Southcentral Foundation’s Nuka Health podcast offers insights into how SCF built its Nuka System of Care in collaboration with the Alaska Native community, and how it maintains the system with the community’s support. Each episode will give an in-depth look at different aspects of Nuka, with commentary from the people who helped build the system and keep it operating to a high standard of quality today. We hope you will appreciate the insight into the inner workings of a system that has been nationally and internationally recognized for providing high-quality health care.
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Read below for more information about the episodes.
Season 1
| Episodes | Description |
| Episode 1. Owning Our Health Care System | This episode takes an in-depth look at the history of health care for Alaska Native people, how SCF worked with the Native community to transform the system, and how the system is maintained with the support of the community. |
| Episode 2. Philosophy to Action | This episode discusses Southcentral Foundation’s Integrated Care Teams, and how those teams work with customer-owners in shared responsibility to support them in achieving wellness. |
| Episode 3. Behavioral Health Everywhere | This episode goes over behavioral health at Southcentral Foundation, including its history at SCF and how behavioral services are currently provided. It also details SCF’s system of integrated behavioral health, where Behavioral Health Consultants offer services in SCF’s primary care clinics. |
| Episode 4. Strategic Planning for Sustainable Improvement | This episode discusses SCF’s approach to improvement and strategic planning. It covers how and why SCF uses the Baldrige framework for improvement, how SCF determines budgeting, and how every part of SCF participates in the strategic planning process. SCF’s Functional Committee Structure is also discussed, with an example given about the Employee Wellness Committee. |
| Episode 5. Data in Action | This episode discusses Southcentral Foundation’s unique approach to data and information management, including the history of SCF’s Data Services department (separate from Information Technology), SCF’s Integrated Information Teams and Data Stewards (who represent the data needs of SCF’s divisions), and SCF’s Data Mall, a customized program that makes data easy to access and use while safeguarding Protected Health Information. |
| Episode 6. Investing in the Workforce | This episode discusses how Southcentral Foundation supports workforce development, including workforce training, job/career progression, recruitment, onboarding, workforce competencies, SCF’s Core Concepts training, and more. |
Season 2
| Episodes | Description |
| Episode 1. Operationalizing Relationships | This episode focuses on SCF’s Core Concepts training, which teaches communication and relationship-building skills that SCF employees use to build relationships with customer-owners and each other. Several SCF leaders and employees give their perspectives on the training and how it supports quality health care. |
| Episode 2. Rural and Remote Care | This episode covers how SCF provides care in rural and remote areas of Alaska, many of which are only accessible by air. It details how SCF partners with remote communities and provides perspective from SCF employees who have worked in these communities. |
| Episode 3. Substance Use Disorder Treatment | Substance use is a complex issue with many facets and a wide variety of approaches have been tried with varying degrees of success. Southcentral Foundation has developed an approach that differs from more standard treatment in significant ways. The approach has enabled SCF to build relationships with those impacted by substance use, reduce barriers to engagement, and increase community awareness of support available. |
| Episode 4. Trauma Informed & Responsive Care | This episode discusses the topic of trauma-informed care, and how SCF works to support people impacted by trauma. Learn about how SCF embraces the role of story in the healing process. |
| Episode 5. Aging Series Part 1: Maternal Child Health | This episode covers SCF’s approach to maternal child health. It discusses how SCF supports customer-owners from before pregnancy through 2-3 years of age. |
| Episode 6. Aging Series Part 2: Elders & Aging Well | This episode discusses SCF’s approach to Elder care. This includes palliative care as part of whole-person care, advance care planning, and the Elder program. |
Additional podcasts featuring Southcentral Foundations Nuka System of Care
Race to Value
Aspirational Healthcare: Employer-Led Disruptive Change and the Nuka System of Care, with Darrell Moon.
The King’s Fund Podcast
The health care of tomorrow? International learning on community, technology, and avoiding digital exclusion.
Vardmaktpodden
PODCAST EPISODE 34:
Douglas Eby – Consilium Southcentral Foundation Nuka System of Care (Alaska).
Relentless Health Value
EP312:
Radically Improving Population Health: Listen and Learn From One of Our Country’s Best-Kept Secrets, With Douglas Eby, MD, MPH, CPE.
Coproduction and macrosystems of healthcare
Southcentral Foundation President/CEO April Kyle and Executive Vice President of Medical Services Doug Eby discuss how the community became the “customer-owners” and governing board of the health care system.
Turn on the Lights Podcast: When People of the system own the system
Don and Kedar speak with Southcentral Foundation leaders Doug Eby and April Kyle about the Nuka System of Care, a community-driven, relationship-based model improving outcomes and reducing costs for Alaska Native communities through integrated, customer-owned services.
