health

College revives Certified Nursing Assistant program

Kenai Peninsula College is once again offering Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) classes after struggling to meet the state’s Board of Nurses requirements for instructors. The… Continue reading

Student nurse Jana Cooper gives a flu shot through the window of a truck during Central Peninsula Hospital’s annual free drive-through flu vaccine clinic on Wednesday in Soldotna. Normally held in the Central Peninsula Hospital parking lot, this year’s event was down the street at Soldotna’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, due to paving work in the hospital lot. In past years, student nurses have given over 400 shots at the clinic, and this year’s turnout seemed similarly large. Before the event began at 3 p.m, cars were lined up down the block as far as Rockwell Lane. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Vaccination drive-thru

Student nurse Jana Cooper gives a flu shot through the window of a truck during Central Peninsula Hospital’s annual free drive-through flu vaccine clinic on… Continue reading

Student nurse Jana Cooper gives a flu shot through the window of a truck during Central Peninsula Hospital’s annual free drive-through flu vaccine clinic on Wednesday in Soldotna. Normally held in the Central Peninsula Hospital parking lot, this year’s event was down the street at Soldotna’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, due to paving work in the hospital lot. In past years, student nurses have given over 400 shots at the clinic, and this year’s turnout seemed similarly large. Before the event began at 3 p.m, cars were lined up down the block as far as Rockwell Lane. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
Students from across the district participate in games during a Sources of Strength training program at Soldotna Prep School in Soldotna, Alaska on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. Games, lessons and discussions are combined by Sources of Strength, a Colorado-based youth suicide prevention project, to harness the power of peer social networks. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Program aims to help students prevent suicide

In the center of the Soldotna Prep School’s library, two students battled it out in a game of rock-paper-scissors while their peers chanted their names… Continue reading

Students from across the district participate in games during a Sources of Strength training program at Soldotna Prep School in Soldotna, Alaska on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. Games, lessons and discussions are combined by Sources of Strength, a Colorado-based youth suicide prevention project, to harness the power of peer social networks. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Flu tops murder for cause of death in Alaska in 2016

Flu and pneumonia killed more Alaskans in 2016 than assault or homicide, according to new statistics from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.… Continue reading

Grant helps continue suicide conversation in schools

The conversation about suicide on the Kenai Peninsula continues on into the classroom, with support from the GCI Suicide Prevention Grant. Last year, the Kenai… Continue reading

A participant in Sunday’s Out of the Darkness Kenai Walk adorned a bib saying who she was walking for — Mason Vig and too many students. The walk started at the Kenaitze Fishery Site in Kenai, Alaska and continued down the beach for one mile. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Community walks ‘Out of the Darkness’ for suicide awareness

Suicide rates in Alaska are at a 20-year high and it is the leading cause of death among Alaskans age 10 to 34, according to… Continue reading

A participant in Sunday’s Out of the Darkness Kenai Walk adorned a bib saying who she was walking for — Mason Vig and too many students. The walk started at the Kenaitze Fishery Site in Kenai, Alaska and continued down the beach for one mile. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Tribe bringing awareness to suicide in community

In 2015, the State of Alaska’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 44.2 percent of Alaska Native youth felt so sad or hopeless every day… Continue reading

Rare disease sufferer to hold awareness event

If you’ve never heard of stiff person syndrome, you’re far from alone. The neurological disorder — characterized by progressively stiffening muscles and intermittent, painful spasms… Continue reading