Denise Damewood is a consultant for the State of Alaska, Department of Health, specifically within the Sector of Public Health and Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA). Based in the Southeast region of Alaska, she has been the lead public health nurse in Sitka since 2019 while also serving as the itinerant nurse for a community of 9,000 residents. This community includes four seafood processing plants, three remote fish hatcheries, and four rural, unincorporated areas accessible only by float plane.
Denise has developed strong partnerships with the seafood industry, working collaboratively with seafood plants, floating processors, hatcheries, and commercial fishermen. She engages closely with community leaders, especially AMSEA to promote health and wellness, focusing on underserved and at-risk individuals who require medical care.
Denise is the founder and director of Project Gabe, named in memory of her stepson, Gabe Johnston, who tragically lost his life to an opioid and fentanyl overdose in 2022. Launched in March 2022, Project Gabe provides opioid education, recovery options, and harm reduction resources to commercial seafood fishermen throughout Alaska. A key aspect of Project Gabe’s opioid education initiative includes the distribution of opioid emergency boxes and dry bags containing opioid reversal medications across
various sectors of Alaska’s commercial fishing industry.
The State of Alaska, and AMSEA fully support Project Gabe. The project leverages the expertise of public health nurses and staff from the Department of Health, along with community support. The strength of this teamwork, along with a skilled workforce and robust community partnerships, will be crucial for the growth and success of Project Gabe as it aims to educate and save lives.