Nay'dini'aa Na' Kayax' (Chickaloon Native Village)

Ugheli dzaen,

We have our language class open to fall 2020!!! Please register at UA online https://www.alaska.edu/uaonline/ and register with the numbers on the flyer below.  If you do not have a UA online number you can register with our non-degree seeking form and email to the register at kpc.registration@alaska.edu. Also below is a non-degree seeking and registration form if you do not wish to register for a degree and just want to take the class.  Please look to your village and corporation for funding as the class is a 4 credit class.

Sii’yiits’de’ nanohl’yiił

Chickaloon Village Traditional Council (CVTC)’s Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Update Effective 05/15/2020

While some businesses are beginning to reopen across the state on a restricted basis, with our close proximity to Anchorage and commuters traveling between communities, our community has a potential increased risk of exposure. For the protection of our Elders and medically fragile community members, CVTC is taking a conservative “wait and see” approach to determine if cases remain low with restrictions easing; therefore, CVTC offices will remain closed until further notice. There is usually one staff member working in our Administrative Office answering phones. Staff are still working from home, and reachable via email if you require assistance.

CVTC has suspended the Thursday Elders’ Lunch Gathering through the month of May, but possibly further into the summer as well.

CVTC will still be providing home-delivered meals to Elders in their home every two weeks using “zero contact procedures.”

CVTC encourages sick staff members to stay home:

• Staff members who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Staff members should notify their supervisor by phone or text, and stay home if they are sick.
• We will not require a healthcare provider’s note for staff members who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.

CVTC reminds staff members to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds frequently. Antibacterial hand sanitizer is to be used at the discretion of the staff member.

Staff members should always cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available).

Masks should be worn by CVTC staff members while in the course of duties requiring contact with the public.

CVTC reminds staff members to perform routine environmental cleaning including:

• Routinely cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, keyboards, countertops, and doorknobs.
• Routine cleaning of vehicles should be performed.
• Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.

CVTC advises to reduce non-emergent travel at this time until further notice. We further advise staff members to:

Additional Measures in Response to Currently Occurring Sporadic Importations of the COVID-19:

• Staff Members who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.
• If a staff member is confirmed to have COVID-19, CVTC Administration will inform fellow staff members of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Staff members exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

If you have any additional questions, please call Brandy O’Malley or Lisa Wade at 745-0749.

CDC GUIDANCE – ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• COVID-19 Website
• What You Need to Know About COVID-19pdf icon
• What to Do If You Are Sick With COVID-19pdf icon
• Interim US Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Persons with Potential Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Exposure in Travel-associated or Community Settings
• Health Alert Network
• Travelers’ Health Website
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Small Business International Travel Resource Travel Plannerpdf icon

Tsin’aen (Thank you),

RE: UPDATE – Chickaloon Village Traditional Council COVID-19 Response- Action Plan Extended Until April 30^th

Ugheli Dzaen (Good Day),

Chickaloon Village Traditional Council greatly appreciates all the effort put forth by our Staff to do their part as individuals and collectively help combat this pandemic.  It is our intention to support each of our Staff and their families through this by staying safe & healthy.  In response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak CVTC has decided to continue implementing mitigation strategies as recommended by the CDC and limiting non-essential services. These strategies extend the following action plan through April 30, 2020:

1. All CVTC offices will remain closed to the public.
2. Only essential emergent functions will be performed onsite during this time.
3. We are requesting all staff to work from home if at all possible.
4. Staff should not come to any CVTC office if you are sick or have family/household members who are sick, until fully recovered.
5. Staff members who have “self-identified” that they are at higher risk, including staff older than 60, staff who have severe chronic medical conditions, are pregnant or have compromised immunity, should plan to work from home for the full extent of CVTC’s office closure.
6. KEEP in touch! We will be providing status updates for CVTC regularly via email, Facebook, and on the Chickaloon website (www.chickaloon-nsn.gov) whenever possible.
7. If you need assistance, please let me know. We will do whatever we can to assist you and your families.

The goals for using mitigation strategies in are to slow the transmission of disease and in particular to protect individuals at increased risk for severe illness, including Elders and persons of any age with underlying health conditions, and the healthcare and critical infrastructure workforces.

