Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that hundreds of medical personnel are coming to Alaska to assist the health care facilities in the state. He also authorized a crisis standards of care condition that allows for reduced standards for hospital care.
Nearly 300 registered nurses and more than 100 certified nursing assistants or patient care technicians are among the health care workers expected to arrive soon in Alaska under an $87 million contract between the State of Alaska and the federal General Services Administration.
The contract is with DLH Solutions for $87 million, and it is reimbursable from the federal government though the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The incoming health care workers will begin arriving next week, as part of a comprehensive support plan for Alaska’s health care system, finalized this week by the Dunleavy Administration for medical facilities strained by an influx of COVID-19 patients.
“We don’t have in statutes for crisis standards of care,’ said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer. She said doctors can’t always transfer patients when they need to. “Care has shifted in Alaska hospitals, the same standards of care that previously was there no longer able to is being given on a regular basis.” But she did not say that care was being “rationed.”
It’s not rationing, despite what the Anchorage Daily News is reporting. It’s standards of care document lays out the ability to effectively manage and triage, because health care is a highly regulated endeavor. Crisis standards of care is a continuum, with rationing as the final part of the continuum.
“We asked Alaskans for the last year and a half to work together on the challenge posed by COVID-19,” said Governor Dunleavy. “Our hospitals need help with staffing, supplies, and Alaskans to do their part. Today’s announcement brings qualified health professionals when we need it and provides Alaskans with the tools we need to manage through this difficult time.”
The administration’s plan includes:
- An Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association contract to help recruit and expand the certified nursing assistant workforce.
- Emergency regulations passed by the Alaska Board of Nursing to get more Alaskans trained and certified as Nurse Aides more quickly. The regulation change aligns Alaska CNA training requirements with the federal requirements for 120 days, reducing the number of training hours from 140 to 75, and requires training programs to meet the federal training requirements.
- The State Emergency Medical Services Office is working with local EMS agencies on strategies to alleviate overcrowding in hospitals. Strategies will look different in each community, but include providing services that facilitate early discharge of hospital patients to open beds for others seeking care. Other strategies include transporting patients to alternate destinations, or treating patients on the scene, and avoiding a hospital run.
- Providing COVID-19 at-home test kits to support in-person learning for kids and families to test before going to school to curb the spread of COVID-19.
On Sept. 22, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) enabled Crisis Standards of Care through the new addendum to the existing Public Health Emergency Order. Commissioner of Health and Social Services Adam Crum said that while the addendum gives a health care framework for providers, providers will continue to make patient decisions according to their policies and available resources.
“This addendum to the existing Public Health Emergency Order, authorized by House Bill 76, provides guidance to Alaska’s hospitals, health care providers and local health authorities in support of crisis standards of care should they be needed for a facility or community,” Crum said. “Let me be clear: this is not a disaster declaration, nor a mandate, and does not require any new legislation. The goal of this addendum is to provide support and guidance to our state’s health care providers as they continue to care for Alaskans during these unprecedented times.”
Read the Addendum to the Public Health Emergency Order.
Read the Info Sheet to the Addendum and the Hospital Capacity Actions
Read the ASHNHA letter response.
The addendum also offers participating health care facilities coverage under the civil liability clause passed by the Legislature in HB76.
“We want health care providers to know that the State of Alaska is incredibly proud of and grateful for the care they are continuing to provide to Alaskans,” said Zink. “Our health care professionals are accustomed to providing the best care they possibly can for their patients, but resources are now stretched to a point that most of us never expected to see in our careers. Difficult decisions will need to be made over whose care should be prioritized, and we’re here to support our providers to provide the best care for as many patients as possible during these challenging times.”
Alaskans who need emergency care should still go to the emergency room and not delay or avoid seeking medical care, Dunleavy said. Hospitals and health care facilities will continue to work hard to make sure Alaskans receive appropriate care. The incoming resources and announcements today are intended to prevent crisis standards of care from having to be used, those crisis standards of care are now available if needed.
Vaccines are readily available statewide. DHSS reports that from Jan. 16 to Sept. 11, 2021, 80 percent of all cases, 88 percent of all hospitalizations, and 87 percent of deaths among Alaska residents, aged 12 years or older, were in people who were not fully vaccinated.
But Alaska still has the third lowest death rate attributed to Covid in the nation.
“I’m asking all Alaskans to do your part by minimizing your health risks, not just for the virus, but for your personal safety” said Governor Dunleavy. “Think before taking risks. Let’s help the hospitals by reducing the strain on them for accidents. Every little bit counts.”
None yet but it may be coming. Best to have troops ready.
