Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106
04/28/2005 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
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| Presentation: Family Wellness Warriors Initiative, Southcentral Foundation | |
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| Presentation: Family Wellness Warriors Initiative, Southcentral Foundation | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 28, 2005
3:07 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Vice Chair
Representative Tom Anderson
Representative Lesil McGuire
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: FAMILY WELLNESS WARRIORS INITIATIVE, SOUTHCENTRAL
FOUNDATION
- HEARD
PRESENTATION: PROTECTING YOU, PROTECTING ME, ANGIE WRIGHT,
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL AND DRUG DEPENDENCE
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
KATHERINE GOTTLIEB, President and CEO
Southcentral Foundation
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the
presentation.
DON SHUGAK
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the
presentation.
EDNA SHUGAK
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the
presentation.
STEVE WILLIS
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the
presentation.
JEANNIE WILLIS
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the
presentation.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR WILSON announced that she was adjourning the recessed
4/26/05 meeting, which had never reconvened.
3:07:41 PM
CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:07:25 PM.
Representatives Kohring, Gardner, and Cissna were present at the
call to order.
^PRESENTATION: FAMILY WELLNESS WARRIORS INITIATIVE,
SOUTHCENTRAL FOUNDATION
CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business was the
presentation of the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative,
Southcentral Foundation.
3:09:23 PM
KATHERINE GOTTLIEB, President and CEO, Southcentral Foundation
(SCF), said SCF is a $110 million Alaska Native/American Indian
primary care organization that "runs a primary care center and
other community activities around Anchorage and [the
Matanuska/Susitna (MatSu)] Valley." She reviewed the area in
which SCF operates clinics. She said the organization receives
federal, state, and foundation funds, and it generates third-
party revenue through Medicaid and Medicare. Ms. Gottlieb
indicated that the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative is funded
through SCF, Rasmussen, Paul Allen, the Alaska Native Health
Board, and the Department of Justice. She reported that SCF has
contributed approximately $885,000 for the last three years.
MS. GOTTLIEB revealed that she is a "child of war." She asked
the committee members to imagine: At the age of five, she
witnessed her father getting hit and blood splattering at her
feet, and she witnessed her mother being beaten by a stranger.
She was also a child subject to abuse and neglect; when she
tried to tell her mother what was happening, her mother slapped
her across the face and called her a wicked child. She
explained the reason for her mother's actions was because she,
too, was a child of domestic violence, child abuse, and child
neglect, and because of that became an alcoholic who died when
Ms. Gottlieb was 12 years old. Ms. Gottlieb stated it is by the
grace of God that she is not also an alcoholic. She said:
It's only ... after many years of counseling, after a
long internal walk of spiritual and emotional growth,
after watching many ... people live out the same war,
after becoming a mother of six and grandmother of
twenty, I made a determination as an Alaska Native
person: I'm about breaking the silence. I'm not
going to sit back; ... I'm not going to just let it
happen to my children, or my cousins, or any of my
relatives. And the beginning walk of this is to start
by telling my story. And that's part of what the
Family Wellness Warriors Initiative is about.
3:14:33 PM
DON SHUGAK described his beginnings in Old Harbor. He said it
was a beautiful place when alcohol wasn't there, but when it was
introduced it tore up the structure of his family and others.
He related that his own father was verbally and physically
abusive. Mr. Shugak said he was the oldest of 10 children. He
related an incident which resulted in one of his sisters going
to the hospital. He said his father was suffering from issues
that were a result of his own abuse growing up; the abuse moved
from one generation to the next. He said God somehow gave him
the ability to see that the way he was growing up was not
normal, and ever since he has looked for ways to address these
issues. He agreed with Ms. Gottlieb's use of the term,
"children of war."
MR. SHUGAK said he became involved with Family Wellness Warriors
three years ago after being told about it by Ms. Gottlieb. He
said initially he thought the organization was just for women's
issues, adding, "When you grow up in a village ... that's just
the way it is." Mr. Shugak said Ms. Gottlieb called him out to
be a warrior, which called to him. He said he had become
abusive to his children and they suffer for that today. For
example, because he told them they were stupid, they have
trouble studying today. He said his wife told him he needed to
choose between his anger and his family. He said he chose to
address the issues in his life and become a warrior for his
family. He said up to 80 percent of people in Alaska's villages
have been abused in some way.
MR. SHUGAK said Family Wellness Warriors began getting
recognition in the state about four years ago and helped
popularize the idea of breaking silence through the media.
3:22:12 PM
EDNA SHUGAK testified that she was raised in a small village on
Lake Iliamna and, while working in Anchorage, she asked God for
a husband and met Don Shugak soon after. She described the
beginning of their marriage, saying that they married so quickly
that she didn't know him well. She said her own father died
when she was five years old, so she didn't have a father role
model and did not see how a husband would behave. She said she
and her husband attended bible school together. Ms. Shugak said
her husband would become angry and lose control, but when asked
about it later, he would say he didn't remember. She said her
husband was a pastor for three years and then a teacher. When
he came home, he expected her to keep the children quiet.
