A new research study in the Norton Sound/Bering Strait region is examining the effects of diet on the health of Alaska Native babies and young children. Norton Sound Health Corporation is partnering with Southcentral Foundation on the study, which is currently enrolling pregnant mothers and newborn babies.

Alaska Native people have traditionally consumed foods rich in healthy fats such as sea mammals and fish. This study will explore how diet, genes, and environment may protect the health of Alaska Native children. Ear infections and childhood hearing loss are among the health outcomes being studied.

Samantha Kleindienst Robler, AuD, PhD, a population health provider, is supervising the diet and health research program, while audiologists Dr. Ashley Earp and Dr. Kelli Hicks are coordinating the part of the study that relates to ears and hearing. The team is eager to put their passions for the region and hearing health to work.

Dr. Earp was born and raised in Maryland and completed her schooling at the University of Utah. Her background is in social work. Within audiology, her passions include pediatrics and aural rehabilitation, which she says is essentially therapy for people with hearing loss, including the use of hearing aids or other amplification devices.

“Dr. Earp has come on board as a full-time audiologist after completing her residency year at NSHC and has already been absorbed into the community and doing great things,” Dr. Kleindienst Robler said. “She has some areas of interest that she is bringing to the table, and she is also coordinating this project with Dr. Hicks.”

“I absolutely love Nome,” Dr. Earp said. “The rich, welcoming culture has been so wonderful.”

She enjoys cross country skiing, hiking, playing with her dogs, running, and is looking forward to a summer of fishing. She has also coached roller derby for 10 years and is teaming up with Boys and Girls Club to start a roller-skating club.

Dr. Kelli Hicks is an Ear, Nose, and Throat resident and moved to Nome recently to run this project as part of her training to become an ENT surgeon with a background in public health policy.

Originally from Fairbanks, she also lived in Valdez for four years, and was in the Alaska WWAMI program, a collaborative medical school among universities in five northwestern states, at the University of Washington. She plans to return to Alaska once she finishes her training.

“We are lucky to have Dr. Hicks join us in Nome,” Dr. Kleindienst Robler said. “She is passionate about bringing high level ear and hearing care to rural regions and is humbly pursuing her training with us. I look forward to introducing her to the region and see her contribute to the betterment of healthcare delivery at NSHC.”

For Dr. Hicks, the feeling is mutual.

“I want to give back to the Alaska community that raised me to be the person and physician I am today,” she said. “I am so excited to be here in Nome for the next year.”

For fun, Dr. Hicks loves to backcountry ski, rock climb, mountain bike, trail run, and fly fish.

“Nome has everything I love!” she said.

Drs. Earp and Hicks are currently looking for volunteers to participate in the research study. Volunteers will be asked to complete a few surveys and mom and baby will be asked to provide small blood samples by heel or finger-stick. The blood samples will be used to measure dietary intake of healthy fats.

You may be eligible if you are 18 years or older, are pregnant or gave birth in the last 30 days, and your baby has at least one Alaska Native parent. You must also receive your services through NSHC or SCF. For more information, please call NSHC Research at (907) 443-9694, and mention the diet study. Participants will receive up to $155 in gift cards over the two-year study.

Since the year 2000, Summercise has been an annual tradition for youth in Nome, and this year marks another successful summer.

The six-week long day camp is funded through the federal Special Diabetes Program for Indians Grant, and is dedicated to teaching children the importance of exercise and healthy eating. Over the past decade, Summercise activities have also been offered in regional villages, with staff traveling to each village to bring education and fun.

Every year, the CAMP Department recruits instructors to help run the daily sessions as part of a summer internship. These interns are college students who are pursuing a degree in nutrition, dietetics, exercise physiology or other preventative healthcare fields. Over the years, approximately 160 college students from around the U.S. have traveled to Nome to teach and learn during the Summercise program.

Within the last two years, CAMP has expanded its intern search to include exercise science students, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native studies programs that specifically focus on Indigenous Community and Public Health. The goal is to increase the number of dietetic professionals that have an understanding of Alaskan Native culture and traditional values.

This summer, children who sign up for Summercise were able to choose which intern best fit with their own interests. The instructors have full reign to create their own activities to reach the long-lasting goal to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes.

