Alaska Tribal Health System

The Alaska Tribal Health System (ATHS) is a diverse and multifaceted healthcare system that has developed over the last 30 years. It represents the diversity of Alaska Native people. Alaska has 229 federally recognized tribes that live across 586,412 square miles of predominantly road-less land, the underlying reason for the creation of this innovative and essential statewide health system.

Tribal health organizations in most areas are the only healthcare providers available, and therefore serve everyone in the area regardless of race. In 2022, there were 238,915 Alaska Native people eligible to receive services through the ATHS. Approximately 159,541 Alaska Native people actively seek care from the ATHS on an annual basis. With 178 village clinics who employed more than 468 community health aide/practitioners. Alaska is the only state in which over 99 percent of health programs are managed by tribes and Native organizations.