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BBAHC wins accolades, $1.4 in grant funds

August 23rd 2:31 pm | Bristol Bay Times Staff Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Tough economic belt-tightening measures aside, the Bristol Bay Area Health Corp. has been recognized for its clinical performance and awarded grant funds that will total $1.4 million to develop a peer prevention program, BBAHC announced today.

BBAHC received the Summit Award for surpassing both state and national goals set for clinical outcomes performance.

Performance indicators are reported for the Government Performance Results Act measures, a requirement for all federally funded agencies, for a total of 21 measures.

This achievement is a result of a cohesive health care team at BBAHC working throughout the region to assure that more patients receive both preventive and chronic health issue care, BBAHC said in announcing the award on Aug. 23. This is the first year that BBAHC has surpassed state and national goals for all 21 GPRA measures.

BBAHC also announced receipt of a three-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant, entitled Yuutpiciryarit (Our Way of Life).

The grant will bring some $470,000 a year to develop a peer prevention program.

Some of the grant funds will be used to train adolescent peer counselors in 11 villages. The counselors will train to be good listeners and to recognize signs of potential suicide.

Training will also include information on how to refer youth identified as having risk behaviors.

The peer prevention program will have a coordinator in Dillingham, with advisors and mentors in the communities. Peer prevention teams will also develop and provide cultural activities for youth to participate in. The communities, which were not identified in the announcement, were chosen based on reported incidents of suicides and attempted suicides from2004 through 2008,.

 

Bristol Bay Times Staff can be reached at bristolbaytimes@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at 907-348-2449

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