Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Alaska's Comprehensive FASD Project

FASD 5 Year Project | Highlights | FASD Challenge | Response to FASD | Printable Version

January 1998 - September 2005

Office of FAS

In 1998, the State of Alaska began a renewed effort to address the devastating problem of prenatal exposure to alcohol, and the resulting life-long birth defects, establishing the Office of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome within the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS).

The mission of the Office is to prevent all alcohol-related birth defects and to improve the delivery of services to those individuals already affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

To meet this mission, four (4) primary goals have been established to address FASD across the state of Alaska:

  • Prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)
  • Diagnose children as early as possible
  • Improve lifelong outcomes for individuals with FASD through improved services
  • Document our progress and evaluate program outcomes

Project Funding

In October 2000, with the help of Senator Ted Stevens, the state entered into a 5-year, $29 million cooperative agreement with DHHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ($5.8 million per year) to initiate a statewide comprehensive, integrated approach to FASD prevention and systems improvement. These funds greatly enhanced the initial seed grant funding the Department received in January 1998 from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to initiate a renewed focus on fetal alcohol syndrome.

Prevalence of FASD in Alaska

With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Alaska was one of five state’s who comprised the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Surveillance Network (FASSNet), a collaboration between CDC, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Wisconsin and Alaska to develop a standardized, multi-source FASD surveillance method that can begin to provide consistent and comparable FASD prevalence rates across the country.

  • Alaska has the highest rate of FASD among the five FASSNet states at 1.4 per 1,000 live births;
  • Approximately 126 infants are born each year in Alaska who have been affected by maternal alcohol use during pregnancy;
  • Alaska Natives have a FASD prevalence rate of 4.8 per 1,000 live births.

State of Alaska, Office of FASD, July 30, 2002

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