Alaska’s SHARP Program
SHARP Council – Member Statement
AK Academy of Physician Assistants
dcoslett@SouthcentralFoundation.com
Medical and Behavioral Healthcare
Hospitals, Clinics, & Nursing Homes
AISU, ANHC, API, BFC, Cross Road, Iliuliuk, Mat-Su, NSHC, SCF,
SEARHC, Sunshine, TCC
Anchorage, Interior, Mat-Su, Northern, Southeast, Southwest &
Statewide
Organization
Representative
Membership
Email Address
Occupation Categories
Practice Setting Types
Experience Thus Far
Occupations To-Date
Practitioner Contracts #:
Practice Sites: Examples
Regions Thus Far
Testimony
SHARP’s Success To-Date
Need for SHARP-3
A core purpose of the physician assistant profession when it began 50 years ago
was to expand access to healthcare services for undeserved populations. The
Code of Ethics of the Alaska Academy of Physician Assistants includes the
following statement: "Physician Assistants shall deliver health care services to
health consumers without regard to sex, age, race, creed, socio-economic and
political status." The Alaska SHARP Program has provided a crucial support
system to help retain 21 physician assistants in areas of high medical need in
Alaska.
The recent drastic loss of state SHARP 2 funding poses a threat to the ability of
underserved communities to retain mission driven physician assistants struggling to
repay their school loans. The success of the SHARP 3 model is critical to retaining
physician assistants in high medical needs communities of Alaska by allowing
physician assistants to fulfill their core missions in responding to the needs of the
underserved in Alaska.