We do have staff who are able, working from home and will be checking e-mails; however, you may not get an immediate response. We appreciate your patience during this challenging time. Stay safe and for more information please rely on credible sources like:

Centers for Disease Control – https://www.cdc.gov/

World Health Organization International – https://www.who.int/

Information directly from https://pfd.alaska.gov/

PFD FILING DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 30, 2020

We anticipate the signing of SB 241 in the very near future.  SB 241 will extend the PFD filing season until April 30, 2020.  Please know that all of the PFD public spaces are no longer open to the public, but that there are numerous alternatives for filing.  In Juneau, we have made applications, business cards, envelopes and an application drop box available on the 8th floor public atrium of the State Office Building.  At our Anchorage and Fairbanks office locations, applications, envelopes and an application drop box is also available in the lobby area.

The easiest way to file an application is to apply online.  You will only be required to answer questions that are necessary and you get an immediate confirmation number when you submit it.  Eligible online applications that select direct deposit as their payment method will be paid in the FIRST October payment, October 1, 2020.

The 2020 PFD paper application is now available to print from the FORMS tab on our website for those who are unable to file online.  Mailed in 2020 PFD applications MUST be postmarked by April 30th in order to be considered timely.  REMINDER:  Eligible paper applications will be paid in the SECOND October payment, October 22, 2020.

**Supplemental documentation, which includes signature pages, is not required by April 30th.  You can mail or fax most supplemental documentation in or wait to be contacted**

The 2020 Census is for EVERYONE to be counted. 

The 2020 Census is happening now. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. You do not need to have a face-to-face interview.

You will initially receive a letter inviting you to complete the census. If you want to complete a paper version, one will be mailed to the households that do not complete the online form. Once you receive the census packet in the mail, return to the address on the packet.

To complete online click this link TAKE THE CENSUS

Please note that if you are responding online, you must complete the census in one sitting, as you don’t have the ability to save your progress.

See the questions the census asks here.  

By Phone: English: 844-330-2020

For information on services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: Call the TDD number at 844-467-2020.

The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade. Whether it is the school lunches or plans for highways or support for firefighters and families in need, the Census results affect your community every day.

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Chickaloon Village Traditional Council is implementing mitigation strategies as recommended by the CDC and limiting non-essential services until March 31^st.

The goals for using mitigation strategies in are to slow the transmission of disease and in particular to protect individuals at increased risk for severe illness, including Elders and persons of any age with underlying health conditions, and the healthcare and critical infrastructure workforces.

We do have staff who are able working from home and will be checking e-mails; however, you may not get an immediate response. We appreciate your patience during this challenging time. Stay safe and for more information please rely on credible sources like:

Centers for Disease Control – https://www.cdc.gov/

World Health Organization International – https://www.who.int/

If you know of someone needing a newsletter mailed to them, please contact Shelia Olson, skolson@chickaloon-nsn.gov with name and address

Monday: LifeHouse Clinic, Valley Native Primary Care Center, and provided for Elders needing assistance with shopping, local resource access.

Tuesday: LifeHouse Clinic, Valley Native Primary Care Center, Alaska Native Medical Center (Anchorage), Southcentral Foundation (Anchorage), and Valley Native Primary Care Elder Wellness

Wednesday: LifeHouse Clinic, Valley Native Primary Care Center, Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage

Thursday: LifeHouse Clinic and Elders’ Lunch Program

Friday: Lifehouse Clinic and Elder Activities (please contact HSS Department for a list of upcoming activities)

Please contact 907-745-0704 to schedule a ride. Please provide a 48-hour notice when requesting a ride.

We do our best to take every transport request; however, Anchorage transports are based upon driver availability.

Our service area includes the communities of Glacier View, Chickaloon, Sutton, as far as Palmer to Seward Meridian and the Butte.

On March 4, 2020, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced the eight communities – Addison, Illinois; Alamosa County, Colorado; Chickaloon Native Village, Alaska; Douglas County, Kansas; Drew, Mississippi; National City, California; Tulsa County, Oklahoma; Worcester, Massachusetts – chosen as finalists for the 2020 RWJF Culture of Health Prize. The Prizehonors communities working at the forefront of advancing health, opportunity, and equity for all.

To earn Prize finalist status, communities had to demonstrate how their efforts reflect the six Prize criteria:

· Defining health in the broadest possible terms.

· Committing to sustainable systems changes and policy-oriented long-term solutions.

· Creating conditions that give everyone a fair and just opportunity to reach their best possible health.

· Harnessing the collective power of leaders, partners, and community members.

· Securing and making the most of available resources.

· Measuring and sharing progress and results.

This spring, each finalist community will host a site visit for representatives from the Prize program and the 2020 Prize winners will be announced this fall. The winners will receive a prize and opportunities to share their story and lessons learned with the country. Learn more about the previous 44 Prize winners at www.rwjf.org/prize. The RWJF Culture of Health Prize is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.