Alaska division of public health tuberculosis elimination and laboratory program - the mission of the alaska tuberculosis (TB) program is to eliminate tuberculosis in alaska

The program's efforts to move towards this goal are based on four fundamental priority strategies: finding and treating individuals with active TB finding and treating individuals with TB infection to prevent active disease preventing and decreasing the transmission of TB increasing awareness, decreasing stigma, addressing health inequities, and empowering communities tuberculosis prevention and control activities undertaken by the TB program in support of these strategies include identification, case management, and monitoring of every case of active TB disease across the state; provision of TB medications at no cost to individuals who need them; oversight and assistance with contact and outbreak investigations conducted by public health nurses in their jurisdictions; collection and analysis of surveillance data; orchestration and advising on targeted TB screening activities for at-risk populations and communities; dissemination of information on best practices and providing programmatic guidance in line with those principles; and provision of outreach, education, and consultation for health care providers, other community partners, and the general public. As the alaska TB program is a very small, centralized program serving a vast and varied state, IT recognizes the critical importance of collaboration and partnership with both public health and non-public health entities. In particular, the alaska TB program partners closely with the section of public health nursing (sophn) and its public health nurses across the state who provide direct TB case management in their jurisdictions with close collaboration and oversight by the centralized state-level TB nurse consultants. The TB program and public health nurses also work extensively with tribal and other healthcare entities and providers to coordinate appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment for individuals with tuberculosis. The alaska TB program continues to strive towards meeting the national targets set forth in the national TB indicators project through implementation of best practices and ongoing program evaluation and improvement. In addition, the TB program continues to prioritize identification, testing, and treatment of individuals at high risk for exposure to mycobacterium tuberculosis, particularly those at high risk for progression to active TB disease, as well as populations experiencing health disparities and disproportionate risk for TB disease and TB infection (TBI). The alaska TB program is applying for funding under the tuberculosis elimination and laboratory cooperative agreement CDC-RFA-PS-25-0003 to enable the effectuation of strategies and activities delineated in this application. Funding for prevention and control (p & c) and laboratory strengthening is crucial to allow for continued progress toward the outcomes outlined in the funding announcement, including a decrease in TB cases, as well as the ultimate goal of TB elimination in alaska.