Alaska Mental Health Trust History Project Jukebox

By Karen Brewster

The recently completed Alaska Mental Health Trust History Project Jukebox is now available online at:

http://jukebox.uaf.edu/mentalhealth

A project of the Oral History Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the site features interviews with twenty-nine individuals talking about the history of mental health services in Alaska.

Topics include Morningside Hospital in Oregon, the legal battle and settlement over the management of the state’s mental health trust program, changes in the delivery of mental health services through time, Harborview Developmental Center in Valdez, Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage, and creation of the Alaska Mental Health Trust.

The struggle for the civil rights of those with mental disabilities in Alaska, the development of a system of care, and establishment and responsibilities of the Alaska Mental Health Trust is a little-known aspect of Alaska history. These stories, many of which have only been known by the individuals who took part in the early days of treating and caring for Alaska's mentally ill, have rarely been presented in Alaska history classes. Now, Project Jukebox has preserved these stories and made them accessible to the public.

The project is supported by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Alaska Humanities Forum, and National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed on the website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, please contact Karen Brewster at karen.brewster@alaska.edu, (907) 474-6672.