With approval from the Executive Board, the Willow House patient hotel is undergoing a massive renovation to improve the quality of stay for those receiving care in Fairbanks. For the past year, TCC has been working with architects, engineers, interior designers, and contractors to design a massive renovation of the patient hotel. Demolition has been completed, and installation of new electrical, IT networks drops, and lighting is under way. A mock up room has been completed to provide a view of what the rest of the rooms will look like after completion of the project. On October 15, the TCC Executive Board and Executive Managers were able to tour the mock hotel room, take a firsthand look at all the renovations, and talk with the contractors. Read more

On October 17th, during the 2019 National Congress of American Indians/Alaska Federation of Natives Tribal Conference, TCC Chief/Chairman Victor Joseph spoke on a panel discussing subsistence. Chief Joseph covered the history of Ceremonial Moose hunting and the landmark Frank v. Alaska case.

This December marks 40 years since Carlos Frank of Minto went to court against the State of Alaska for illegally transporting a moose after he and several other hunters were caught transporting a moose for a funeral potlatch. During the trial, Frank, the late Chief Peter John, and many others fought against the State to protect Alaska Native Ceremonial rights.

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Community Health Aides (CHA) work tirelessly for the health and safety of their communities by ensuring that villages have access to the care that they need. So when the need for a CHA was presented in Stevens Village – Christina Copeland was eager to step up to the plate. “You never stop learning and there’s always something new,” she said. “It’s never the same thing.”

Copeland grew up in Fairbanks and worked as a hotel housekeeper and at fast food restaurants before deciding to apply with TCC’s health aide training program four years ago. “There was a need in the community so I applied,” Copeland said. “It’s rewarding to help people and make a difference in somebody’s life.”

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