Mental Health

When Alaska residents go through a severe mental health crisis, many rural clinics lack the resources to ensure their safety. About 10 patients are held in the Haines rural jail each year awaiting transport to hospitals.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority board has approved a land exchange of up to 40,000 acres in Southeast. The land will change hands between the trust and the U.S. Forest Service — including parcels like Mount Jumbo in Juneau.

According to the latest report, suicide “was the leading cause of death” among Alaskans aged 10 to 64 years old. From 2012 to 2017, Alaska has alternated in having either the first- or second-highest rates of suicide nationwide.

Cody Eyre, 20, was fatally shot by law enforcement in Fairbanks on Christmas Eve, 2017. His grandmother plans to hold a rally on Capitol steps in Juneau on the anniversary of his death to call for better mental health crisis intervention training.

Alexandria Niksik has been in and out of prison for seven years. Her most recent return home only lasted 16 days. But what might look like failure from the outside is actually a key step toward success and recovery from alcohol misuse.