Part of this journey is learning about new things from a different culture. Something that I have never heard of is the Nuka Healthcare Model. The Nuka Healthcare Model is quite different than what were
used to here in Illinois, actually all over the United States in the health
care delivery system. The area that we will be visiting doesn’t use the Nuka
Healthcare Model yet but we still needed to be informed of what it encompasses.
The model was founded by Alaska’s South Central Foundation for the Alaskan
Native Culture. This model is different in the aspect that the patient or what
they call the customer-owner is in control at all levels of the system. Their goal
was to take over their own health care and change how things were being done.
They wanted to rely on their values and wisdom from their elders but still keep
the best of modern medicine. Their mission was “working together with
the Native community to achieve wellness through health and related services”. Their vision was the “Native community that
enjoys physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness”. (CFHI, 2011). They
have a variety of health services that include women’s health, pediatrics,
dental, family, primary, optometry, residential, elders, family wellness,
outpatient, massage, chiropractor, behavioral, and acupuncture care.
Some key points within this health care model are based on the
patient and family working together. “Shared responsibility is the
individual, the family and the community. Strive to honor the dignity of every individual.
We see the journey to wellness being traveled in shared responsibility and
partnership with those for whom we provide services. Commitment to quality we
strive to provide the best services for the native community. We employ fully
qualified staff in all positions and we commit ourselves to recruiting and
training native staff to meet the need. We structure our organization to
optimize the skills and contribution of the staff. Family wellness we
value the family as the heart of the native community. We work to promote
wellness that goes beyond absence of illness and prevention of disease. We
encourage physical, mental, social, spiritual and economic wellness in the
individual, the family, the community, and the world in which we live”. (CFHI,
2011). The health care model is designed around the individual, what they need
and what they want. The model is to make good health outcomes, good decisions,
good medicine, overall good healthcare. Nuka
framework is to provide care with the patient NOT for the patient and “the aim is
a Native Community that is renowned for being healthy". (Gottlieb, 2013).
This is just a little bit about the Nuka healthcare model
and what I found interesting. It is different from what I am used but sounds
like it is very effective and needs to be implemented more.
References
Canadian Healthcare Foundation Improvement. Southcentral
Foundation's Nuka Model of Care. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLnZ3_AccoU
Gottlieb, K. (2013). The Nuka System of Care: improving
health through ownership and relationships. International Journal of
Circumpolar Health, 72, 10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21118. http://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21118.
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752290/
