Over the next few months, Alaska’s health department will be dolling out more than $272 million in federal dollars to myriad health providers, tribes, clinics, behavioral treatment centers, social service groups, schools, child centers and others.

In fact, a feeding frenzy is currently underway in downtown Anchorage where these groups are packed inside the Hilton Hotel for a three-day (Jan. 14-16) rollout to inform them on how to get a cut of the gargantuan financial pie.

The money is part of an historic $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) designed to “modernize health care in rural communities across the nation.” Alaska will get $272 million to start, and hundreds of million more over the next four years – one of the largest allotments of any state.

Alaska’s nonprofit landscape is inundated with hard-leftist entities that will undoubtedly apply for this money

Exactly who and what the money actually funds, however, will be determined by the Alaska health department, which has a documented history of dolling out state and federal dollars to a slew of radical leftwing organizations that promote controversial sex education, abortion services, social-emotional learning, LGBTQ gender identity initiatives, DEI-infused programing and aggressive vaccine campaigns that undermine current CDC guidelines.

According to the Alaska Dept. of Health (DOH) website, all funding decisions related to the RHTP federal funds will be made by the state health commissioner along with an advisory council comprised of unnamed experts who will score each funding application and submit their evaluations to the health commissioner for final approval.

Since Alaska’s nonprofit landscape is inundated with hard-leftist entities that are undoubtably lining up for this money, it is critical that Alaska’s health commissioner and the advisory council carefully vet the incoming wave of applicants to ensure this money is not diverted to promote hard-leftist activism.

Across the nation, school based health centers have sparked heated controversy for giving students’ medical advice and interventions without the crucial involvement of their parents.

This is especially true given the fact that Alaska has explicitly stated that it plans to use some of this money to address “youth mental health” by expanding so-called “behavioral health supports” in schools and community groups. These vague categories are often used to promote LGBTQ ideology, pro-abortion counseling to teens, and various leftist programming to combat the perceived negative impacts of traditional beliefs about marriage, sex and cultural values.

Alaska also plans to use the new federal funds to multiply and enlarge school and community-based health centers that can deliver screenings, immunizations and preventative health products.

Across the nation, school based health centers have sparked heated controversy for giving students’ medical advice and interventions without the crucial involvement of their parents. Stand for Health Freedom, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting families, has warned that school health centers present a clear threat to parents’ rights to make informed health decisions for their children. That’s because they provide far more services than traditional nurse offices of the past. This includes reproductive counseling, dental care, mental health counseling and behavioral services – essential replacing what a child would typically receive from a primary health provider with parental engagement.

Most often the school centers employ a “pre-consent” approach, which involves parents signing a one-page consent forms at the start of the year. After that, their child can see any and all health care providers in school health centers, including services that parents might otherwise object to.

Additionally, the new federal funding could be used to funnel money to abortion and LGBTQ activist groups like Planned Parenthood so long as they promise to use the money to promote things like breast exams, cancer screenings and mental health. While these are not related to their primary work of aborting babies, the money still serves as a financial boost for the overall mission.

One glaring omission in Alaska’s plan is any prominent reference to potential partnerships with the numerous churches or conservative, faith-based groups that offer counseling, addiction recovery and other services to vulnerable populations. While churches across Alaska are not prohibited from applying for these funds, the state’s plan references – and only in passing – just one religiously affiliated group, Catholic Social Services.

In order to ensure that this tsunami of incoming federal funds is used to expand essential health care services for rural Alaskans, the state health department must be vigilant and openly transparent in its decisions about which entities it rewards, while ensuring each recipient’s activities align with clear state and federal priorities.

Failure to do so will result in the kind of “systemic change” that the radical left has long dreamed of enacting.

TAKING ACTION

— Click here for information about how to apply for the new federal funding.

The views expressed here are those of the author.

Click here to support the Alaska Watchman.