UAMS Offers Diabetes Education to Health Care Providers in the Marshall Islands
| By Preston Tolliver
With support from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Ministry of Health & Human Services, members of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Northwest Regional Campus and the Institute for Community Health Innovation visited the Marshall Islands this month to provide training to community health workers (CHWs) and doctors on diabetes curriculum and pharmaceutical advancements.
The institute launched its Family-Model Diabetes-Self-Management Education & Support (FDSMES) program in the Marshall Islands five years ago as an extension of its similar programs with Marshallese communities in northwest Arkansas. The institute also recently announced successes of its program with Marshallese individuals in Hawaii and Washington state, citing significant reductions in HbA1c and BMI (Body Mass Index) levels.
According to the American Diabetes Association, about 15% of Arkansans have diabetes, while nearly 40% of Marshallese adults living in Northwest Arkansas have the disease. Officials in the Marshall Islands estimate the percentage of the island’s population with diabetes is even higher — possibly as high as 60%.
“In our latest survey, the data showed that about 75% of people here die from noncommunicable diseases,” said Wilfred Alik, interim deputy secretary for Primary Health Care and the RMI president’s envoy to primary care and chronic disease prevention in the Marshall Islands. “These are chronic diseases: diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, lung disease, even cancer. Those are the main drivers. The good thing is these are all preventable.”
Diabetes and related health problems in the Marshall Islands have been linked to nuclear testing conducted there by the United States between 1946 and 1958. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, nuclear waste contaminated the soil and forced the Marshallese population to begin relying on imported, processed foods rather than the fresh, homegrown foods to which they were accustomed.
Jonell Hudson, Pharm.D., a College of Pharmacy associate professor who teaches at the Northwest Regional Campus, facilitated a 40-hour training to review the FDSMES curriculum and better equip trainees to provide the education to their communities.
Jonell Hudson, Pharm.D., a College of Pharmacy associate professor who teaches at the Northwest Regional Campus, facilitated a 40-hour training to review the FDSMES curriculum and better equip trainees to provide the education to their communities. More than 14 CHWs, registered nurses and providers from partners such as KIJLE (Kora In Jiban Lorlorjake Ejmour, which is approximately translated “Women for Health”), Marshallese Educational Initiative, Canvasback Wellness Center, and the Ministry of Health and Human Services attended the weeklong training.
“We are grateful to have the support of our partners in the Marshall Islands who came together to learn more about diabetes education,” said Wana Bing, a senior project manager with the Institute for Community Health Innovation who is stationed in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. “At the end of the session, participants were eager to increase collaborations on providing diabetes education in their respective fields and communities.”
Hudson also facilitated a continuing medicine education (CME) session with Marshallese doctors. The session included information about pharmaceutical advancements seen in the United States.
Sheldon Riklon, M.D.
“We’re proud of our partnership with the RMI Ministry of Health & Human Services and are honored by their commitment and support to work together to improve health outcomes among the various island communities, regardless of where they reside,” said Sheldon Riklon, M.D., an associate professor at the UAMS institute. “This training helped us share resources and stay connected as we remain committed to continuing our strong work together in addressing the health needs of the Marshallese people with the latest evidence-based information.”
Alik and Riklon are the only two U.S.-trained Marshallese doctors in the world.
The institute oversees numerous programs to help diabetic Arkansans manage their condition. To learn more about the institute’s work, visit communityhealth.uams.edu.
