Physician Assistant Alumni Reception Sherry Stolberg Alumni Award- 2008

After graduating from the Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program in 1983, Jean worked in a pain clinic run by a private practice neurosurgeon, Community Health Centers in Colorado and Maine, and tribal clinics and hospitals in New Mexico, Arizona and Maine. In 1991, she joined the CHAP as an instructor in Seward, Alaska.  The CHAP was developed in response to growing concerns of access to health care and provides health care in rural Alaska villages as the first link in the Alaska Tribal Health System. The CHAP is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.  This is a health care delivery system unique to Alaska and Indian Health Service designed to provide emergency, acute, chronic, and preventive care to geographically isolated Native communities. Jean trains community health aides who are selected by their native Alaska communities from all over the state through a standardized training curriculum using the Alaska Community Health Aide/Practioner Manual. 

Jean was one of the primary authors of the recent 2006 Alaska Community Health Aide/Practioner Manual.  She was responsible for the research of current medical care appropriate for rural Alaska.  The Alaska Community Health Aide/Practioner Manual is a fundamental part of the Community Health Aide Program scripting history questions to ask, guiding the Community Health Aide/Practitioners through the exam, and leading to an assessment and plan for patient care.  The Community Health Aide/Practitioners are in contact with a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner regarding their patient or treatment under standing orders. The CHAP consists of approximately 550 Community Health Aides/ Practitioners in over 170 Alaska villages.  This model of health care delivery is currently being used as a template to develop programs in the areas of dental care, behavioral health and elder care.

Jean continues to work one day a week in a family practice clinic; however, her role as an instructor for Community Health Aides/Practitioner provides her “the opportunity to effect health care in Alaska on a much broader scale.”  She also participates in organizational meetings of the 26 Health Aide Program around the state and is the CHAP program representative to the State of Alaska Emergency Medical Services Training Committee.