A member of the Killer Whale clan with Tsimshian and Athabaskan heritage, Charles Clement serves as CEO and president of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). Through this organization, Charles Clement helps improve overall health and access to health among communities in southeastern Alaska, including native peoples. One of the key SEARHC initiatives is the WISEWOMAN Women’s Health Program, which operates a mobile mammography clinic in partnership with the Breast Cancer Detection Center. The mobile van travels throughout the region to provide easy and convenient breast cancer screening to women. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Alaskan women and early detection can help save lives. In addition to mammography, the SEARHC mobile health center offers several other services, such as Pap tests and cardiovascular screenings. These services are available to women who meet predetermined income and insurance guidelines, as well as age requirements. More information, including a schedule of when the mobile clinic will be in certain towns, is available online at SEARHC.org.
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Alaska-based business executive Charles Clement received his bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Northern Arizona University. He started out as an account executive at Aetna US Healthcare in 1997, before becoming the chief operations officer of Southcentral Foundation in 1999. Charles Clement is currently the president and chief executive officer of SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). Established in 1975, SEARHC is a nonprofit health consortium of 18 Native communities of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to establish programs that will help provide the best health care services for the Native members of the local community. Programs include drives to increase the number of potential bone marrow donors who are of American Indian and Alaska Native descent. A recent drive, held on March 16 and 23 at the Ethel Lund Medical Center, hopes to add prospective donors to the Be The Match Registry, the world's largest marrow registry. SEARHC's Dr. Janice Sheufelt said in a statement that as much as 23 percent of Alaska Natives have no registry match, and she hopes that this drive will reduce that figure. Charles Clement has served as the CEO and president of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium since 2012. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Charles Clement is a member of numerous organizations, and a supporter of the Alaska Children’s Trust. The Alaska Children’s Trust (ACT) offers a variety of programs and services to Alaskan families, with the primary goal of preventing child neglect and abuse, and minimizing the strain it places on children, families, and communities as a whole. One such program is the Alaska Resilience Initiative. A collective of nonprofit, private, and government organizations, the Initiative promotes community empowerment and encourages education and discussion about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). By fostering community awareness, creating informed educational and family systems, and providing focused interventions, the Initiative works to reduce trauma and build resilience in public and private spheres. Research about, and the mapping of, ACEs in Alaska is ongoing, and a 2014 survey report by the Alaska Children’s Trust explored the public’s response to this specialized field. From these responses, goals were suggested and extrapolated, including the expansion of Medicaid, and improved funding for prevention and intervention programs. Information from resources like this survey have influenced the focus of ACT programs like the Alaska Resilience Initiative. As the president of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), Charles Clement helps Alaskan residents access quality medical care. Charles Clement keeps his finger on the pulse of Alaskan public health issues and is dedicated to improving care for everyone in his state. A review of Alaskan health issues conducted by Healthy Alaskans 2020 in conjunction with the state DHS resulted in a list of the state’s 25 biggest public health issues. Featuring many of the state’s traditional problems such as drug abuse, suicide, and abuse, the list gives a comprehensive picture of the medical and social issues facing Alaskan adults. After a thorough review of the list, health officials have devised a series of goals for the state. Focusing on progress that can realistically be made by the year 2020, the Alaskan government has identified two primary objectives. Firstly, the state seeks to reduce problems related to obesity by achieving a 2 percent decline in the number of obese and overweight Alaskans. Similarly, the state would like to increase the number of residents who report being physically active across the board. Secondly, Alaskan officials wish to diminish the rates of domestic violence in the state. Officials would like to see 11% or less of the population impacted by domestic violence or spousal abuse. Since 2012, Charles Clement has worked as chief executive officer and president of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, based out of Juneau, Alaska. In this position, he manages the $125 million health care operation and develops long- and short-term goals along with the 15-member board of directors. Heavily involved in numerous Alaska-based organizations, Charles Clement serves as a health director for the Alaska Native Health Board (ANHB).
Established in 1968, the ANHB serves as a statewide voice for health issues involving Alaska natives. It promotes the physical, social, cultural, mental, and spiritual welfare of Alaska native people. The ANHB also works closely with the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and advises the director of the Alaska Area Native Health Service. In September 2015, the ANHB published the findings of a state-funded behavioral health system assessment. The ANHB worked with the Department of Health and Social Services, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and the Mat-Su Health Foundation to determine the results. The comprehensive findings determined that the health system depends upon multiple sources of funding to provide offerings to a range of clients. In addition, the assessment found that the system is fragile but robust, and it must increase in capacity to serve the behavioral needs of Alaskans. |
AuthorCharles Clement holds an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from Northern Arizona University and completed a masters of public administration at the University of Alaska. He also attended Harvard Business School’s executive leadership program. Archives
January 2018
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