UAMS Seeking Input from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Veterans
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is seeking input from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) veterans to help improve access to benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
As part of a partnership with the University of Hawaii, the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation is surveying veterans to understand barriers that prevent NHPI and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islander veterans from accessing benefits, with a strategic focus on enhanced provider training, policy analysis and development of health care resources. As of Jan. 1, more than 20 veterans had been interviewed.
“This project provides a platform for veterans to share their stories and voice the challenges they’ve faced, from their time in service to their transition to civilian life,” said Romaldo Kabua, a project coordinator with the institute and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. “Our goal is to better understand how we can honor and support those who have given so much to protect our freedom.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates a variety of programs benefiting veterans and members of their families. It offers educational opportunities and rehabilitation services and provides home loan guaranties, pensions, burials and compensation for disabilities or death related to military service. It also provides health care that includes the services of nursing homes, clinics and medical centers. For more information about the department, visit VA.gov.
The institute is still seeking veterans to participate in the research study. Those who are selected for interviews will receive a $50 gift card. For more information or to complete an interest form for the study, email Kabua at RKabua@uams.edu or click here.