KTNA Su-Valley Voice || November 2025
- Mga tauhan ng Sunshine
- 2 hours ago
- 3 minutong pagbabasa
Sunshine Community Health Center Monthly Check-In & Meeting the New Dentist
November 6, 2025 | Trisha Costello
Our November episode of Su Valley Voice: Sunshine Community Health Center Edition brought another great hour of conversation and connection with KTNA listeners. Hosted by Trisha Costello, this month’s discussion featured Sierra Winter, Community Relations Manager
and Dr. Michael Randell, the clinic’s new full-time dentist.
Together, they shared updates on services, staffing, and community events, as well as insights on several important topics — from the impact of the current government shutdown on SNAP benefits and food security, to questions about immunizations, and a recap of Sunshine’s recent Health Fair.
As always, our team appreciated the thoughtful questions and community curiosity that came through during the show. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of the topics that sparked follow-up questions — along with answers from Sunshine’s leadership team.
Your Questions, Answered
Telepharmacy & 340B Delivery Program
Q: Will the new pharmacy program affect the current system that involves prescriptions being delivered from Three Bears?
A: Yes — there will be changes in the new year. Our current courier service with Three Bears will be ending. This service was continued during our transition period to give patients time to make other arrangements for receiving their prescriptions.
Patients who wish to continue picking up medications locally can transfer their prescriptions to the Sunshine Pharmacy. You can still choose to get your prescriptions from Three Bears or another Valley pharmacy, but Sunshine CHC will no longer provide pick-up or delivery.
“We want to provide time for patients to make other arrangements for receiving their medications—whether that be transferring to our pharmacy or working out transportation to Three Bears or another Valley pharmacy.”— Bridgett Cassidy, Compliance Manager
“The courier service was continued during the transition so people could transfer prescriptions, but it will be going away.”— Dr. Paul Forman, Chief Medical Officer
Inclement Weather Closures
Q: How does Sunshine decide when to close during winter storms?
A: We base closure decisions on what’s happening in the local school districts, but we don’t always close for the full day. More often, we’ll delay opening for a few hours to allow time for sanding and for our staff to travel safely to work.
We’ll always post the most up-to-date information on our Facebook and Instagram pages — so please follow along to stay informed during winter weather events.
Watering Point Project
Q: What’s the latest on the proposed Watering Point for Talkeetna?
A: We’re still awaiting updates on the current appropriations requests through Senator Murkowski’s office. Her team remains hopeful this will be the year funding is approved, but there are no guarantees at this time.
“Murkowski’s team is hopeful that this is the year it will happen but we have no guarantees.”— Joshua Gilmore, CEO
The Metal Building Project
Q: What’s being built next to the Talkeetna Clinic?
A: Construction is underway on a new metal building at the Talkeetna Clinic, designed to safely house and maintain our Mobile Medical Unit, known as Moby. This facility will protect the unit from harsh weather, help us organize supplies, and keep Moby ready to roll when the community needs it most.
“This building will also give us space to work on and store our growing list of equipment that we use to keep the clinic going and growing. In addition, it provides us with critical infrastructure capacity for our community.”— Jack Smothers, Facilities Director
Thank You for Listening!
We’re grateful to everyone who tuned in, called with questions, and continues to support community-driven healthcare in the Upper Susitna Valley.
If you missed the live show, catch the next Su Valley Voice: Sunshine Community Health Center Edition on KTNA the first Thursday of each month at 10 a.m.
If you have questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes, reach out to the KTNA team at dj@ktna.org or call 907-733-1700.
Resources Mentioned
Sunshine Community Health Center – 907-733-2273
Connect Mat-Su – connectmatsu.org
Alaska Department of Health (Benefits Questions) – 1-800-997-8111
Sunshine Community Health Center
1-907-376-2273 (PANGANGALAGA)
*Ang artikulong ito ay isinulat sa suporta ng AI*