1. Sitka Health Summit Coalition
Sitka, Alaska
Perched on the outer edge of the Northern Pacific Ocean,
in the world’s largest temperate rainforest

2. Our Partner Organizations
Sitka Health Summit Coalition (SHS)
Braveheart Volunteers (BHV)
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC)
Sitka Community Hospital (SCH)
State Department of Public Health Nursing, Sitka

3. Sitka SCALE Team – attending CHILA
Melissa Marconi Wentzel
Director,
Sitka Health Summit Coalition
(SHS);
Program Manager,
Sitka MAPP;
Local Improvement Advisor,
Sitka SCALE
Nancy Knapp, MPH
Public Health Consultant;
Steering Committee,
Sitka MAPP;
Community Champion,
Sitka SCALE
Zachary Desmond
Youth Program Manager,
Braveheart Volunteers;
Coalition Leader,
Sitka SCALE

4. Other Team Members Martha Pearson, MA, MPH
Director of Health Promotion,
SEARHC;
SHS Advisory Board;
Steering Committee,
Sitka MAPP
Clara Gray
Health Educator,
SEARHC;
SHS Advisory Board;
Steering Committee,
Sitka MAPP
Tristan Guevin
Operations Director, Braveheart Volunteers;
Steering Committee,
Sitka MAPP
Patrick Williams
Health Educator,
Sitka Community Hospital;
SHS Advisory Board;
Steering Committee, Sitka MAPP
Ellen Daly, RN
Public Health Nurse,
State Department of Public Health Nursing;
SHS Advisory Board;
Steering Committee,
Sitka MAPP
Leatha Merculieff
Vice President Executive Administration;
SEARHC

5. Sitka, Alaska
Vibrant and Diverse Community Perched on the Edge of the Northern Pacific Ocean.
Sitka and the Sitka Health Summit Coalition value community partnerships that reflect our diversity and transcend divides. We strive to meet challenges head-on and take significant and concrete strides to improving individual and collective wellbeing.
Rural and geographically isolated, culturally and historically rich community that wants to address the social determinants of health by identifying health inequities and engaging its citizens in measurable and achievable health improvement goals. A desire to do this work while strengthening community relationships, prioritizing marginalized populations, building on our “can-do” attitude and available resources, and valuing our diversity. As a Coalition, we have made excellent progress in this over the past eight years, but want to institute monitoring and evaluation measures and improve our ability to facilitate diverse, balanced, and effective community collaborations.
Looking for a community that is culturally and economically diverse, openly and honestly addresses socioeconomic health inequities, has experience working with large citizen health initiatives, and has successfully strengthened community health improvement efforts by synthesizing data- and passion- based planning.

6. Top Three Sources of Pride in our Community
Can-Do Attitude: The photo of our new Seawalk illustrates our conviction that we have the right and the ability to turn our dreams into realities.
Working Together in a Diverse Community: The photo of the totem pole raising at our alternative high school illustrates our drive to work together to achieve our goals and to value our diversity.
Caring for Each Other: The last two photos illustrate our willingness to help each other. We do this everyday with large events and everyday small
moments of connection.

7. Area(s) of Focus for our SCALE Work
Identifying and addressing health needs through community processes that are based in data and driven by passion. Some of these needs have been identified through our MAPP (community health assessment) community visioning as:
Improving access to affordable, healthy foods
Improving access to affordable, healthy housing
Ending violence and substance abuse
Ensuring access to recreational opportunities
Providing comprehensive local health care
Ending poverty
We plan to improve equity by applying the data we collect through MAPP to our community health strategic planning and projects, and by bringing greater diversity to the process.

8. The Coalition is most proud of our work…
Bringing together citizens through the Sitka Health Summit Coalition’s Citizen Health Initiatives program. Every year, since 2007, we’ve asked Sitkans to brainstorm concrete and attainable health improvement goals. These citizens then select two projects through a democratic process and work on those projects for one year.
Over 20 successful initiatives have arisen from that program, including the award-winning Fish-to-Schools Program, the Choose Respect Mural, and the popular Sitka Farmer’s Market.
But the Community as a whole is proud of so much more, such as revitalizing the Sitka Fine Arts Campus and the Sitka Native Education Program.

9. We know a lot about….. We need help with…..
What we, as a community, know a lot about and what we need help with are often linked and are sometimes one and the same. This is rooted in our values and our history. This is driven by our awareness of the kind of community we have been, are, and aspire to be. It reflects how we value our strengths and desire continual improvement.
Creating a more cohesive communications infrastructure, so that our organizations are sharing and collaborating more effectively, and so that our citizens are aware of and able to access available resources.
Accessing and applying data and metrics to our collective health improvement efforts.
Stepping outside our cultural comfort zones and making our processes more inclusive. Communicating across cultures and addressing issues of historical trauma, racism, classism, exclusion.
Making the most of available resources.
Building and supporting partnerships and collaborations.
Creating change.
Communicating across cultures and supporting efforts to build solidarity.
Living with the land.

10. Favorite Hometown Spot(s)
Sitka National Historical Park (recreation)
Redoubt Lake and Falls (near Sitka, important
subsistence fishing area)
Sandy Beach (recreation)
Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall (cultural and
historical significance)

11. Words We Live By….. Our Community Theme Song…. Just Do It! Resilience
Flexibility
Tolerance
Acceptance
Community
Self-sufficiency
Inter-dependence
Rain won’t hurt ya’
With all of these questions, including the theme song, we strive to acknowledge that Sitka is comprised of numerous diverse communities. We can’t speak for everyone. But, we can share perspectives from some of our Coalition members.
Tlingit National Anthem
Alaska State Song
One Tribe, Black-Eyed Peas
Let it Rain, the Beatles
Respect, Aretha Franklin
Lean on Me, Bill Withers

12. Our Celebrity Spokespersons are Sitkans, because our community is very Sitka-Centric.
Herman Davis
Herman is a positive elder who is uplifting, supports the youth, and is always willing to share words of wisdom.
Alice Machesney
Alice was a positive elder who lived Sitka’s can-do attitude and embodied the community’s independent spirit.
John Straley
Local author and former Alaska State Poet Laureate.

13. Best way to contact us: director@sitkahealthsummitak.org
Coalition Director, Melissa Marconi Wentzel: (907)