The Official Publication of the Alaska Nurses Association Circulation 7,700 to every Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse and Student Nurse in Alaska
Volume 62 • No. 1
March 2012
Heart of the Alaska Nurse
Page 6
Alaska Immunization Program’s SCIENCE + SAFETY + CENTS: Making it all Add Up by Sandra Woods, MS, RN-C
Sandra Woods, Nurse Manager, PHN, Mat-Su Public Health Center
Alaska, along with the rest of the US and many European countries, is facing a curious phenomena–a decline in vaccination rates for children. An internet search for “greatest public health achievements” will bring up reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Minnesota
School of Public Health among others, and they all have one thing in common: vaccination. So how can an achievement lauded by so many be declared “unnecessary” by so many? Some parents choose not to vaccinate because the disease isn’t viewed as a threat or dangerous for their child. It is not viewed as a threat because we don’t see that many cases or hear of reports in the news. Yet, it is not unheard of for a family to come back from a trip overseas and bring back a disease considered under control in the US. We will soon reach the point where the population (children) is no longer protected against disease because of “community immunity.” When parents rely on other parents to immunize, and are relying on that community immunity to protect
Alaska Public Health Nursing
Page 7
Alaska’s Immunization Funding Slashed
Page 12
Immunization continued on page 12
Sexually Transmitted Disease in Alaska: The Good News and the Bad News by Donna J. Cecere, BA STD Program Coordinator First, the good news. Preliminary data for 2011 show a 23% decrease in gonorrhea rates statewide compared to 2010. The initial increase in rates was first discovered in 2008;i rates continued to rise and by 2010, Alaska ranked 3rd in the nation in gonorrhea infection rates.ii
In 2011, the statewide chlamydia (CT) rates decreased by 4% compared to 2010. Alaska has ranked first or second in the nation for chlamydia rates since 2000. In 2010, Alaska’s CT rates were the highest in the nation. Figure 2. Chlamydia Infection Rates — Alaska and the United States, 2005–2010
Figure 1. Gonorrhea Infection Rates — Alaska and the United States, 2005–2011
STDs in Alaska continued on page 11
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Inside This Issue Executive Director’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Membership Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
President’s Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
ANPA Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Nursing During the Great Alaskan Earthquake . . 4
$5,000 Donation to ANHC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Nurses in the News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
FYI Affordable Care Act Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Congratulations December Graduates. . . . . . . . . . 8
Labor Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Board of Nursing Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Are You Missing Out on Opportunities. . . . . . . . 10
Upcoming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The AaNA Vision Empowering Alaska nurses to be dynamic leaders, powerful in both the health care and political communities.