The AIA is excited to provide community assessment assistance through the 100% Community model by Katherine Ortega Courtney, Ph.D. and Dominic Capello.

(Source: Anna, Age Eight Institute)

100% Communities Alaska provides a framework for assessing the availability of the ten vital services needed for well-being.  There are five vital services that no one should do without, which we call “surviving services.”  These include safe housing, secure food, transportation, medical care, and behavioral health care.  In addition to the “surviving services,” we know well-being is optimized when community members have access to “thriving services.”  These “thriving services” include early childhood learning programs, community schools, job training, youth mentorship, and parent supports.

The goal is to improve accessibility to each vital service until we reach 100% accessibility for all Alaskans.  As each community in Alaska works through its 100% Communities Alaska assessment and action plan, the AIA will create and display a community dashboard of their plan along with their learnings and progress.  The combination of local 100% Communities Alaska plans creates a statewide work plan for improvement in these 10 vital service areas.

“We know that by investing in strong local systems of care, safety, and education, we can decrease health disparities along with adverse childhood experiences, trauma, substance misuse, violence, and untreated mental health problems.” – Katherine Ortega Courtney Ph.D. and Dominic Capello.

What is the 100% Communities Alaska planning process and how can the AIA support?

Initial Contact – Communities interested in the assessment reach out to AIA for support.

Form a Backbone Team – The community gathers a team with key stakeholders from all ten vital service areas.

Survey Development – AIA helps design and conduct a community survey using Qualtrics to assess service accessibility.

Share Results & Engage – Survey findings are shared with the community, inviting feedback and participation from Action Teams.

Launch Action Teams – The backbone team will work to launch all 10 action teams (some of these teams might already exist in a community) to begin working on this vital service. Action team leads are identified, recruitment for members continues, and recurring meetings are set. 

Identify Service Providers & Strengthen Community Resource Navigation – Action Teams compile a comprehensive list of local providers, services, and programs within their vital service area. AIA then integrates this information into the 907 Navigation App and Online Platform to enhance accessibility and community support.

Policy & Program Review – Action Team members analyze data from the 100% Communities survey and other relevant sources, collaborating through recurring meetings to identify policies and programs that enhance service accessibility.

Ongoing Evaluation – The Backbone Team, contributing to the 100% Communities dashboard.

Annual Summit – The AIA will be hosting a statewide gathering for teams to share progress and learn from one another.