stethoscope and otoscope tool. That's what we used mostly. Uh-hum.

KAREN: The otoscope's for the ear?

STELLA: For the ears and, you know, looking with a little light.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: Those kinds. We really didn't have any equipment.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: Now that we have our Telemedicine, we can do -- like, we have an EKG on there and we have a -- where you can take pictures of ears or rash and put it in Telemedicine and just send it right through. So...

KAREN: Hmm. So how does that Telemedicine work? What kind of a setup is it?

STELLA: It's like a TV set. It's set up right there. You just -- it has an otoscope where you can look into the ear and take pictures and that goes right through the Telemedicine to here.

KAREN: To Kodiak?

STELLA: To KANA. Or, I think -- I don't know if it's connected to Anchorage. I'm not sure. But the doctor can look at it right here, pull it up and look and see.

KAREN: Uh-hum. So do you call the doctor and say, okay --

STELLA: Uh-hum.

KAREN: -- there's something coming in?

STELLA: Yes. Uh-hum.

KAREN: All right. What -- what difference do you think that's made in providing health care?

STELLA: I think -- I think it's -- you know, it is so hard as a health aide to try to describe some of the things that you see. To -- to be able to take a picture and show it to them is much -- I think it makes it much easier for -- you know, for the health aides to try to tell the doctor what -- what's going on.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: Like if we have a cut in the toe, is our -- just like yesterday we had a guy who had stubbed his toe, and, you know, that would be hard to describe, so we took a picture of that and sent it right in, and the doctor saw it and he said the patient needs to come in. So those kinds of things makes it much easier.

KAREN: Good.

STELLA: Uh-hum.

KAREN: And do you know when that Telemedicine started being used?

STELLA: Let's see. Ours was like in 1997, I think it came to our village. We were the first ones on Kodiak Island to get one.

KAREN: Hmm.

STELLA: In Old Harbor.

KAREN: What other sort of changes in equipment or technology have you seen that you can think of?

STELLA: Little things like -- like HemoCue where you can check your hemoglobin, you can check it right there, see what it is. Before we had a little slide like -- it's hard to explain but, you know, we have things that are much easier to use now.