KANA Recieves Affordable Care Act Grant

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

The Kodiak Area Native Association just received a portion of a $5,500,000 million dollar grant that will be distributed to communities in Alaska. KANA makes health care available throughout the island, from medical care to early childhood programs, and its new grant of $325,000 falls under the Affordable Care Act.

Andy Teuber is KANA’s CEO and President and says the organization will receive the funds from the United States Department of Health and Human Services through its agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA.

“It’s intended to allow us to deliver services for some medical, dental and behavioral health services out of our new clinic and our existing clinic,” says Teuber. “And HERSA is the agency that’s intended to provide services and access to health care to those underinsured or uninsured, those who don’t have adequate resources of access to healthcare.”

Teuber says KANA conducted a community needs assessment in 2013.

“There were a number of needs that were revealed. The two top ones were access to affordable health care and access to behavioral health services. Through that community needs assessment, there was a determination made that there were a number of folks who were un-served or underserved in Kodiak,” says Teuber.

Part of the outreach KANA is trying to achieve through the HRSA grant is expanding its presence in the city of Kodiak.

“We’re in the finishing stage of completion of our Mill Bay Clinic. It’s Mill Bay and Benny Benson. And we’re very proud of how that project has come together,” says Teuber.

Teuber says that KANA will be opening the clinic’s doors in late August or early September.

According to a KANA press release, the Affordable Care Act has provided around $169 million dollars to various heath care sites throughout underserved communities in Alaska and the lower 48.

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