Wednesday, December 7, 2022
12/7/2022
The purpose of this project is to assure that all households in which access to nutritious, healthy food has been restricted because of Covid-19 have access to food and medicines necessary to maintain their health through the duration of this pandemic. These households include ones in which a member has been quarantined or has one or more risk factors making them more likely to contract a severe case of the virus if exposed. Many of these conditions disproportionately affect Chickaloon Native Village Tribal citizens, other Alaska Native and American Indian peoples including COPD, asthma, severe obesity, diabetes, stroke history, and liver diseases. They also tend to be disproportionately represented in counts of social determinants of health known to increase risk including age, poverty/low income, low health literacy, homelessness and unhealthy behaviors like smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, and drug use. The Chickaloon Native Village service area is a vast, rugged, mountainous terrain along a 70 mile stretch of the only highway connection between Anchorage and the continental U.S. Other than the state maintained two-lane highway, most other roads in the area are gravel and nearly impassable during certain times of the year. Transportation options are severely limited for many elderly community members and under resourced families resulting in challenges obtaining groceries, accessing healthcare, and proper medications. When weather permits, residents needing groceries or medications must make a 30? 90 minute ,one-way, drive to the nearest supermarkets and/or drug stores. The remote location and low-density population of the Tribe's service area makes use of delivery services provided by stores infeasible or financially prohibitive respectively. For many, the only options to obtain food and medication is the mail system which is costly, slow and not always able to deliver packages to people off the main highway. To assure acces s to essential nutritious food and medicine, Chickaloon Native Village will purchase a small all-wheel-drive delivery van to pick up and deliver these essentials, utilizing zero-contact measures, to households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Households will be selected based on the severity of their risk and lack of viable alternatives. It is expected that orders for 50 plus households will be supported weekly throughout the duration of the pandemic. Chickaloon Village's Health & Social Services Department (CVH&SS) staff will work with the Transportation Department to provide vehicle maintenance on the newly purchased van. In addition CVH&SS staff will coordinate the logistics of this project including the outreach, screening and enrollment process, shopping, and distribution of foods. medical supplies and pharmacy orders. Orders will be filled through our existing relationships with local stores, pharmacies and deliveries will be made by existing staff. Finally, Health Department staff will assist households to obtain any income support, rental and food assistance they are eligible to receive. The outcome expected for this project is that at least 100 households affected by the COVID-19 will have access to nutritious food and medicine throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