In previous years, Summercise activities took place indoors at the Nome Recreation Center, opting for occasional outdoor field trips. With new social distancing protocols in place, most activities for the past two summers have been held at outdoor locations around Nome. Each group rotates through the locations, which include East End Park, the beach, Anvil City Center, Lutheran Church, the swimming pool, the ice rink, and Nome Elementary School.

Nicole Santonastaso, Prevention Program Supervisor, considers the benefits of the Summercise program.

“I have so many anecdotes of individuals who remember things they learned in Summercise, whether that is learning basics like how to use a knife or make healthy substitutions which will hopefully follow them through life," she said. "Another benefit is teaching kids that exercise is fun and makes you feel good, and it doesn’t have to be hard!”

Summercise will begin their jam-packed second session of activities on July 12. Registration for Session Two has closed. If you have any questions, please call the CAMP main line at 443-3365.

A parking lot expansion project that kicked off last year is continuing this summer at the Norton Sound Regional Hospital. Employees and visitors will notice extra traffic in the parking lot as construction crews haul in gravel on the west side of the lot.

Hospital goers should use the main center driveway or the east entrance when arriving. When leaving the parking lot, drivers can temporarily use the main center driveway or continue to use the west exit, but they should be aware of increased traffic in that area.

The construction crew has posted flaggers at the main center driveway, the west exit and on Greg Kruschek Avenue during this period of traffic congestion.

The parking lot expansion project addresses a number of issues. It will provide additional patient and staff parking and more snow removal space and storage, and it provides a new entrance driveway, which is less popular and less bumpy than the main entrance, for ambulances and other vehicles. The parking lot's plans also allowed for the construction of a new building on the east side, if needed.

The project is expected to be completed at the end of this summer.

The NSHC CAMP Department & the Native Village of Teller is proud to announce the 1^st Annual Nasqaghmii Nasqaq Race will take place in Teller on July 11^th, 2021 starting a 12:00PM.

Click Here to Register

PRIZE DRAWING ANNOUNCEMENT: July 2 Weekly Winners

The weekly winners from the Nome Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Vaccination Drawing include TWO $1,000 value prizes for the “Aged 16+ Vaccinated on/after June 1, 2021” category and THREE $200 Visa gift cards for the “Aged 12-15” category.

Congratulations to the following winners! Winners will receive their prize via the mail in approximately two weeks.

Amy Gusty, Nome - $1,000 Visa gift Card sponsored by Nome Sweet Homes

Rani Paniptchuk, Unalakleet – $1,000 Qiviut Fever Gift Certificate

To enter, participants must have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and must be a resident of the Norton Sound/Bering Strait region. Head to http://bit.ly/nomechamberdrawing to enter. If you need assistance entering the drawing, please call 443-9674 or 443-4591.

1st Grand Prize: $10,000 value in combination of Visa gift cards and gift certificates from chamber of commerce businesses, drawn from hat

2nd Grand Prize : $10,000 value in combination of Visa gift cards and gift certificates from chamber of commerce businesses, drawn from hat

Prize 1: $1,000 value in Visa gift card or gift certificate from chamber of commerce businesses, drawn from hat

Prize 2 : $1,000 value in Visa gift card or gift certificate from chamber of commerce businesses, drawn from hat

16 years & older: TWO weekly prizes of $1,000 value in Visa gift card or gift certificate from chamber of commerce businesses, drawn from hat

12-15 years: THREE weekly prizes of a $200 Visa gift card

If you are unvaccinated, the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Everyone in the region who is 12 years and older is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. In a village, residents may contact their local clinic to arrange a vaccination. In Nome, vaccinations are available at the following places and times:

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

The Nurse Call Line - a free, Nome-based medical advice service - is available at 443-6411.

If you do not have symptoms but would like to get tested for COVID-19, or if you feel you might be a close contact to a recent positive case and would like to get tested, the Nome Operations Building Testing Center is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at the corner of Greg Kruschek Avenue and K Street. To schedule an appointment, visit picktime.com/NSHC. In regional villages, residents can contact their local clinic to get tested.