AMC Health, Norton Sound Health Announce Alaska Remote Care Program

NOME, Alaska—In Alaska’s Bering Strait region, where reaching a hospital can require an aircraft rather than an ambulance, Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) and AMC Health are preparing to launch a remote care program for up to 500 patients across Nome and 15 surrounding villages. Backed by Alaska’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the initiative aims to identify health risks earlier and reduce avoidable hospitalizations and medical evacuations.

The program will initially support hypertension, behavioral health, diabetes and prenatal care. Using a tablet provided by AMC Health, participants will be able to share blood pressure and glucose readings, complete regular health check-ins and receive video education, helping care teams identify changes earlier between visits. Providers may also use the tablets for virtual visits as the program evolves.

A Growing Need

NSHC recorded 163 medevac flights in the 2026 fiscal year (FY2026), up from 125 the previous year. In a region spanning about 44,000 square miles (roughly the same size as Ohio) with no connecting roads, the program is designed to help patients receive timely care in their own communities and reduce avoidable hospitalizations and medical evacuations. Among participating patients, the initiative is targeting a 10% reduction in avoidable hospitalizations and medevac flights.

“Remote care has its greatest potential in places where geography creates the greatest barriers to care,” said Nesim Bildirici, founder and CEO of AMC Health. “Our role is to give Norton Sound’s care teams the information they need to recognize risk earlier and help more patients remain stable and healthy in their own communities.”

The need is particularly acute for pregnant patients. NSHC recorded 17 obstetrical medevac flights in FY2026, up from six the year before, underscoring the challenge of identifying potential complications early for patients living far from hospital-based care.

The program is supported by an approved award under Alaska’s Rural Health Transformation effort, part of a federal initiative to strengthen healthcare access in rural communities. Alaska received $272.2 million in first-year funding, the second-largest award in the nation. In the Bering Strait region, the NSHC–AMC Health initiative is designed to bring together remote monitoring, maternal health support, chronic care and behavioral health services in one program.

Extending Care Beyond the Clinic

Approximately half of the program’s planned 500 participants will receive support for diabetes and hypertension, while the remainder are expected to receive behavioral health support. Prenatal monitoring is also planned. Using a tablet provided by AMC Health, participants will be able to share blood pressure and glucose readings, complete regular health check-ins and receive video education while staying connected with their care team between visits.

The tablets are being configured to work over cellular service, without requiring home internet or a smartphone. Devices will be delivered to village clinics, where staff will help prepare them for patients to take home. NSHC plans to add three full-time staff members to monitor patient readings and respond to concerns. By helping care teams identify changes in a patient’s condition between appointments, the program is designed to support earlier intervention and more timely care in patients’ home communities.

“We chose to build this program across medical and behavioral health because that reflects how patients experience their health,” said Megan MacKiernan, director of quality improvement and risk management at Norton Sound Health Corporation. “A patient managing diabetes may also be managing depression, and a pregnant patient living several villages away still needs her care team to know when something changes. This gives us another way to stay connected to our patients wherever they live.”