For immediate release
April 10, 2020
Contact: Roy Agloinga, program officer, (907) 297-2700
ruralhealth@rasmuson.org
Anchorage, AK – Grant applications are being accepted for projects designed to improve rural Alaska health care systems, including emergency preparedness and pandemic response. The application period will close April 24. Awards will be announced in early May.
Eligible projects include medical and dental equipment, technology and vehicles, as well as ancillary equipment for emergency services, facility renovations, restorations and furnishings. Supplies related to COVID-19 response are eligible. Health care organizations are urged to target projects in the $25,000 to $50,000 range.
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska established the time-limited grant program in late 2019, providing $3 million to improve access to care in Alaska communities. The Premera Rural Health Care Fund is being administered by Rasmuson Foundation and is held at The Alaska Community Foundation. The first round of 10 grants was approved in February.
The deadline for applications in this cycle was moved up by a month because clinics have urgent needs now.
A complete list of the grants approved in the first round can be found at the end of this release. Upgrades to dental equipment, X-ray and ultrasound machines, and a clinic vehicle were among the projects funded.
Health care providers in much of Alaska are eligible for these awards. For Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, projects must serve communities outside of the urban area.
Apply here for a grant: Premera Rural Health Care Fund grant portal
[Download press release here: Opportunity_Alaska rural healthcare grants 041020.]
About Premera Blue Cross
Premera Blue Cross, a not-for-profit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association based in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., is a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, providing comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to approximately 2 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies.
About Rasmuson Foundation
Through grantmaking and initiatives, Rasmuson Foundation aims to promote a better life for all Alaskans with investments of $25 million to $30 million a year. Main funding areas are the arts, housing, homelessness, education, healthcare and organizational development. The foundation was created in 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband, E.A. Rasmuson.
About The Alaska Community Foundation
Established in 1995, The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) cultivates, celebrates, and sustains all forms of philanthropy to strengthen Alaska’s communities forever. ACF also manages the Pick.Click.Give. program and the Philanthropy Hub.
Projects approved in February
| Organization Name | Project Location | Region | Project Name | Award |
| Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska | Fairbanks | Interior | Purchasing Smart Curve technology and generator for mobile truck | $ 50,500 |
| Mat-Su Health Services | Big Lake and Houston | Southcentral | Big Lake X-ray machine | $ 47,670 |
| Maniilaq Association | Kotzebue | Northwest Arctic | Maniilaq Health Center – ultrasound replacement | $ 50,000 |
| Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association | Atka, St. George, Unalaska | Aleutian & Pribilof Islands | Clinic vehicle | $ 43,000 |
| The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. | Kongiganak | Southwest | Kongiganak Village Health Clinic medical equipment | $ 80,000 |
| Seldovia Village Tribe | Seldovia | Southcentral | Seldovia Clinic dental upgrades | $77,000 |
| Bristol Bay Area Health Corp. | Dillingham | Bristol Bay | Capital equipment improvement project | $50,000 |
| Eastern Aleutian Tribes | Cold Bay | Aleutian & Pribilof Islands | Cold Bay X-ray machine | $51,000 |
| Kenaitze Indian Tribe (IRA) | Kenai and Soldotna | Southcentral | Dena’ina Wellness Center X-ray machine replacement | $50,000 |
| Girdwood Health Center | Girdwood | Southcentral | Modular unit for behavioral health | $25,000 |
| Total | $524,170 |