Pacific Islander Health Partnership
Since 2003, PIHP has been engaged in community driven, island tailored health promotion, education and training projects. These include: Pacific Island town hall gatherings on breast, cervical, colon, and prostate cancers; men's health support groups led by a Hawaiian/Samoan physician; women's health support groups discussing breast and cervical cancer; a Pacific Island cancer survivors network; a Tongan & Marshallese youth tobacco education project with Pacific Islander faith-based organizations; Aloha Senior projects that include hulacize and na hana lima no`eau (Hawaiian arts and cultural projects) led by a Native Hawaiian volunteer elder; senior computer training workshops; and Pacific Island grant writing and "meet the funders" workshops. PIHP members have completed Diabetes Management Training with Latino Health Access and continue to work with the API Diabetes Task Force with OCAPICA. Currently PIHP partners with the Orange County Cancer Detection Program and Susan G. Komen Foundation on a volunteer breast & cervical cancer assessment of Hawaiian and Marshallese women, a community based research project that includes training and IRB certification of several Marshallese and Hawaiian volunteer elders. PIHP members have met regularly since 2003 and include indigenous island volunteer leaders from Hawai`i, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Aotearoa-New Zealand, the Cook Islands (Polynesians); Guam, Northern Mariana, Marshall Islands (Micronesians), and Fiji (Melanesians). PIHP members share over 16 years of collaborative efforts in presenting the annual Pacific Islander Festival, leadership development and training workshops, youth tobacco control projects, health & diabetes screening activities, breast cancer and mammography focus groups, and other health related projects throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. PIHP is composed of representatives from civic clubs, cultural practitioners, island health and allied health professionals, schools of dance and culture (halau hula), athletic (surf and canoe paddling clubs) and other social (golf and bowling) groups, Pacific Island student organizations from highs and universities, faith-based organizations and networks, Island owned and/or managed small businesses, island language programs, and interested community volunteers working to eliminate health disparities among Pacific Islanders.