Hmm, I know a number of enlisted and to a person they have said (on the DL) that they will NOT be following any orders for martial law. In fact, Afg has really really pissed them off. So greggie, perhaps it is you that should start making contingency plans for your travel trailer home and love glove collection. Because trust me, most military are NOT on you and your fascist friends side.
You misunderstood me. By troops, I meant the folks going up to help out. Chill dude. You’re wound way to tightly.
“[said Zink]….resources are now stretched to a point most of us never expected to see in our careers. Difficult decisions will need to be made over whose care needs to be prioritized….”
The Governor uses the technicality that there is no statutory authority to claim no rationing of care. Instead, he has Health and Zink issue “guidance” on a Crisis of Care “continuum.” All the while, Dr. Zink uses the language of the final — the rationing — portion of the continuum in describing the difficult times ahead for health care professionals.
While Governor Dunleavy plays politics, Dr. Zink tells anyone who closely read what she said the truth. Every hospital in this state is rationing care. Unfortunately, some (probably most) have been doing it without benefit of formal guidance. Now, they at least have a baseline in writing from the State of Alaska.
Commissioner Adam Crum and Dr Anne Zink have been arrested for crimes against humanity under the Nuremberg Code.
I do this in love but the willful and knowing destruction of my fellow Alaskans, must stop in the name of Jesus Christ.
The individuals who coerce, bribe, trick, intimidate etc. All, have list their implied immunity.
Health orders were, are currently and always will be unconstitutional.
God-given inalienable constitutional rights do not cease to exist because of the stroke of a pen. They cannot be stolen only surrendered.
Please show us your proof that Adam Crum and Dr. Anne Zink have been arrested.
Call APD, reference APD case number 21-28836.
3 private party arrest forms were filed arresting numerous APD personnel, ASD staff, Securitas guards, Dr Anne Zink, Commissioner Adam Crum, and 4 state legislators.
These are statements of fact that will be proven in front of a jury within 120 days as is the named defendants Constitutional right.
Currently they are fugitives evading justice. I do this in love. But the crimes against humanity must end in the name of Jesus.
As well, the Anchorage Corrections Department personnel for cruel and unusual punishment, Nuremberg Code violations and due process infringements. And yes the conditions at Anchorage Corrections Center are deplorable and the conditions in Guantanamo Bay Prison for the Taliban enemy combatants are treated with more dignity.
The ten principles are codified in London UK International Law that the US is a member of. The Nuremberg Code is the ethical minimum standard for conduct of all medical experimentation. Going below any or all of the standards brings major penalties for any directing or conducting any level(s) of protocol.
Take a deep, deep breath. Clam down.
The Nuremberg Code has no place in American law. Even if it did, there is a big gulf between being incompetent and being a monster.
“ Have been arrested” what planet are you from? Nurenburg Code, sounds like something following the Nurenburg Trials for war crimes following WW2. Not so sure they apply in the US Nial unless it’s part of a one world government mandate. Don’t see that this has anything to do with Jesus Christ. My advice to you Nial is get your ducks in order before calling the police or making public statements, your fast losing credibility.
Yep. Many don’t completely know what it stands for and the loop holes in it.
I think you need to chill, and watch a couple episodes of Molly B’s Polka Party. That will help you.
You can’t arrest anyone under the Nuremberg Code or the Area Code…or anything.
87 million dollars, eh?
No word on rescinding the vaccine mandates for doctors and nurses who are quitting instead of submitting to the jab?
Go blow steam, Dunleavy. There’s more you could to protect our healthcare system, and it begins by protecting every person’s right to make healthcare decisions for himself, without coercion, threats, or force.
If you’re waiting for Dunleavy to grown a spine, you’ll be waiting a long time.
No mention that the Death Injections are causing the Health Care Provider shortage, and fueling the sick and dying from the Genetic Modifications making them walking, talking spike protein Bioweapon production facilities.
EXACTLY!! Taking the pathogens for a ride around their bodies! Infecting all their cells.
Dry cabins in January for all the lower 48 scabs coming up? It’s gonna be $300 cash on the barrel if I gotta pull you out…if you can find a vehicle. Remember, the Mecca might be the only place you’ll have any friends. If you ask for directions, I hope no one sends you up the Dalton. Good luck. ?
Vaccine or no Vaccine everyone is getting the wuhan flu, follow the Zelenko protocol and you should be fine, what is the Zelenko protocol? Google it! Dr Zink, do you not take vitamin supplements? If you know that certain members of the public will vehemently not get vaxxed why not inform these masses of an alternate method that actually works? At some point in this vax madness you have to acknowledge you’ve hit a wall. What is this about? Having everyone vaccinated or everyone healthy regardless of convictions?
