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Barbara Johnson

Barbara Johnson

Barbara Johnson is Tlingit and was born on January 12, 1937 in Petersburg, Alaska. Her mother died when she was 6 months old, and her grandmother, Maggie John, raised her in Yakutat, Alaska. Her grandmother was a midwife and inspired Barbara's interest in healthcare. Barbara attended the Catholic Mission school in Skagway and Mount Edgecumbe school in Sitka. She met her husband when working at the Hood Bay Cannery and moved to Angoon with him in 1960. She became a volunteer health aide in the village, and in 1968 started to get paid when the Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) was established and provided a salary. She and Jessie Jim worked closely together for twenty years. Barbara moved back to Yakutat in 1988 to be closer to family, was hired as the health aide, and retired in October 2005.
Date of Birth:
Jan 12, 1937
Barbara Johnson appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
Barbara Johnson, Part 1

Barbara Johnson was interviewed on May 27, 2006 by Karen Brewster in Yakutat, Alaska. The interview took place at the Blue Heron Inn Bed and Breakfast, where Karen was staying, because it was quieter than Barbara's house. In this first part of a two part interview, Barbara talks about her early years as a health aide in Angoon, the introduction of the telephone, training she received, learning from her grandmother, the stress and hardship of health aide work, job satisfaction, the importance of community and family support, differences between being a health aide in Angoon and Yakutat, the use of traditional medicine, and dealing with the stresses and hardships of being the sole medical provider in a small village.

 2004-17-29_PT.1 Community Health Aide Program May 27, 2006
Barbara Johnson, Part 2

This is a continuation of the interview with Barbara Johnson on May 27, 2006 by Karen Brewster in Yakutat, Alaska. The interview took place at the Blue Heron Inn Bed and Breakfast, where Karen was staying, because it was quieter than Barbara's house. In this second part of a two part interview, Barbara talks about treating patients, changes in communication technology and the use of telemedicine, changes from federal to Native management of healthcare, and the Health Aide Association and certification process. She also talks about the use of traditional medicine, the emotional impacts of the job, and health aides needing to be creative problem solvers.

 2004-17-29_PT.2 Community Health Aide Program May 27, 2006