Recent reports about the disproportionate number of Pacific Islanders infected or have died from Covid-19 in California and Oregon is alarming. PLAN founder Dr. Vidalino Raatior organized a panel of Micronesian experts to discuss the facts on impact of the coronavirus and share culturally sensitive strategies to support the medical and mental health of our COFA communities during this global pandemic. All COFA community leaders, researchers, health professionals, and citizens of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) nations of the FSM, RMI, and Palau in the United States were invited to join the panel.
What: COFA & COVID-19: Protecting Our Community – A Virtual Village Meeting
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2020
Time: see below
9:00 – 10:30 AM (Hawaii / HST)
12:00 – 1:30 PM (California / Oregon / PST)
2:00 – 3:30 PM (Arkansas / Texas / CST)
7:00 – 8:00 AM on 5/10/2020 (Majuro)
Cost: Free
Register: – closed –
Login: Zoom login will be send to registered participants only.
Powerpoint: Click here to download the PDF presentation
Meet the Panelists
Dr. Wilfred Alik, MD practices family medicine and serves as the Director of the Kaiser Permanente Clinic in Hilo, Hawaii. Originally from the Marshall Islands, Dr. Alik is a graduate of Xavier High School and received his medical training at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns Medical School (JABSOM) and has been practicing for over 20 years.
Virginia Luka, MS is a Palauan researcher, educator, and equity advocate for Pacific Islander culture and history with special focus on Micronesia. She is the Program Specialist Senior for the Pacific Islander Community with Multnomah County’s Health Department in Oregon.
Dr. Sheldon Riklon, MD is a Marshallese family medicine physician and the Peter O. Kohler, M.D., Endowed Distinguished Professor in Health Disparities and an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS). He received his medical training at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at UH Manoa.
Honorable Joe Enlet, MA is the Consul General for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Consulate General in Portland, Oregon. He is a Chuukese and President of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) Alliance National Network (CANN) in Oregon.
Anita Hofschneider is a journalist at Honolulu Civil Beat where she writes about social issues. Her work has also appeared the The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. She is Chamorro from Saipan and graduated from Harvard in 2012.
Andrew Polloi, MA, LMHC is a Palauan mental health counselor at University of Hawaii at Hilo where he seeks to create a supportive, culturally sensitive, understanding, sincere and approachable working alliance with his clients. He is also a board member for Micronesians United – Big Island.
Facilitator: Dr. Vid Raatior, is a Chuukese international educator who works at the College of Professional & Global Education at San Jose State University. He is also the founder of the Pacific Leadership Assistance Network (PLAN) as part of his Pacific FocusEd project.
Sponsors
- Pacific Leadership Assistance Network (PLAN)
- FSM Consulate General, Portland, OR
- RMI Consulate General, Arkansas
- COFA Alliance National Network – Arizona (CANN-Arizona)
- COFA Alliance National Network – Washington (CANN-WA)
- COFA Community Advocacy Network – Hawaii (COFACAN)
- COFA Community Leadership Advocacy Network (COFA-CLAN)
- Hellan Eyecare, LLC
- Pacific Relevance Consulting, LLC
- We Are Oceania (WAO)
- Micronesians United – Big Island (MU-BI)
- Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai’i (William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai’i)
- Micronesian Islander Community (MIC), Oregon