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Senate Panel Advances Nine Board Nominees After Confirmation Hearings | Alaska News
Senate Panel Advances Nine Board Nominees After Confirmation Hearings
Frame from "Senate Health & Social Services, 4/16/26, 3:30pm" · Source
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Senate Panel Advances Nine Board Nominees After Confirmation Hearings
by Alaska NewsMay 11, 2026(1h ago)6 min readJuneau
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The Alaska Senate Health and Social Services Committee recommended nine gubernatorial appointees to professional licensing boards be forwarded to a joint session for consideration Thursday after confirmation hearings that addressed rural healthcare access, scope of practice debates, and questions about actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee heard testimony from nominees to six different boards during its April 16 session in Juneau. All nine appointees who appeared will be considered for confirmation by a joint session of the legislature, likely in May, according to committee chair Sen. Dunbar.
The nominees included two dentists, two chiropractors, two pharmacists, an optometry public member, a midwifery public member, and a professional counselor. Two other scheduled appointees, Ashley Scholl to the Board of Nursing and Dr. Kathleen Rice to the Board of Examiners in Optometry, did not appear for the hearing. Dunbar said the committee would try to reschedule them.
Dental Board Nominees Emphasize Rural Access
Dr. Michael Sanders, nominated to the Board of Dental Examiners, told the committee he has practiced in Kotzebue and Milotak and lectured on rural access to care through a medical residency program at Providence Hospital.
"Anything that we can do to ease the regulatory process and approve programs in rural Alaska is certainly worth consideration as long as we can keep it safe," Sanders said.
Sanders, who has owned a group practice in Eagle River since 2005, served in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has worked as an expert witness in the dental field for the past five years.
Dr. Travis Perkins, also nominated to the Board of Dental Examiners, worked for a Native corporation visiting villages across the Kodiak region starting in 2018 before moving to Soldotna in 2021. He identified the limited number of dentists and healthcare providers in rural areas as the board's biggest challenge.
Pharmacy Nominees Support Expanded Provider Status
Both Board of Pharmacy nominees expressed support for expanding pharmacists' scope of practice, pointing to Colorado as a model.
Dr. Rebecca Balmes, who operates Infuse Alaska, a home infusion pharmacy in Anchorage, said her training at the University of Colorado emphasized "practicing at the top of my license, improving public health, and caring for the whole patient."
"Colorado is actually one of the forerunners in trying to get provider status for pharmacists," Balmes said. "I know they have been successful with that over the past couple years, and it looks like Alaska is following their example."
This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by editors before publishing. Every claim can be verified against the original transcript. If you spot an error, let us know.
Dr. Lillian Okpoleke, director of pharmacy at Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, described how pharmacists responded during Typhoon Halong in October 2025, working together to support patients who lost everything during the storm.
Okpoleke, who has been a pharmacist for 22 years and has lived in Alaska for four years, said she wants to serve the state after seeing how the community came together during the disaster.
Balmes also discussed challenges posed by pharmacy benefit managers, particularly for small pharmacies and rural patients. PBMs "can often get in the way of providing care to patients" and create delays and cost barriers for smaller operations, she said.
Professional Counselor Faces Questions About COVID-Era Business
Crystal Herring, nominated for reappointment to the Board of Professional Counselors, faced extended questioning about her role as co-CEO of a company that operated a COVID treatment center at the Golden Lion Hotel in Anchorage.
Sen. Löki Tobin asked Herring to address concerns about the company charging patients while receiving waivers of utilities, permit fees, and rent from the Municipality of Anchorage.
Herring said the company disclosed its fee structure and insurance billing practices to patients before providing services, though she acknowledged that sick patients may have had difficulty understanding the information at the time.
"We were absolutely disclosing the fee structure, and we were disclosing the billing process to the best of our ability," Herring said. "Obviously, we were working with some very sick individuals because COVID kind of did a number on all of us."
Dunbar asked Herring about a recommendation she wrote for then-Health Director Joe Gerace, who was later found unsuitable for employment by the municipality.
"I learned to make sure to check information that you are given by outside sources and verify," Herring said. "Sometimes when information is presented to us, we have to verify those facts for ourselves rather than accept the information that is given without any research."
Herring has been a licensed professional counselor in Alaska since 2013 and has worked in the profession for 28 years. She initially served on the board from September 2024 through March 2026 and is now nominated for a full four-year term.
Tobin also questioned Herring about her company WECA LLC, which was originally established in 2011 to provide mental health transport services under Title 47. The company later expanded to include inter-facility medical ambulance transport. Herring clarified that the Board of Professional Counselors does not have oversight of most staff who work in mental health transport, as those positions do not require licensure.
Chiropractic Board Nominees Discuss Scope Issues
Two chiropractors nominated to the Board of Chiropractic Examiners described ongoing challenges in defining the profession's scope of practice.
Dr. Walter Campbell, who has served on the board since 2010 with a four-year break required by term limits, said scope of practice issues "will constantly raise their head" because chiropractic is "more of a holistic profession" with broad statutes.
"With the exception of a few red lines, drugs and surgery, it is a very broad field," Campbell said. "And the statutes are sort of written with that breadth and vagary in mind."
Campbell, who operates a network of chiropractic, physical therapy, and medical clinics across Alaska including in rural areas, said the board must interpret what falls within the scope, making it important to have seasoned chiropractors alongside public members.
Dr. Edward Barrington, who previously served on the board about eight years ago, said the board primarily ensures qualifications are current and handles investigations through the department, which passes cases to the board for decisions. He noted that scope issues are being examined by professional societies but should be addressed through public entities rather than the board itself. Barrington also mentioned the board's involvement in AO360, a regulation-streamlining project.
Other Nominees
Charles Rudstrom, nominated for reappointment to the Board of Examiners in Optometry as a public member, said he had served on the board for the previous three years. He said the board spends significant time balancing quality training requirements with accessibility, particularly regarding remote learning versus in-person training for optometrists in rural Alaska.
Stacia Miller, nominated to the Board of Certified Direct Entry Midwives as a public member, works as an operations supervisor for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in oil spill prevention and response. She said her experience losing an infant son due to a hospital accident drives her commitment to ensuring licensure standards reflect necessary training and safeguards. Miller told the committee the board is currently working on redlining its regulations.
The committee opened public testimony on the nominees but received none. In accordance with AS 39.05.080, members signed a committee report forwarding the nine appointees to a joint session for final consideration. Signing the report does not reflect individual approval or disapproval of the nominations.
The committee's next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, for a second round of confirmation hearings.
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