TRIP TO ATQUSAK, FRIDAY OCT 19

Alaska Day was a perfect day for resting, reflecting on my first week here and reconnecting via the internet…a long and lovely day.  On Friday morning, the temperature had dropped to 14 degrees, but it felt warmer walking to work than it had when it was 20 degrees with the strong winds blowing.  I’m loving the feel of the cold and usually it doesn’t penetrate the layers I’m wearing, only giving me rosy cheeks, illusive for me in Washington, a perpetual smile and a sense of adventure.  I find myself feeling like I did growing up…that snug and happy feeling, walking along drinking in the cold and dark, somehow made to feel festive by the street lights along the road.  I loved growing up in Fairbanks and it is the most wonderful feeling to be reliving many of the memories from that time.  I’m being told that we’re having an unusually warm fall so I imagine, as much as I’m enjoying being here, that I’ll love my breaks, leaving the cold for at least 10 days at a time several times a year. 

The morning at work found me helping to gather supplies for the day’s trip to the small village of Atqusak.  A box containing brochures, condoms and toys was mailed ahead of us to the clinic there to be picked up when we arrived.  I’d be flying there with 17 other people, representing Public Health Nursing along with the PHN Coordinator, Darlene, at a health fair to be held at the local elementary school. 

Atqusak is located 60 miles southwest of Barrow on the north-flowing Meade River where approximately 250 people live.  The surrounding area has a long history of fishing and hunting along the Chipp and Ikpikppuk Rivers as well as the Meade.  Subsistence living provides caribou meat, grayling, lingcod and several other varieties of white fish.  Many of the villagers travel to  Barrow to hunt whale, seal and walrus.

Reading about Atqusak in the local telephone directory (2011) was interesting:

“In addition to biological resources, Atqasuk is the location of a coal mine that produced and freighted this fuel to Barrow during the 1940’s.  Natural outcroppings of coal had been used for centuries by the Inupiat family groups along the Meade River, but the growth of Barrow created a commercial market for the resource.  The small community was called Meade River Village at that time, however the population dwindled rapidly with the discovery and distribution of natural gas to Barrow in the 1960’s.  The establishment of regional autonomy through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the formation of the North Slope Borough enabled former ‘Mead River families’ to reestablish the village in the 1970’s under the present name, Atqusak.”

I enjoyed meeting other members of our group at the airport.  They included a doctor’s wife who works for an organization that provides books for children under five years old.  She asked if I would be willing to help her to get books and a DVD about the importance of early interaction between parents and children related to brain development to the villages I’ll be serving.  I was fascinated by her work and said that I’d be happy to talk with Darlene with the hopes of helping to do this. 

Other’s represented the Senior Center, the Veterans Administration, Diabetes Prevention, counselors regarding bullying and suicide prevention, WIC, AWIC, Human Resources, screening for colon cancer, the Veterinarian, the Fire Department, the Dental Clinic and others. 

I was intrigued talking with a woman who heads up ILP (Infant Learning Program).  Bertrand mentioned her and the work she does last week, talking about noticing what could be a developmental delay in an infant, and referring the child to her.  Her parents are now receiving the support and education they need.  She said that she often puts on programs about signs to watch for that might indicate developmental deficits or delays.  These will be valuable for me to attend as I’ll be assessing children at 2 months, 4 months, and 12 months initially and then between 4-6, 11-12 and at 16 years. 

We boarded an 18 seat airplane, a Beachcraft 1900.  I was the last to walk up the stairs and find a seat.  The other passengers were laughing and letting me know they had been generous and had left one of the two “first class” ones open…lots of leg room and a good view of the cockpit, but no window.  As we were taking off, all I could think was, “I’m right where I belong…I love this,” and of course, “WHOO HOOO!”  I also thought of my father and of my nephew, Michael, who turns 15 soon and is well on his way towards receiving his private pilot’s license.  I’ll be letting him know what sorts of planes I fly in, mostly 4 seaters to the villages when I travel there with one other public health nurse or alone.  Michael plans to solo on his 16^th birthday in just a year.  I had wanted to become a flight nurse after graduating, but with new grad jobs scarce in Washington, it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.  To become a flight nurse, one must take many certifications and work in ICU for at least five years.  I took three of the certifications, but the doors to working in an ICU in a hospital were all closed tightly to me.  This job here is providing a perfect combination of the things I was looking for as a new nurse.  I couldn’t be happier. 

We were greeted after our 14 minute flight by several people in trucks who took us and our bags to the elementary school.  We were told that we’d be spending the night there if the weather prevented a return trip, so bags and back packs of overnight items surrounded the perimeter of the gym/cafeteria where we set up tables for our various displays. 

Many adults and children visited each of our tables, taking information and signing up for various programs.  Darlene required people to ask her a question about health before stamping their cards for the door prize or handing out toys to the children.  She said that it showed her areas where more education is needed and helped to engage them in learning more. 

I was nearby taking blood pressures and determining people’s BMI (body mass index: the proportion of height to weight) and giving education about both.  I was impressed that out of the 51 blood pressures I took, only three people exhibited prehypertension and there were no cases of hypertension.  About a third of the people who came to my table had BMI’s over a recommended value of 25, so trying to tactfully educate about diet and exercise was part of my mission.  It was refreshing to talk with people who were on a self-directed path to bring down their weight and some who had successfully lost quite a bit.  Another man had quit smoking with the help of his wife who encouraged him and eliminated expenses related to tobacco, cigars and snuff from the budget.  He seemed very happy for her help in giving up all three habits.  Nice to know that there’s a high probability that they’ll be in each other’s lives for a longer period of time thanks to their joint efforts.

A woman explained to me that she was having trouble waking up in the morning and that her extremities were hurting and had turned slightly purple.  I asked and learned that she has diabetes, but does not test her blood sugar, so encouraged her to follow up with Darlene and visits to Barrow to get it under control.  One woman arrived late, explaining that she’d been out ice fishing all afternoon and had returned with six large graylings that she would be sharing with family and friends.  I’ll be applying for a fishing license and hope to be invited on some trips outside of Barrow. 

It was rewarding being a part of the health fair…I enjoyed interacting with the people who came by my table as well as the comradery that existed between all of the presenters.  After breaking down our displays, we had a 40 minute wait for the plane from Barrow to pick us up, so Darlene and I played one-on-one basketball for about 30 minutes…very fun = ).

On the return flight to Barrow, I let someone else enjoy the first class seat I’d had on the trip to Atqusak.  I could see lights on the snow covered tundra below and later learned that they were caribou hunters and people fishing the rivers.  A great way to end the second week of life as a public health nurse here…I’m very grateful.