To promote the health and wellbeing of our community

Contact Information: (907) 486-7396 or prevention@kodiakhealthcare.org 

KANA’s Prevention Department builds a foundation for a healthy future by addressing the psychosocial factors that contribute to negative health behaviors. We provide education, outreach, and tools that support healthy lifestyle choices for residents in Kodiak and the surrounding villages. Our department focuses on addressing mental health, suicide, and substance use in several key ways. Through our programs, we empower individuals to make healthy choices, teach life skills and coping strategies, and promote connectedness and family engagement. In addition, our staff offers trainings to groups/organizations, as well as the general public, on request. By equipping our community members with effective tools, we can lay a foundation for healthy future generations.

KANA Prevention provides a variety of different trainings and can give presentations on many topics on request. Funded primarily through Federal grant programs, these trainings are usually available to anyone in the Kodiak region and have zero cost for participants.

Trainings include:

Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA)

Adult MHFA teaches individuals how to recognize and effectively respond to warning signs that a coworker, friend, family member, or other adult in your life may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. This course is approximately 8 hours long and can be taught in several formats including completely in-person over one or two days, completely over Zoom, or in a hybrid format that combines a few hours of online pre-learning and a shorter in-person segment.
Minimum class size is five.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)

primarily for adults who interact with children, teens, or young adults on a regular basis, the Youth model of Mental Health First Aid helps to tell the difference between “normal teenage” behavior and when a young person is struggling, how to respond in a supportive and compassionate way, and how to connect that young person with resources to help. This course is approximately 7 hours long and can be taught in several formats including completely in-person over one or two days, completely over Zoom, or in a hybrid format that combines a few hours of online pre-learning and a shorter in-person segment.
Minimum class size is five.

Question. Persuade. Refer. (QPR)

QPR is a program specific to addressing the topic of suicide and is available for anyone. Learn the risk factors and “red flags” associated with suicidal thoughts and how to respond. By asking about suicidal intent (Question), working with people to understand the importance of getting help (Persuade), and knowing where and how to connect people with resources (Refer), anyone can help save a life. QPR is a 60-90 minute class.
Minimum class size is three.

General Presentations

KANA Prevention staff are also able to provide presentations on a wide array of topics related to well-being. This may include presentations on specific substances/drugs, suicide, anxiety, depression, self-care, building resiliency, and more.

In addition to its educational components, KANA Prevention also hosts a wide array of activities throughout the year in collaboration with many community partners. Examples of these include:

Explore the Rock

A summer hiking/nature walk program for school-aged students on the Kodiak Road System. Explore the Rock typically begins in early June and runs through mid-August with a “low intensity” and a “high intensity” day each week. This drop-in, drop-out program sees staff chaperoning youth on hikes and natures walks across many of the local trails. In the past, Explore the Rock’s high intensity participants have hiked Barometer, Termination Point, Pillar Mountain, and others, while the low intensity walks have included Fort Abercrombie, Rotary Park on Near Island, and Boy Scout Lake.

Cultural Workshops

KANA Prevention recognizes that cultural identity is a major protective factor for individuals who are facing challenges. To support this, our staff work with numerous community partners throughout the Kodiak region to support a wide array of cultural workshops for youth, adults, Elders, and families. Examples include skin sewing, beading, petroglyph carving, harvesting/gathering and food preservation, and more.

Kodiak Native Youth Council (KNYC)

KANA Prevention, in collaboration with KANA Workforce Development, have come together to establish the KNYC for students in middle and high school. While participating in the KNYC, students have opportunities to form their own bylaws, elect officers, and plan/organize/host events and activities with support from adult staff members.