Help

Overview

This page shares the progress we've made over the past two years as we work towards our goals to modernize our website.

We'll keep this page updated with:

• The challenges we’re working on
• Where they fall on our priority list
• What we’re doing to improve your experience
• Tips to help you find what you need

We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but a project this big takes time. Some parts of the site are still being connected or fixed. In short, there’s still more work to do.

We're committed to finishing the job—making the website easier to use and helping you find important information quickly.

Current Challenges

We’re using a continuous improvement approach to make sure our website better meets the needs of the people who rely on it for on-time information and access to services.

We know there are still some issues, and we’re actively working to fix them.

Thank you for your patience as we make these improvements!

Broken links and redirects (404: "page not found" errors)

Impact:

• More than 1,000 pages, sometimes linked to published materials, appear to be missing. Users have reported a lack of access to important information and services.

What we are doing:

• Our team is using a short-term fix that has to be applied to each page, one-at-a-time, by hand.
• This process takes a lot of time but is so important! We are prioritizing the most-used links with the greatest public impact. At the same time, we will keep working with our contractor to find a permanent, system-wide solution.

Search results aren't great... yet!

Impact:

• Search results continue to list PDFs first, instead of the webpages that host those documents, forms, and other items. Users report difficulty and frustration in finding what they are looking for quickly.
  

What we are doing:

• Applying more "weight" to the topic, education, service, and resource pages, making it easier for the system to find them first.
• Adding additional key words to help the system find the terms that people are used to referring to when looking for items.
• Changing titles of items to a more consistent naming structure to improve predictable outcomes.

Coming soon

In the coming months, the site will add language translation, chat, and better display and search features—all designed to make the website easier to use and more accessible for everyone!

How to navigate our website

Search the site by service, topic, audience, or organization to find what you need faster:

• Services – These pages explain a health program or service. They include forms, contact info, and resources to help you get care or support.
• Education – These pages provide information and materials to help you learn more about a subject or service.
• Topics – These pages group together related items to make it easier to find what you're looking for.
• Organizations – These pages give a short overview of our team or group, explaining what they do and how they help Alaskans.
• Resources – These pages offer links, documents, and tools related to a specific subject.

Important updates 

Here are a few things to check if you're still having trouble:

• Web addresses have changed – Please update your bookmarks and check any links you share on websites, in newsletters, or other materials

• Pages look different now – To find forms, resources, or contact information, scroll to the "Resources" section at the bottom of each page

• Older content has been archived – In most cases, information older than 24 months has been removed from the main site and placed in the State Library System

Why did the website change?

Now more than ever, it's important for Alaskans to understand how changes around us may affect our health care system. This new website was created to share updates, explain impacts, and show what actions are being taken—quickly and clearly.

By using modern tools, we can better support our mission: to promote the health, well-being, and self-sufficiency of all Alaskans.

Main goals for the new website: 

• Archive old content to make it easier to find more current, accurate information
  Content that's been transitioned to our archive can be found here
• Reorganize content by topic, service, and audience type, not by division or program
• Connect Alaskans to our work by displaying related services, educational information, and external links at the bottom of pages to inform users of additional areas of support or information that may relate to their original search
• Support all mobile devices by using a responsive design, making it easier to submit documents, forms, and other items, like pictures and screenshots 
• Improve accessibility by using plain, common language and removing access barriers 

Your feedback matters

Our goal is continuous improvement, and your feedback is vital. Report any issues using the “Find a problem?” survey link at the bottom of each page.