I was invited by one our Pacific Islander leaders Dr. Sela Panapasa, Assistant Research Scientist at University of Michigan, to the 1st Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health Disparity & Health Equity Conference. The two day conference was held in Los Angeles from Monday, September 24 through Tuesday, September 25, 2012, bringing together Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) people from the continent, Hawaii, and the U.S. associated Pacific Islands, as well as community stakeholders, advocates, policy makers, philanthropic leaders, researchers, and students.  

            The conference theme was “Envision the Future: Translating Research into Healthy Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Communities,” and during our opening ceremony Dr. Sela talked about how we can come together as a Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander to help each other on health issues that we face in our communities around the nations. Our next speaker which was our keynote speaker for the day was Honorable Howard K. Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Howard, mentioned in his remarks that he will do everything he can to help the NHPI communities to be in better health. “Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health Disparities & Health Equity I” , “Translating Research into Healthy Communities”, and “State Department of Health Programs and Strategies to Eliminate NHPI Health Disparities and Contribute to Health Equity” were the topics for the plenary after the opening ceremony. After our plenary we split into four groups for our breakout sessions. “Leading Health Issues and Understudied Health Conditions Confronting NHPI Communities” was the name of the one I attended and the speaker for this group was Justina Langidrik, Republic of Marshall Islands Ministry of Health Secretary. I was one of the speakers in the “Healthcare Access and Utilization” and my goal was to talk about the healthcare access in the Marshallese communities in Northwest Arkansas and explain to my audiences why Marshallese are not eligible for federal program to get better access to healthcare.

            Even though it was only two day conference, I believe we gained lot of information about the direction we are heading with the NHPI health disparities. Dr. James S. Jackson, Director and Research Professor at University of Michigan, stated in his closing remark “This conference will help to promote the collaboration, strong leadership, and commitment needed to move forward to eliminate NHPI health disparities”. I have faith that all conference attendees (my brothers and sisters in the Pacific) will be inspired and will use the presentations to guide them in helping to create a future that will bring benefits to all the Pacific People.

--Albious Latior, Marshallese Families Out Reach Coordinator

Upcoming Trainings for Fall 2012

Our next workshop fast approaching is
"The IEP: What it is" Workshop is scheduled for
October 11th, 2012.A Tool for Realizing Possibilities
A workshop to help understand your child’s
Individual Education Plan (IEP)

Goals of this workshop:
Identify components of a strengths-based IEP  
Determine ways parents can be actively and effectively
involved in the IEP before,  
during and after the meeting.  
Understanding the forms and protocol of your child’s IEP.  
Understanding the importance of communication with your child’s school.

October 11th, 2012 at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Family Resource Center
614 E. Emma Suite 131, Springdale, AR 72764
in the NWA Parent Resource Library

Please RSVP
to Patricia White at 479-927-4100
or by email at [email protected]


“The IEP: What it is?”
*Thursday, Oct 11, 2012 – Family Resource Center Library,  6 – 8 pm.
*Thursday, November 15, 2012, 6 – 8 pm, Carroll Electric Cooperative, 5056 Highway 412 B, Huntsville, AR.

“Protecting your Child’s Future”
*Tuesday, October 23, 2012, Family Resource Center Library, 6 – 8p
Presented by: Harry L. Ehrenberg, Jr Special Needs Planning Task Force, Ehrenberg Financial, Inc., Little Rock, AR. This presentation will help parents understand what measures can be taken to provide   financial security for their child with special needs without disrupting government benefits such as Medicaid, SSI and DDS waiver services.  We will discuss topics such as guardianship, power of attorneys, special needs trusts, and life care planning for your child.

“Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy”
*Thursday, October 25, 2012 – Center for Non-Profits, 1200 W. Walnut auditorium, Rogers, 6 – 8 pm. The goal of this presentation is to empower parents so they can become effective advocates for their children and receive the services their child needs.  Parents will learn what advocacy means, how to improve their advocacy skills and how they can make a difference in the life of their child.

“Is it Sensory or is it Behavior?”
*Friday, November 2, 2012, Family Resource Center Library, 12 – 2 pm Bring your own lunch. Guest Speaker:  Melissa Foster, Occupational Therapist at Jarvis Pediatric Therapy
This program will help distinguish whether a negative action is sensory based or behavior based and will provide practical tips and solutions for both.

Beyond Awareness :
Autism Training in Español!  Friday, September 21st, October 5th, October 19th, & November 2nd from 4:45pm to 7:00pm. $40/per person for all sessions. MUST reserve your spot!  For more information contact Elizabeth or Rut (479) 927-3283 or (479) 841-1711

Also, you can always check our calendar online for a constantly updated schedule! www.nwacprc.org/calendar.html