Health & Nutrition

Services & programs to help Alaskan children be as healthy as possible

If your child has special health care needs, then chances are you will become very familiar with the health care system in Alaska as well as providers that can assist you in caring for your child. We have a wide menu of health resources that exist in our state and it continues to grow.

Your child's health care provider might be a Pediatrician, Family Practitioner, Public Health Nurse, or Community Health Aide. Some children with special needs benefit from programs and professionals who help with nutrition and dietary needs. In the Medical Home model of health care, the parent also remains responsible for sharing information and for seeing to it that the primary health provider is informed on all aspects of their child's care.

The Medical Home

The Medical Home is where a child and his or her family can count on receiving the medical care they need from a health care professional they trust. It is not a building, house or hospital but rather an approach to providing quality and coordinated services. Primary health care providers and parents work as partners to identify and access all of the medical and non-medical services needed to help children with special health care needs achieve their potential. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau agree that Medical Homes consist of the following: 

ACCESSIBLE

• medical care is available to children in or near their community 
• provider accepts payments, Medicaid, and all health insurance 
• effort is made to meet the needs of all patients 

FAMILY-CENTERED 

• recognition that the family is the center of the child's life 
• parents are  part of the team and are given complete & unbiased information 

COMPREHENSIVE

• available when needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• preventive, primary, and tertiary care is addressed 

CULTURALLY COMPETENT 

• respectful effort is made to understand the family's culture 

COMPASSIONATE

• concern is demonstrated by the provider and staff 

COORDINATED

• family and child's needs are discussed, resources are identified, and referrals are made

CONTINUOUS 

• Same primary pediatric health care professionals are available from infancy to adolescence
• Assistance with transition (to school, home, adult services) is provided

"The Public Health Nurse contacted the agency about services we needed. She helped make those first connections."

Public Health Nurses

Public Health Nurses provide home visits and well-child check-ups which are especially helpful to families of high-risk infants. Public Health Nurses provide your family with information, resources, education, emotional support, care coordination, nutritional information, and/or health monitoring.

AK Info Toll free 1-800-478-2221

Public Health Nurses: Municipality of Anchorage 343-4800

Public Health Nurses: State of Alaska 465-3150

Women, Infants & Children (WIC)

Women, Infants & Children is a Maternal, Child and Family Health program. With sites throughout Alaska, WIC stretches your income by providing healthy foods that can be purchased at the grocery store each month along with ideas for delicious healthy meals. Pregnant or nursing women and families with a child under the age of five must meet income eligibility requirements to qualify for this program.

For information on WIC, call the AK Info Line:  
Toll free 1-800-478-2221

Pediatric Specialists

Pediatric specialists are pediatricians with additional education and training in a specific area. There are pediatric specialists in many different fields from eyes and ears, to feet and toes.

They are trained to treat infants and children and understand how to relate to and take care of much smaller humans. If you need to take your child to a specialist, you might want to choose a pediatric specialist.

Long-term Infant Follow-up Evaluation Program (LIFE)

The LIFE Program consists of a multidisciplinary team for infants who spent time in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Developmental specialists, a developmental pediatrician and a parent navigator check your baby's development and provide information and referrals that you may need. The team specializes in assessment of infants and toddlers who are at higher risk for developmental delays.

The LIFE Program is for infants up to the corrected age of two.

For information on the LIFE Program: Anchorage 562-9212

Sub-Specialty Clinics

The specialists at these clinics address specific concerns of family and health providers. The pediatric sub-specialty clinics in Alaska may be sponsored by the state, a hospital, or groups like the Shriners or the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Your child's doctor or health care provider receives schedules of the sub-specialty clinics and can arrange appointments.

State of Alaska Specialty Clinics or Genetics Clinics- Section of Womens Childrens and Family Health: Anchorage 269-3460  Toll free 1-800-799-7570

The Children's Hospital at Providence Alaska - Pediatric Sub-specialty Clinics 261-4824

Center for Children with Special Needs 562-9212

The Pediatric Clinic of the Primary Care Center at the Alaska Native Health Care Center in Anchorage 729-1000

Al Aska Shrine in Anchorage 274-4344

Muscular Dystrophy Association 276-2131

Toll free 1-800-572-1717

Home Health Care / Home Health Aide

In-home medical care provides support for infants and children who are medically fragile or use special medical equipment to keep them healthy and at home with their families. A Home Health Aide, a Registered Nurse or other health care specialists may provide this care. Chore Service Providers and Home Health Aides are available to help with grooming, dressing and household chores. These care services may be paid for by your health insurance, Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) or Medicaid Waivers. If you need this kind of help, a phone number is listed below. See the "GOOD CENTS" section for more information on TEFRA and Waivers.

State of Alaska Medical Assistance Hotline:
Anchorage 562-3671 or Toll free 1-800-211-7470

For providers in your area, check the Yellow Pages under Home Health Care

"Our Paper Trail notebook is a mind-saver! Thanks Stone Soup Group."

Medical History & Information

Staying organized can be a bit of a challenge, so Stone Soup Group developed the Paper Trail notebook to help. It's a place to keep together copies of your child's developmental history, medical records, therapy and school reports, business cards and phone numbers. The Paper Trail is easy to take along to appointments so you can share information or add to it. Copies of the Paper Trail notebook are available from your local Infant Learning Program or Stone Soup Group.

Medical Equipment & Supplies

If your child needs medicines, equipment, diapers (for Medicaid eligible children over the age of 3) or health care products such as skin creams, you may choose to use just one medical supplier. Some suppliers have regular delivery dates, so you can save yourself the trouble of ordering each month. In addition to medical supplies, they can also provide specialized equipment such as child-size wheelchairs and walkers or items such as easy-to-use spoons and bowls. They can tell you what is paid for by health insurance or by other health benefits listed in the "GOOD CENTS" section.

Check the phone book Yellow Pages under Home Health or Medical Equipment & Supplies

ATLA: Anchorage 563-2599  Toll free 1-800-723-2852

Dental Care for Children with Special Needs

Sometimes health conditions or medications are cause for extra attention to your child's oral health. There are pediatric dentists who have experience caring for children with special needs. Some ways to deal with young patient's fear and stress could be through frequent visits to the dentist to build your child's trust or perhaps by using sedation or general anesthesia for routine dental procedures.

When choosing a dentist for your child, don't hesitate to mention your child's needs and ask the dentist if he or she is experienced in that area. You want to choose a dentist that you are comfortable with and who can understand your child's special needs. You may call Stone Soup Group for a list of dental providers.