MAKing It: Health care rooted in ‘sustenance, social and spiritual well-being’

Presented by First National Bank Alaska

Every Monday at noon, a group of Alaska Native elders gather to enjoy lunch provided by Ninilchik Traditional Council.

Between 20 and 40 elders share a healthy meal with proteins such as moose, buffalo or cod; cooked and fresh vegetables; bread, fresh fruit, cheese and more. Elders connect with each other and can tap into other health care services, like clinical referrals, thanks to staff members on site who help elders get the care they need.

The weekly service is part of Ninilchik Traditional Council’s Elders Outreach Program and is just one of the many health services the organization provides to the Cook Inlet community.

“The elders’ luncheon helps to offer sustenance, social and spiritual well-being and a sense of connectedness that would otherwise not exist,” said Janet Mullen, Tribal health director at Ninilchik Traditional Council.

The Ninilchik Village Tribe is a federally recognized Tribe located in the southern part of the Kenai Peninsula. The Ninilchik Traditional Council provides health, education and social services to Tribal members and the broader community. The council’s services are crucial to Tribal beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries alike, ranging from basic clinical care and a popular health and fitness club to food programs and training for the Native Youth Olympic Games.

In all, the organization serves upward of 1,800 people in the region.

“It all ties back to health and wellness and the social well-being of our people,” said Ivan Encelewski, executive director at Ninilchik Traditional Council. “We want to do everything from providing health care to promoting a traditional way of life that helps the social well-being of our people. It’s all a holistic kind of approach.”

‘Rural health care that otherwise wouldn’t be available’

Ninilchik Traditional Council manages three health clinics, in Anchor Point, Ninilchik and Homer. Services include family practice, urgent care, primary care, women’s health and hormonal therapy; it also has a medically supported weight loss program and behavioral health services. The organization employs one of the few board-certified Addiction Medicine Specialists in the state of Alaska.

“We have dedicated providers that spend a lot of time with patients. It’s the kind of place where you’re going to have somebody that’s going to sit down with you, take the time to really hear you out,” said Encelewski.

Anyone in the community can access these services (non-Tribal members can use private insurance or Medicaid and Medicare).

“They provide rural health care that otherwise wouldn’t be available,” said Mike Frost, branch manager at First National Bank Alaska in Soldotna. “If you want to live in a community and have folks stick around, you need those services. Without it, a lot of people wouldn’t be able to live in that area.”

Ninilchik Traditional Council has banked with First National Bank Alaska for more than 30 years. The bank provides a full suite of services to the organization, said Frost: Direct deposit, positive pay, fraud services, repurchase agreements, merchant services, credit card services, escrow accounts and corporate credit cards.

First National’s Escrow Department Manager, Michelle Frain, has provided Ninilchik Traditional Council with escrow services for nearly a decade. With this service, the bank acts as a trusted, neutral third party for transactions and agreements such as owner-seller financed real estate transactions and the sale of business, car or equipment.

“We receive payments from their borrowers or renters, track and record those payments, and disburse as the council directs,” said Frain. “This enables them to focus time and energy on other aspects of their business and streamlines the flow of revenue generated.”

“First National has been our bank of record for decades and decades, since the inception of most of our programs and services,” said Encelewski. “They’re there to help you. It’s not just a business transaction.”

Working with Ninilchik Traditional Council is like “working with your neighbors,” said Frost. “That’s the beauty of community banking. Everybody is your friend and your neighbor.”

First National also shares Ninilchik Traditional Council’s values of uplifting others. Whether taking part in philanthropic events or providing donations, First National’s staff invest in Alaska.

“(The bank is) always at the forefront of the community,” said Encelewski.

Sharing traditional foods: ‘There’s a much bigger picture’

Beyond its weekly lunches, the council harvests and delivers traditional foods to elders. Staff members gather, clean and package the harvests, which are delivered as soon as possible on a seasonal basis.

Elders receive foods like moose, clams, mussels, herring and salmon eggs, spruce tips, rhubarb, wild beach greens and fiddlehead ferns, canned salmon and fireweed jelly.

“We like to get the food out to our eldest elders first and those who may be sick or needing it for their spirit and then go down our list,” Mullen said. “It is important to get these foods out so elders can enjoy the bounties, fresh and seasonally.”

The organization also secured a two-year USDA grant to buy food from local agriculturists and vendors growing and producing food in Alaska, which is passed out and given to Tribal elders, Tribal members, veterans and community members who need food assistance.

“The grant has the ability to help promote Alaska grown foods to our Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and to the community as a whole,” said Mullen.

Younger generations of Tribal members are taught subsistence practices of harvesting moose, smoking and canning fish and processing food.

“I mean, it’s all for health … But there’s a much bigger picture for the Tribe. It provides social well-being,” said Greg Encelewski, president of the board of directors with Ninilchik Traditional Council.

‘A unique and special sport’

One of its largest programs for youth is year-round Native Youth Olympic Games training.

“Native Youth Olympics is a fun, powerful, and impactful way for youth to learn about their ancestry and culture,” said Mullen.

Youth are split into two groups: Juniors, who are K-6 grade and Seniors, grades 7-12. Each group practices twice a week at Ninilchik School.

For Juniors, practice begins with a talking circle and a prompt followed by a game. Seniors normally start with a warmup and kick off.

Similar to the talking circles, “it provides everyone with opportunities to share their experiences and connect as a team,” said Mullen.

The program continues to grow. Last year, 58 youth participated, which represents half the population of Ninilchik’s K-12 school.

“Native Youth Olympics is a unique and special sport where sportsmanship takes precedence over accomplishments, respect overrules emotion, and honor triumphs over one’s personal ambitions,” said Mullen. “We are fostering selfless leaders who are physically active and healthy while building the social and problem-solving skills needed to collaborate in an ever-evolving society.”

At the annual games, youth are “around their peers from all across Alaska and share experiences and stories with one another. It allows them to teach each other new things and share in each other’s traditions,” said Mullen.

First National has also sponsored the NYO Games for several years by donating to Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s Education Innovation Fund which supports in-school services, youth internships, Fab Lab and the NYO Games. “The games are a perfect fit for the bank’s longstanding focus on youth and education,” said First National Vice President Natasha Pope.

‘A big hit’

One of the Ninilchik Traditional Council’s popular services is a health and wellness club.

“The health club is a big hit in the community. It keeps people healthy, socially and mentally fit, and it really is first class,” said Greg Encelewski.

Everyone in the community can access the full-service gym, which has exercise equipment and yoga and boot camp classes. Physical therapists and a personal trainer also work at the club.

The health club started 20 years ago when the council received a federal grant to combat diabetes. At first, the local fairgrounds housed its workout equipment. Then, the council purchased a partially finished dental office.

“In just the last two years, we doubled in size,” said Ivan Encelewski. The council added a large yoga room and a large area for free weights.

Whether through its medical clinics, food services or youth programs, Ninilchik Traditional Council is crucial for Tribal members and the community. “It’s more remote than a lot of places, and they’re able to meet the needs of their customers and community,” said First National Branch Manager Frost.

“It all goes back to the mission to support our people,” said Ivan Encelewski. “We want a healthy people. We want to thrive, not just survive.”

First National Bank Alaska has been Alaska’s community bank since 1922. We’re proud to help Alaskans shape a brighter tomorrow by investing in your success as you take the leaps of faith, large and small, that enrich communities across the state.

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This article was produced by the sponsored content department of Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with First National Bank Alaska. The ADN newsroom was not involved in its production.