3:25:46 PM
MS. SHUGAK said it seemed the older her husband got the angrier
and more critical he became. She said she wanted her son and
daughter to grow up in a safe home, but it seemed to become
increasingly unsafe. She expressed that her husband seemed to
be missing an opportunity to raise his son into a man, and their
son, who had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), was withdrawing.
She described her existence as a lonely one with no intimacy or
trust with her husband, and she said there were nights when she
wanted to run away. She confirmed Mr. Shugak's testimony that
she gave him an ultimatum between choosing his anger or his
family. Now that Mr. Shugak doesn't have his anger anymore,
Mrs. Shugak said, their marriage is richer. She said she and
her husband have spoken at length with their children about the
bad times, and she and her husband tell their story to others.
She concluded, "I cannot tell you the amount of people that come
up and they tell me, 'That's my story.'"
3:32:41 PM
STEVE WILLIS stated that it is not easy for him to speak before
the committee, because one thing the Family Wellness Warriors
Initiative is about is ending abuse and he was an abuser. Mr.
Willis stated that he is the son of a missionary family. At the
age of 13 he left home for high school and attended five
different high schools in four years. At the age of six, he
revealed, he was exposed to sexual abuse by peers, but had
nowhere to turn, because there was an abusive atmosphere at
home. He said, "I know that early on my mother suspected
something, but I knew what would happen if I owned up to what
was going on and, out of fear, I kept it quiet." From his early
years through high school, one side of him lived as a church boy
doing things he ought to do, while the other was drinking,
carousing, smoking, and doing as he pleased. He said he isn't
proud of that at all.
MR. WILLIS said his first marriage was at 18, lasted 11 years,
and produced two children. He met his current wife, Jeannie
Willis, and described her as his princess. He said he never had
any intention of hurting her, but the use of alcohol in the home
"set the stage for lowered inhibitions and bouts and fits of
anger." He spoke of an instance when he crossed the line and
hit his wife, which made her afraid of him. He said they raised
three children. He said that although he thought he kept the
anger directed at their mother camouflaged, they could see it.
He said his oldest daughter couldn't wait to leave home at 15 or
16 years old.
3:36:50 PM
MR. WILLIS said the family changed directions in its life,
moving out of a little village and into a larger town where they
attended church and started cutting back on alcohol, finally
giving it up. However, the damage that was done still existed.
Mr. Willis said he was invited to a Family Wellness Warriors
conference. On the application form there were categories to
fill out and Mr. Willis said, "I didn't feel that any of them
applied to me because I'd never been abused." He still attended
and discovered "a lot of the things that cause what later
developed into an abusive lifestyle."
MR. WILLIS said his son was a teenager at the time and wanted to
be out of the house. He said his son was a tough, idealistic,
and honest young man who would stand up against him and "almost
get in my face and stay in my space." He told his son he wanted
to give him the opportunity to speak his mind. His son broke
down into tears and said, "You beat my mama, and she couldn't
stand up against you, but I have to." He expressed his thanks
to the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative program for making
him cognizant of what was going on and giving him the strength
to allow his son his freedom and voice, and to stop the pattern
of abuse.
3:40:06 PM
JEANNIE WILLIS said she grew up with 12 siblings and, as a
child, saw things she shouldn't have. She watched as her
parents got drunk and her dad hit her mom and as her brothers
got drunk and fought in the house as all the little children
screamed, cried, telling them to stop. She said she saw her
friends run from their own houses to neighbors to escape
fighting in their houses. She said most of those times were
brought about because of alcohol. Ms. Willis said cleaning her
mother's bloody nose and trying to get her to bed in order to
get up in time to get the children to school was embarrassing,
cleaning up broken dishes and furniture made her angry, and
hearing people gossip, thinking that she wasn't listening was
humiliating. She said she began putting up walls and pretending
these things were not happening.
MS. WILLIS said she married at 21 and, after a couple years, the
marriage headed downhill. She stated that her husband was
unfaithful and physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive.
She said, "His rage was so bad that I feared for my well-being."
She said she hid in her house because of her black eyes and hid
the things that her children did wrong because the punishment
would be too much. She hid the fact that she was unhappy and
hid financial mistakes, because if her husband found out he
would turn into a "raging maniac." She said, "My husband would
not hurt our kids intentionally, but the emotional abuse was
done without him even knowing it." She continued, "I wouldn't
hurt my kids intentionally, either, but when I got to the point
of giving up all of my dreams, I stole their dreams, too."
MS. WILLIS said she and her family moved out of the village in
1996 and decided to clean up their lives. In January 2004, she
said, "We went to the conference that was put on by Family
Wellness Warriors Initiative," which she said was a great
turning point in her life. She emphasized the importance of
looking at past damage in order to figure out "why you are who
you are today." She stated, "My husband and I gave up that past
life and are on our journey to healing. We do give a lot of
credit to Family Wellness Warriors Initiative ...; it helped us
think about things from our past and to start working through
it." Ms. Willis said she cannot help thinking about all the
people who are going through a life similar to ours - all the
people in Alaska who have been through past damage and don't
realize how it is affecting them today.
