Alaskans Are Living Longer

Courtesy of Ron Niebrugge.

Most Alaskans have added an additional three years to their lifespan, and are expected to reach nearly 78 years of age -that was the finding released Wednesday by the State of Alaska Department of Epidemiology. Alaska Native and American Indian statistics tell a different story, their life expectancy only increased 1.7 years, to just under 70 years old.

According to the State, cancer and heart disease had the largest effect on life expectancy in non-Alaska Native people, and unintentional injuries and cancer had the largest effect on the life expectancy of Alaska Natives.

Unintentional injury, heart disease, and suicide had the largest effect on the gap between the two populations – a gap that has increased since 1990.

At Wednesday’s Soldotna City Council Meeting,  Audre Gifford, Yinihugheltani – “one’s spirit” Project Coordinator, for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe testified that Alaska is currently experiencing the highest rates of suicide in 20 years. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Alaskans ages 10-34. 

Audre Gifford: “The primary means of suicide in Alaska is guns. That’s one of the reasons why we hand out free gun locks and we pass out fliers to gun retailers to help them spot clientele that may be coming in to purchase a gun that are having thoughts of suicide.”

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) has several programs and activities focused on accomplishing this goal, including an Injury Prevention Program and statewide suicide prevention activities.

Efforts aimed at reducing cancer and heart disease mortality among all Alaskans could close the gap between Alaska residents and U.S. Whites. The State of Alaska has a Comprehensive Cancer Control Program  and other programs aimed at reducing chronic diseases. These programs are designed to help all Alaskans in leading longer, more healthy lives.

At the August 9th Soldotna City Council meeting, Mayor Pete Sprague proclaimed September 10, 2017 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Day, encouraging citizens to learn the warning signs of suicide, to help their friends and family that may be showing signs of distress, and help support those in the community whose lives have been touched by suicide.

The Yinihugheltani Suicide Prevention Program’s next community event is the Out of the Darkness Kenai Beach Walk on September 10, 2017. For more information, contact Audre Gifford at agifford@kenaitze.org or 907-335-7335.