Study Released: Role of Oil and Gas in Alaska’s Economy
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA) released a study today on the role of oil and gas in Alaska’s economy. Information Insights and the McDowell Group collaborated on the research, which used 2007 industry data to update a study the two firms published in 2001. The 2008 report expands on the earlier work quantifying the economic role of the oil and gas industry on specific regions within the state including the Municipality of Anchorage, FNSB, KPB, Mat-Su Borough, North Slope Borough, and the Valdez region, and examining direct, indirect and induced economic effects of the industry in these regions and communities. Brian Rogers presented the study findings at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce’s Monday Forum. An overview of the results appears on the AOGA website. Download the full report (large file). (more…)
Ch’eghutsen’
Provide social marketing to Ch’eghutsen’, a federal grant funded program that serves severely emotionally disturbed children and youth in Fairbanks and some Interior villages. Advertising created for the program won first place in competition among grantee social marketing efforts.
Citizen Review Panel
Provide staff support for the Citizen Review Panel, a statewide volunteer group mandated by state and federal law to provide oversight to the Office of Children’s Services. Support includes logistics of meeting rooms, agendas and minutes, scheduling travel and interviews for site visits, and writing reports and analyzing data.
Delisa Culpepper, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
In any group you have a few individuals who will speak up, and many who won’t. Consensor allows you to find out what everyone is thinking about the issues.
Behavioral Health Community Planning
In 2004, the Alaska Mental Health Board contracted with Information Insights to conduct a statewide planning and implementation project which included providing technical assistance to communities interested in doing community-wide planning for the coordination of behavioral health services. Information Insights provided assistance to 17 communities, involving consumers, behavioral health providers, representatives of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS), Corrections, primary care, and other key community stakeholders. Project updates and findings were presented to the statewide behavioral health provider organization and the COSIG project steering committee (twice for each group). Oral presentation of project results was not accompanied by an electronic presentation.
Negotiated Rulemaking for Commercial Passenger Vessels
This 2002 project provided research support and process facilitation for the development of proposed regulations to implement Alaska’s new commercial passenger vessel program for vessel waste handling and wastewater discharges into marine waters of the State of Alaska. The goals of this process were to achieve consensus among members of the Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance (CPVEC) Committee on the regulatory language, to submit their recommendations to the department, and to identify outstanding issues where consensus was not achieved. This was the first negotiated regulation making completed under AS 44.62.710 – 44.62.800.
TCC Wellness and Visioning Meetings
Between June 2002 and May 2005, Information Insights served as meeting planner and facilitator for a series of convocations that brought together the tribal Chiefs, Elders, often a youth representative, the Tribal Administrator, and senior staff of Tanana Chiefs Conference. The role of Information Insights included facilitating joint decision-making with the rest of the steering committee to determine when the invitations would be issued to the Tribes, how many people would attend, times and locations of events, refreshments, speakers, entertainment, structure of each day and desired results. Our staff then facilitated the two- and three-day conferences, provided meeting supplies, transcribed easel notes from breakout sessions, and produced reports.
Behavioral Health Practitioners in Alaska
Ilisagvik College (Barrow, Alaska) contracted with Information Insights in 2004 to conduct a study of Alaska Natives and other Native Americans working in mental health and related programs in Alaska for the purpose of promoting behavioral health careers among Alaska Natives. The goal of the study was to gain a greater understanding of the current Alaska Native behavioral health workforce. Information was gathered about the types of behavioral health programs and services in Native communities, the number of Alaska Natives and other Native Americans currently working in this field in Alaska, and the training programs and opportunities currently available along with the number of Alaska Natives and other Native Americans in those programs. In addition to gathering workforce information from behavioral health programs from throughout the state, sixty individuals gave in-depth information in personal telephone interviews. Those interviewed included behavioral health providers, directors of behavioral health programs, and community members.
Flint Hills Resources Research Project
Information Insights subcontracted with the Nerland Agency public relations firm to conduct research on public opinion regarding Flint Hills Resources, the new owner of the oil refinery in North Pole. In October 2004, Information Insights conducted a household telephone survey to collect baseline information regarding the public’s opinion of Flint Hills Resources (FHR) and energy issues in general prior to any advertising on FHR’s behalf. A follow-up survey was conducted in February and March of 2006 after the advertising campaign to assess changes in the public’s opinions regarding FHR and local energy issues. Over three dozen key community and legislative informants were interviewed regarding these issues as well as how FHR might reach out to the local community. The project was completed in March 2006.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Health Plan
Information Insights conducted research and facilitated development of a health care plan for the Mat-Su Borough. Substantial research was conducted to determine the needs and desires of local residents related to health care access. Data collection involved a telephone survey of 400 residents selected randomly from all residential phone numbers in the area that were not on the do not call list. Survey results were analyzed in SPSS. Twenty-eight community meetings were conducted in each community in the Mat-Su. The meetings were primarily held in conjunction with other community meetings in order to capitalize on interest and turn out. Finally, 40 key informants were interviewed. Those interview responses were coded and entered into Nvivo, a qualitative software analysis tool. The project concluded in March 2006 with adoption of the plan by the Mat-Su Borough Assembly. The Executive Summary of the report can be viewed at:
http://healthnetwork.infoinsights.com/pdf/execsum_final.pdf