3:45:40 PM
MS. GOTTLIEB said SCF runs adolescent, youth, and residential
treatment programs. She also mentioned an adult facility, which
she said the state funds. Every resident who has used the
services of SCF has issues with child abuse and neglect. She
said SCF runs a huge behavioral health facility that has
provided services to over 40,000 Alaska Natives, 70-75 percent
of whom report domestic violence and child abuse/neglect in
their background. People medicate with alcohol to bury those
things within them relating to domestic violence and child
abuse/neglect. She stated, "Family Wellness Warriors Initiative
is not just another program; it's a movement. We are taking
hold of child sexual abuse, child neglect, and domestic
violence, and we're breaking the silence." She said it's an
Alaska Native-led initiative that is changing a belief system
that encourages domestic violence, abuse, and neglect as
socially acceptable and tolerable. She said the movement has
been endorsed by Alaska Native communities, councils, and
statewide governing bodies through resolutions. She said Family
Wellness Warriors Initiative is in the doors of villages,
churches, communities, families, and individuals; it provides
the means for full discussion of all the issues around domestic
violence, child abuse and neglect. The initiative is creating a
safe umbrella of village community adults and training Alaskans
to be competent, skilled, and equipped to respond to prevent
child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence.
MS. GOTTLIEB concluded as follows:
I went to ... [the] surgeon general's workshop ...,
[which] was around making prevention of child
maltreatment a national priority. And he was there
for two days. He listened to about 100 of us across
the nation, by invitation, around the issues of
domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, child
maltreatment. And when I got up to speak I told him
[and the people that were there] a little bit of my
story ..., and said if he wants to make ... child
maltreatment a national priority, and if this body of
professionals wants to make child maltreatment a
national priority, then I would encourage
professionals and people around to talk about how
they've been harmed ... and even the harm that they
have done. Because it's not just about low income,
[minorities], or Alaska Natives. And the surgeon got
up and in his closing remarks he made me cry, because
he told his story. It was very powerful. So, that's
what Family Wellness Warriors Initiative is about.
3:49:38 PM
CHAIR WILSON expressed her appreciation for the work of the
Family Wellness Warriors Initiative and said that those involved
who are brave enough to tell their story truly are warriors.
3:50:29 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER shared that one of the things that has
always troubled her is when rural children are held in state
custody in Anchorage. She said sometimes they have been
transferred there for treatment, but many times their families
have brought them into the city for other reasons and "they come
to the attention of somebody and come into custody." She said
she worries about children from a small place who not only are
yanked away from their families, but also are in culture shock
in a new school and eating different foods, for example. She
said, "It's a short-term fix, maybe, for that child, balanced by
a lot of harm that's also being done." She asked Ms. Gottlieb
if she has any suggestions as to what to do with these children.
MS. GOTTLIEB said currently some of the nonprofit organizations
are involved; they are working specifically with children who
are under state custody. She said SCF is not specifically
involved in that world; it is targeting the adults and the
environment to become safer. She said, "So, it's a partnership
connecting with people who are dealing with the children that
are involved in this picture." She interpreted Representative
Gardner as saying [the goal has not yet been met], and she said
she doesn't have an answer for her.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER said that in her work as guardian ad
litem she learned that people really can and do change,
sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. She offered an
example.
3:53:44 PM
MS. GOTTLIEB reemphasized making the environment safe for the
children before coming to talk with them.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked what could have made Ms. Gottlieb's
own experience different.
MS. GOTTLIEB answered, "A family like this who's ready to break
the silence, change their lives, and take control of their
community."
3:54:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA thanked those who had testified and told
them that it is an honor that they trusted the committee to hear
their story. She said it sounds like the Family Wellness
Warrior Initiative is about people helping people, which is
where things have to start.
MS. GOTTLIEB noted that SCF held a conference in Fairbanks which
150 people [attended] and during which 32 lay people who had
been trained came and volunteered 10 days of their time.
3:56:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING expressed his thanks for the previous
testimony. He reminded those in the room and all other
listeners that women can be perpetrators of abuse, as well. He
said it seems society is moving in the direction of "portraying
the man as the bad person in the household."
3:57:00 PM
MS. GOTTLIEB said in the conferences, both men and women are
telling their stories of being abusers. She said Family
Wellness Warriors Initiative is asking men to be the front line
of protection. She said, "We have been calling out the warriors
and they have been rising. It's a big deal."
3:58:53 PM
MS. GOTTLIEB announced that training is available, the web site
is www.southcentralfoundation.com, and people can request more
information or find out how to get involved by calling 1-800-
478-3343. In response to a question from Chair Wilson, she said
the state could provide help to the Family Wellness Warriors
Initiative, by endorsing it as one of the effective movements in
the state. She said the organization has been partnering with
the Department of Corrections.
CHAIR WILSON concluded, "We'll see what we can do."
4:00:59 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting
was adjourned at 4:01:03 PM.
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