Good comment. We are on the same wavelength and I haven’t even heard of Dr. Zelenko. Not hard to be on the same wavelength with someone else when you seek truth. I’m upset at Dunleavy too for giving the weak advise of “not taking risks”. It’s not terrible advice, but a much more impactful statement would have been to tell everyone to take vitamins and make sure they have enough vitamin D and Zinc, even if vaccinated. If he’s a liberty loving conservative, he should be telling everybody how they can help themselves and boost their own health and immunity so they aren’t so dependent on the hospitals to take care of them. Him and Bronson should have someone on their staff seeking out advice from people that aren’t answering to the incompetent and corrupt FDA/CDC hierarchy. Zink, Crum, and the state Pharmacist Dr. Coleman are just eager and intelligent shills, as are most doctors that follow all advice from the hierarchy so they don’t get blamed for anything when bad things happen, as they always do when you are dealing with the sick.
So whose lying? Providence?
Follow the money and follow the political connections.
Odds are it ends up at the feet of the Assembly.
Is Dunleavy doing anything proactive for Alaskans concerning covid like securing other therapeutic treatments?
or is it, never mind what you read or hear just get the jab prole?
What a crock!! These hospitals made millions of dollars last year from Covid. 1300$ a nasal swab, last summer ANMC Covid drive thru was doing 800 tests a day. That was one hospital…. They are firing Nurses at the same time they cry nursing shortage. Governor how about you protect Americans basic right for medical autonomy.
Thanks for that Dawn, where in the constitution or any law is the right to medical autonomy? Nope doesn’t exist. Your medical decisions are highly influenced by the state, I am sure you don’t have other privately or government funded vaccinations (No shingles vax for you?) The American government has a long history of forced and voluntary medical experimentation, from blacks to service members to conscientious objectors. This isn’t what is happening and the continued misconstruction is going to get you all and your loved ones killed. I know you all are deaf to it, but please get vaccinated. Socializing America won’t be nearly as rewarding if the left wins cause you all are dead.
How about we stop firing our own doctors and nurses who don’t want to take part in the largest medical experiment in human history?
Still pushing the narrative that this is a major outbreak omgomgomg helphelphelp and “the hospitals are overflowing help help”? Just stop requiring the jab and people won’t quit and you’ll have all the help you need. And for the love of God, people, stay away from the hospitals unless you actually want to die.
Waste of money. Can you say Unions?
So sad, this was all planned and is being executed to a tee. The goal is to end our healthcare system and put this country in ruins, one state at a time. Alaska is in the crosshairs and will be one of the first to go. Again, so sad.
When you fire your best staff for refusing to participate in an experimental genetic “therapy” experiment it creates issues.
The insanity is T cells are what your body needs for virus protection not antibodies. People who had the man made SARS-1 which is 80% identical to the current SARS-2 are already immune. The so called Delta variant is 97.7% identical, therefore there is no need for “boosters”. There is obviously a lot of data not being disclosed. The “vaccines” are not protecting people and the death rate and adverse effects are rampant.
So how many of these are replacing the healthcare workers who worked during the whole pandemic—-when we really thought there would be massive amounts of deaths. We hailed them as hero’s as we should. And then when they didn’t take part in a medical experiment we fire them. If that is the case SHAME ON YOU.
The market for nursing has been totally fubared. Many were furloughed when all electives and everything was shutdown. Those nurses learned how much they could make as traveling nurses and then the word spread. Then the hospitals couldn’t bring back nurses and some of the existing nurses quit because they got burnt out. Not only were they short staffed and working long hours, they had covid protocols to deal with. If I was nurse I would have quit, taken a few weeks off and then sought out traveling nursing positions and negotiate whatever I want from desperate hospital. Now a nurse can quit their job and make 3 times as much as a traveling nurse and that is who is coming up here. Many of them will make more than the existing doctors in the hospital. Good job hospital administrators! Maybe you shouldn’t have lied to politicians and helped the media sensationalize everything and then bullied anybody who bucked your bs.
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I’m way too young to get this bitter. At least Zink and Crum aren’t acting like irrational sensational fools at the moment.
“DHSS reports that from Jan. 16 to Sept. 11, 2021, 80 percent of all cases, 88 percent of all hospitalizations, and 87 percent of deaths among Alaska residents, aged 12 years or older, were in people who were not fully vaccinated.”
