New Foundation Has The Opportunity
To Make Mat-Su
a Healthier Place to Live
By Clyde Boyer
This week, in this newspaper, you are likely to read about some of the growing problems that have come with growth in the Valley. Methamphetamine manufacturing and use is on the rise. Alaska has one of the highest alcohol abuse rates in the country. School children, and their parents, are making poor choices in diet and lifestyle that result in obesity, diabetes and other health issues at young ages. These are some of the realities of growth and development in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. But there are some positives that come with growth, too.
The opening of the new Mat-Su Regional Hospital also signaled emergence of another organization dedicated to improving the health of our community – the Mat-Su Health Foundation. The mission of the Mat-Su Health Foundation is improving the health of Alaskans living throughout the entire Mat-Su borough. This is great news, as this Foundation will provide targeted funding to support programs that address chronic health-related problems. In 2006, we are focusing on children’s health, working to combat alcohol and drug abuse, increasing health knowledge and screening of Mat-Su residents. The Foundation also offers scholarships to Mat-Su students pursuing health- careers. The Foundation also invites non-profit Mat-Su agencies providing health-based services to apply for grants. We are interested in supporting the health-based initiatives of organizations working to benefit Mat-Su residents. Our intent is to develop partnerships with these groups in order to make a real impact on health and quality of life in the Valley.
The Mat-Su Health Foundation represents a new focus in purpose and operations distinct from its predecessor, Valley Hospital Association. While we retain a joint-venture ownership interest in the new hospital and receive a percentage of hospital revenues to drive the Foundation’s operations, we are no longer involved in daily hospital management. The administration of the new Mat-Su Regional Hospital has that direct responsibility. The new hospital has its own management team and Joint Venture Board of Directors largely comprised of Mat-Su residents. We are confident they will do a great job of making first-rate primary health care available. The Mat-Su Health Foundation/Valley Hospital Association retains a hospital oversight role ensuring additional community input.
Given the basic change in joint-venture ownership of the new hospital, the Mat-Su Health Foundation is able to address a much broader range of health based problems impacting the Mat-Su population. That doesn’t mean that you, the residents of the Mat-Su Valley, won’t have a critical role in this new Foundation. Our board is made up of a broad representation of the community, including health care providers, business representatives, non-profit leadership and other knowledgeable members of the general public. We are instituting three Citizen Advisory Boards, one each for the upper Susitna Valley, the Central Mat-Su area, and Eastern Mat-Su. The Foundation staff and board will rely upon these advisory boards for advice on issues that should be addressed and community initiatives worth supporting.
I invite you to attend the citizen advisory board meetings that will begin operation in May. The Foundation will announce initial meetings shortly. If you have questions about the Mat-Su Health Foundation and its objectives, I encourage you to learn more about this process online at www.matsuhealthfoundation.org or call us at 907-352-2863.
I ask you to put your faith in this new Foundation. I am confident good decisions will be made to benefit the entire community. As our new Foundation moves forward in its task, we expect the quality of life and health of Alaskans to noticeably improve in the Valley in the years to come. Meth labs won’t be something we have to worry about next door, and our children will grow up to be happy, healthy and productive adults. I look forward to the day when you can open this newspaper, and have to hunt to find the bad news amidst the positive stories.
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