Living Well Alaska

  • Anchorage
    Alaska VA Healthcare System
    DeeDee Brandenberry
    907-257-4890
    &
    Southcentral Foundation
    Lavina Hess
    907-729-4195
  • Chugiak
    Betty Burke
    907-688-2609
  • Fairbanks
    Leslie Shallcross
    907-474-2426
  • Homer
    Peggy Ellen Kleinleder
    907-235-0311
  • Kenai
    Linda Tannehill
    907-262-5824
    &
    Deborah Nyquist
    907-335-7580
  • Ketchikan
    Kristi Kvist
    907-228-9428
  • Mat-Su
    Julie Cascio
    907-745-3677
  • Soldotna
    Lydia Davis
    907-714-4521
  • Talkeetna/Willow
    Kirsten Strolle
    907-733-2232

Contact Us:

Living Well Alaska: Better Choices, Better Health

Chronic Disease Self-Management

Living well Alaska News & Announcements

Our 2018 Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) Campaign begins March, 2018:

Do you need help managing a chronic health condition?

Man holding weights 

Did you know, there are programs that can teach you how to manage chronic pain and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease? Take a Chronic Disease Self-Management Class to improve your health and feel better!

Find information about Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) workshops offered in Alaska


About the Program

Living Well Alaska: Better Choices, Better Health is a series of 6 classes that help people with chronic illnesses learn ways to self-manage their condition and take charge of their life. In other words it is a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). The three principles that underlie CDSMP are:

  1. People with different chronic diseases have similar self-management problems and disease-related tasks.
  2. People can learn to take responsibility for the day-to-day management of their diseases.
  3. Confident, knowledgeable patients practicing self-management will experience improved health status and will utilize fewer health care resources.

Watch this 7 minute video explaining the power of Chronic Disease Self-Management - from Better Living in California (their version of Living Well Alaska):


Living Well Alaska classes are held throughout Alaska for people with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. It is also for people who take care of people with chronic conditions, or just want to learn about how to self-manage chronic conditions. All are welcome.

Living Well Alaska: Better Choices, Better Health Brochure

Living Well Alaska, or CDSMP, helps clients better manage their symptoms and communicate more easily with their providers and loved ones. People who enroll in the classes feel better, are less limited by their illness, and may spend less time at the doctor or in the hospital.

Learn more about Living Well Alaska or CDSMP

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Classes

If you are interested in taking a class, the classes are:

  • Six weeks long
  • An average of 2 hours
  • Composed of approximately 10 people
  • Led by leaders who have received formal training
  • Inexpensive, the cost varies depending on the site, and insurance coverage.

Living Well Alaska classes cover a range of health topics such as:

Two leaders in class.
Nancy & Jose at a 2015 class

  • healthy eating
  • relaxation techniques
  • managing fatigue
  • low impact exercise
  • managing medications
  • problem solving
  • goal setting
  • working with your health care professional.

You may contact one of the programs above or for general questions email Diabetes@alaska.gov.

New! Upcoming Classes

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Leader Training

Two leaders in class.
Leslie & Linda - 2015 Training

In order to become a leader and implement Living Well Alaska or CDSMP at your organization, you need to first be trained. The State of Alaska, Section of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion, has obtained a multi-site license from Stanford University valid through 2018. All course leaders and master trainers are required to sign an agreement with the State of Alaska to teach Living Well Alaska: Better Choices, Better Health.

Training takes place twice a year. Training is led by Leslie Shallcross. It is approximately four and a half days in Anchorage. You must be present during all days of training in order to receive your certification. It is important to have a Memorandum of Agreement signed between the State of Alaska, and your organization in order to ensure a CDSMP or Living Well Alaska class will take place within the year of training. Please be sure to discuss this with your organization’s leadership team in order to ensure this will be possible, prior to signing up for training.

The State of Alaska follows the Stanford curriculum. Detailed information about the training can be found here. Cost of training is approximately $300. However, scholarships are available from time to time.

For more information contact:

Leslie Shallcross,
Associate Professor of Extension - Youth, Family and Community Development,
UAF School of Natural Resources and Extension
724 27th Ave, Room 202
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Phone: 907-474-2426
E-mail: lashallcross@alaska.edu

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News - Join Our Listserv

Sign up to receive information about Living Well Alaska Workshops: Better Choices, Better Health and Announcements by email

 

Contact Us

Phone: 907-269-8035
E-mail: Diabetes@alaska.gov

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