2025 Health Aide of the Year awarded to Napakiak Health Aide Brittany Sallison

YKHC is pleased to announce Brittany Sallison as the recipient of the 2025 Health Aide of the Year Award.

The Health Aide of the Year Award establishes regional recognition and appreciation of a Community Health Aide for their contribution, dedication, and sacrifice while in service. Recipients of this award demonstrate excellence on all levels as an employee and a member of this Tribal Health Organization. The Health Aide receiving this award embodies YKHC's mission of "Working Together to Achieve Excellent Health." This Health Aide also personifies YKHC's values of optimism, compassion, pursuit of excellence, personal growth, importance of family, elder knowledge and, most of all, trust in their day to day activities. This Health Aide has established a noticeable, positive impact to the quality of care delivered in the region.

Brittany Sallison, Community Health Practitioner (CHP) from the village of Napakiak, regularly provides patient assessments both in person and over the phone. Providing care over the phone is especially challenging in remote settings, as it requires careful clinical questioning, accurate interpretation of symptoms without visual assessment, and clear communication with both patients and providers. Brittany performs these assessments confidently and without hesitation, ensuring patients receive accurate guidance and are referred for medical travel or higher levels of care when indicated. Her ability to manage over-the-phone patient care helps prevent delays and supports patient safety when in-person care is not immediately available.

She has managed multiple high-acuity calls involving unstable patients, including situations requiring rapid escalation and coordination for medevac. In these events, Brittany remained calm and focused, gathered and relayed critical clinical information, followed provider direction precisely, and provided clear, timely updates to patients and bystanders. Her communication skills helped maintain trust and clarity during stressful and emergent situations.

Brittany frequently provides coverage beyond her assigned clinic and has consistently been one of the most dependable Health Aides within the program. She willingly takes on over-the-phone patient care when available and ensures continuity of care even when resources are limited. This reliability allows providers and leadership to trust that patients are being appropriately assessed and supported.

During training, Brittany's skills were described as excellent and exact, and these strengths continue to be evident in her field practice. She approaches her work with optimism and compassion, while respecting the importance of family and trust in her daily interactions. Through her actions, Brittany has established a noticeable and positive impact on the quality of care delivered in the region.

Brittany Sallison's consistent willingness to go above and beyond, particularly through high-acuity, over-the-phone patient care, makes her highly deserving of recognition as 2025 Health Aide of the Year.