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Cool. How about the percentage during this current surge? How about from mid July until today? Wouldn’t that be the obvious stat to be pushing instead of the easily refuted stat that goes all the way back to when most of Alaska wasn’t vaccinated? If you want people to believe you, quit trying to inflate the numbers by using tricks like a used car salesman. I’m sincere. I want to know the stat from mid July to today. Wouldn’t that be a more convincing stat? Don’t make people wonder why you aren’t giving it and lose even more credibility. It’s that kind of crap that makes people believe the worst. (Referring to DHSS, not you Suzanne. I appreciate you Suzanne, even when you pull my comments when I get too cranky.)
How many medical personnel were laid off during the pandemic? The answer is, ‘lots’. How many of those laid off, haven’t come back to work? The answer is, ‘lots’.
The hospitals are not overwhelmed by covid. They’re understaffed due to bad decision making by the hospitals, local, state and federal governments.
More and more Mandates are going into effect every day across the country over the next 75 days. Soon Alaska will not be able to get a travel nurse because they will be used up staffing the critical shortages across the lower 48. But Americans just keep on keeping on!! I’m a Director of Nursing in Louisiana and I will be fired or resign soon. My wife is a nurse as well and she was forced to resigned two weeks ago. Each of us have 20 years of critical nursing experience and leadership. Letting people die for Joe Biden’s tyranny is insane, forced vaccination will absolutely not end Covid just your freedoms! At some point if America decides to choose to stand up for Freedom again and they decide they want us to show up, like we have since day 1!! We will be there!! Meanwhile the medical industry will collapse and even more deaths will be blamed on Covid and people will believe what they are told. Good luck America! ?? we will not surrender our freedom for anything!!
I wish Dunleavy would fire Dr. Zink and hire someone who is willing to get in front of the pandemic by prescribing known Covid therapeutics early on in Covid diagnoses & thereby keeping Covid patients out of hospitals. Dr. Zink’s protocol of sending Covid positive patients home with a pat on the head and the advice of come to the Emergency Room when your lips turn blue is idiotic & probably criminal. The hospital crisis is entirely self inflicted & those responsible should be criminally prosecuted.
Just where are they finding these “hundreds” of health care workers anyways? Overseas perhaps? I thought there was a shortage of nurses and such everywhere in the US. Most won’t stay long I surmise. Winter coming, long cold dark days, they will eventually crack!
How much of the shortage is due to Providence and AK Regional no longer scheduling employees (docs, nurses, techs, and other staff) who refuse to vax? This is confirmed in NC & GA. Wonder how much of this is going on in AK? Cheers –
Governor Dunleavy is also quoted as saying “There’s definitely an emergency occurring in the hospitals.” He also said “The virus is real. It’s causing more infections. It’s causing more people to go to the hospitals. It’s causing more deaths,” “This is a fact.” and “Our capacity here in Alaska, as in other places, is actually shrinking at a time when this variant is growing and causing cases to go up,”
.
The External Affairs Director for the hospital in Soldotna said “We did cancel [surgeries] yesterday due to our patient census.” They also show that with 49 licensed beds they currently have 60 beds in use due to overflow. Out of the 21 covid patients 18 are unvaccinated or 86%. The 9 bed ICU is completely full and 5 of those patients are covid patients.
That 87 million should reduce the PFD amount.
Governor Dunleavy is among a handful of Leaders standing like shield restraining tyrannical colleagues from going completely nuclear on us. I am Thankful Governor Dunleavy is there. But GOP still needs two more like-minded gubernatorial candidates who’d continue restraining those leaders working toward increased control.
Seems to me the real meat in this declaration is the suspension of liability for hospitals that apply limited life saving resources to those who made the choice to protect themselves with a vaccination. As they should
I wasn’t going to mention that. I find it interesting that a provision to prioritize saving the vaccinated over the unvaccinated escaped notice here. So much for reading the fine print.
Yes indeed, fire nurses and other health care providers who won’t be vaccinated. Then spend taxpayer dollars to “fix” the staff shortage problem you created. The health care facilities learned well from our socialistIc government oligarchs.
I had an RN client who told me they were making busy work (finding projects to do) during the height of the “crisis” so they wouldn’t be laid off. Trust not what you hear when big money is involved. Verify.
Thank you, Communist China!
If the governor and the hospitals really care about people in this state they would be encouraging if not mandating the use of Ivermectin or HCQ both prophylactically and for treatment of the virus. It should be made available over the counter just like they did in Zimbabwe where they pretty much eradicated the virus in a short period of time. Ivermectin works, I know because I used it and it totally circumvented the nasty effects I was having from the virus. After the first dose, most all symptoms were gone and by the end of 5 days I was back to normal.
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