Medical & Mental Health in Alaska (AK DOC)

Health care in Alaska prisons

Unlike many states that hire a private prison-health company, Alaska delivers care in-house through Alaska DOC Health & Rehabilitation Services, the department’s own medical division. Its staff provide medical, dental, and mental-health care across Alaska DOC facilities. There is no single named statewide private medical contractor.

Each facility has on-site medical staff, along with either an on-site or an on-call health care practitioner. When a needed service cannot be provided inside the facility, a person may be referred to a community provider for that care.

Routine care begins at each facility’s on-site clinic, generally through a request submitted to the medical staff. Confirm the current request procedure and any exemptions with the facility’s medical unit, because details change.

Co-payments

Alaska DOC charges co-payments for certain services. As published in the Friends & Family Handbook, the amounts are:

• $5 for a visit with healthcare staff.
• $5 for an initial prescription.
• $5 for use of medical equipment such as crutches, canes, or braces.
• $10 for special-order, patient-specific items such as eyeglasses or orthotics.
• $25 for durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, or CPAP machines.
• $25 for prosthetics such as hearing aids or dentures.

Care is not withheld for inability to pay a co-payment. Some over-the-counter items, such as cough drops and aspirin, are available through the commissary. Confirm current co-pay amounts and which services carry a charge with the facility’s medical staff, because details change.

Mental-health and substance-use care

Mental-health care is provided in-house as part of Alaska DOC Health & Rehabilitation Services, ranging from clinic-based care at individual facilities to more specialized units. Detox and withdrawal care and medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence are listed as available. Maternity care is also provided, which is relevant at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River, the state’s facility for women.

The grievance process

A health or treatment concern that cannot be resolved with the facility’s medical staff can be raised through the Alaska DOC grievance process, the department’s formal procedure for prisoner complaints. The procedure has internal review steps within the facility and the department.

Outside the department, the Alaska Office of the Ombudsman — a legislative-branch state office, not specific to corrections — accepts complaints about state agencies, including the Department of Corrections. Confirm the current grievance steps and deadlines with the facility’s medical staff.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Know Your Rights.