All Alaska Pediatric Partnership (A2P2) announced that Help Me Grow Alaska (HMG-AK) reached a major milestone this month: 10,000 cases, connecting families across 98 communities in Alaska to pediatric health, developmental, and family support services.
By the Numbers
- 98 Alaska communities served, plus additional families preparing to relocate to Alaska
- 4,205 households served
- 6,483 unique children served by Help Me Grow Family Support Specialists with many more served indirectly through a provider who contacted HMG-AK on their behalf.
Each case represents a family or child needing help—and a HMG-AK Family Support Specialist who listened, asked questions, and found the right resource so the family did not have to navigate alone.
“I received a referral from our pediatrician last year for a specialist and never acted on it because it was so overwhelming and time-consuming to call six providers just to get on a waitlist,” said one HMG-AK parent. “HMG did the research and legwork and connected me with a provider that had openings and (HMG) checked in later to see if it was a good fit. Having someone reach out to me, rather than adding it to my plate, was very helpful. Thank you!”
What Counts as a “Case”
A case is not the same as a family; it is tied to a specific need. A family referred for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy counts as three cases—one for each service. Two siblings referred for counseling count as two cases—one for each child. Each case requires its own resources, research, and follow-through.
This distinction matters because it illustrates the work involved in resource navigation and connection: 10,000 cases reflect 10,000 instances in which a Family Support Specialist met with a family, identified their needs—often uncovering additional needs beyond the initial referral—and helped them access support rather than face a complicated system alone.
What Help Me Grow Alaska Does
Help Me Grow Alaska is a free, statewide resource navigation and connection program that helps Alaska families locate appropriate health, developmental, behavioral, and social services for children and young adults from before birth through age 26, including prenatal care and support for expectant mothers.
Connecting with HMG-AK is easy. Families may self-refer or have a referral sent in for them by a doctor, community provider, school staff member, or fellow community member. When a referral or call comes in, a Family Support Specialist gathers information, helps clarify needs, researches all available resources, and personally connects the family to the right resources—taking into account waitlists and other factors that might affect the family’s ability to connect successfully. Language translation support is available, and HMG-AK services are free for both families and providers.
Common reasons families connect with HMG-AK include:
- Resource identification and family navigation
- Developmental concerns and screening
- Behavioral or mental health concerns
- Parent education and support
- Being new to Alaska
By reducing back-and-forth between families and providers, HMG-AK shortens delays, supports follow-through, and creates a clearer path through otherwise disconnected and complicated systems. Learn more at helpmegrowak.org.
A Milestone Years in the Making
HMG-AK opened its first case in January 2018. The program reached its 1,000th case in October 2021, and growth has accelerated steadily since: 3,000 cases by August 2023, 5,000 by September 2024, and 8,000 by October 2025. By June 2026, HMG-AK had served 10,000 cases, a reflection of both rising need and the program’s growing capacity to meet it.
“Each case connects a family to care and to something bigger: a statewide network of providers, programs, and partners working together rather than in silos,” said Tamar Ben-Yosef, A2P2 Executive Director. “That is A2P2’s mission in action, and Help Me Grow Alaska is one of its clearest examples.”
A Critical Moment for Investment in Alaska’s Children
This milestone arrives at a pivotal moment. As more Alaska families turn to Help Me Grow Alaska than ever before, recent reductions to state funding for children’s services threaten to widen the very gaps the program works to close. HMG-AK can connect families to the resources that exist—but it cannot create services where the funding behind them is insufficient.
Why This Work Matters: A Board Member’s Perspective
For A2P2 Board President Matt Findley, the milestone is personal.
“As a parent of a child with complex medical needs, I know firsthand how challenging it is to navigate Alaska’s health care system and support services alone,” Findley said. “Our son was born with severe hemophilia and experienced traumatic brain injury as an infant as a result of a bleed. Help Me Grow Alaska was not available at that time. For years, my wife and I coordinated his care ourselves, effectively making her the CEO of our son’s medical team. It was a full-time job. It’s easy to imagine how many families, already overwhelmed, get lost in the gears. Fast forward almost twenty years, and our son is a thriving young adult at the University of Alaska Anchorage, thanks in large part to our ability to coordinate his care. I am so glad Help Me Grow is now available to families in critical need, and it is rewarding to see how A2P2 impacts families across Alaska, case by case, through my service on the Board.”
About All Alaska Pediatric Partnership
In the 1990s, Alaska had limited access to comprehensive, specialized pediatric care and no clear path to change that—leaving families and providers to navigate a fragmented system largely on their own. All Alaska Pediatric Partnership (A2P2) was founded in 1996 to change that. Thirty years later, A2P2 supports coordinated, statewide systems of care for Alaska’s children and families through advocacy, community and provider outreach, and data-driven partnerships, and through its programs—Help Me Grow Alaska, community-based Partnership Meetings, the Early Childhood Network, the Home Visitor Alliance, and the annual All Alaska Pediatric Symposium. 2025 marked one of A2P2’s strongest years yet, serving thousands of families through Help Me Grow Alaska and convening hundreds of partners and stakeholders across the state. Learn more at www.a2p2.org.