Dr. Ben Head is planned to step up as medical director for Ilanka Community Health Center on Sunday, Aug. 1. Head attended medical school at the University of Washington through the WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program, a collaborative program connecting universities in various northwestern states. During residency training in Duluth, Minn., Head focused on endoscopy and on obstetrics and gynecology, two areas where Cordova has limited capacity.
“The best part of being in medicine is being able to take care of moms and new babies, because it’s the only time people come to the hospital or the clinic when nothing’s wrong,” Head said.
Though there are no plans to begin delivering babies in Cordova, Head hopes local health care providers will eventually be able to offer colonoscopies to residents. A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible instrument with a tiny video camera at the end is inserted through the anus to examine the colon. If necessary, polyps or other abnormal tissue can be detected and removed during a colonoscopy.
During his first week after moving to Cordova in May, Head encountered seven or eight people who were unwilling or unable to visit Anchorage to undergo colonoscopies, he said. However, it’s recommended for the general U.S. population to begin getting colonoscopies every 10 years beginning at age 45, he said. Some polyps develop into cancer, a process that usually takes 10-15 years, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic. A colonoscopy may allow a polyp to be removed before this occurs. Though most polyps do not become cancerous, colorectal cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among both men and women in the U.S., according to a report by the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, and is expected to cause about 52,980 deaths in 2021, according to the report.
“It’s one of the biggest killers in America right now,” Head said.
However, some population groups, like Alaska Natives, are at higher risk for polyps than the general population, and are recommended to begin screening earlier, Head said.
The main roadblock to conducting colonoscopies to Cordova is not the cost of the instruments themselves, but of the room where the procedure is performed, Head said. Though a colonoscopy is not a surgical procedure, it must be performed in a surgical suite, a specialized room that’s kept sterile.
However, there is good news for colonoscopy patients: the preparatory process for the procedure is now much less unpleasant than it once was, Head said. Before the procedure, the patient must clear waste material out of his or her colon so that the scope can search for polyps and other irregularities. In the past, this meant drinking a laxative that might result in a night of barely interrupted vomiting and diarrhea. Now, there are far gentler laxatives, such as MiraLAX, available, Head said. The colonoscopy procedure itself takes about 45 minutes, and patients usually feel “back to normal” about an hour after the end of the procedure, he said.
“They’re much quicker now, and not nearly as uncomfortable,” Head said. “I’d say, don’t stay away from a colonoscopy because of the prep.”
Back from the Lower 48
Head was raised in Nome, and accepted the position of ICHC medical director in part so he could settle his family back in Alaska, he said. Head said he wanted to return to a community off the road system.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have any fast-food restaurants,” Head said. “There were no movie theatres. I think it taught me to be happy wherever I am, and we wanted something similar for our kids.”
Head was also motivated by a desire to work in Tribal health care, a field where his father worked for 30 years. Life in Cordova has so far exceeded expectations — though Head hasn’t caught as many halibut as he’d like, he quipped.
Head has also performed emergency-room work at Cordova Community Medical Center as a contractor, he said. Dr. Kristel Rush will serve as ICHC’s medical director until Aug. 1.
