The NACDD Pacific Chronic Disease Council (PCDC) provides leadership in the development of a Pacific Non-Communicable Disease Collaborative Initiative targeting health system transformation and expanding population outreach within the U.S. Associated Pacific Island (USAPI) jurisdictions.
About the USAPI
This region spans twice the geographic area of the continental U.S. and has a population of about half a million people. A 2016 World Bank report described non-communicable diseases as an economic threat to the Pacific Islands, with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease leading the list as the top causes of mortality in this region.
The Pacific Chronic Disease Council provides leadership in the development of a Pacific Noncommunicable Disease Collaborative targeting health system transformation and expanding population outreach within the U.S. Associated Pacific Island jurisdictions.
The USAPI jurisdictions participating in the PCDC include:
- American Samoa
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Chuuk State, Kosrae State, Pohnpei State,Yap State
- Guam
- Republic of Palau
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
Ebeye and Majuro
In the Pacific Care Model (PCM), patterned after the HRSA Health Disparities Collaborative Model, the teams work to improve healthcare quality and outcomes by incorporating information technology, evidence-based disease management, organizational change best practices, and self-management support—strengthened by community resources.
Read a brochure about the Pacific Chronic Disease Council.
The Pacific Care Model
The Pacific Care Model uses the outrigger canoe and traditional navigation system as an organizing framework for healthcare teams to work collaboratively to improve outcomes.
Pacific canoe journeys were historically guided by expert knowledge of the stars and the ocean’s current and wave patterns. In the model, the six navigating stars characterize the basic elements for healthcare quality improvement.
Each star navigates the changes needed in community and health systems to create effective communication (represented by the canoe mast) between informed, activated patients and families and a prepared, proactive healthcare team – which lead to patient- and family-centered services and improvements in health outcomes.
The Pacific NCD Collaborative is built on a participatory process that promotes co-learning and facilitates collaborative and equitable partnerships, building the skills and strengths of local leadership responsible for health.
Non-Communicable disease death rates continue to rise among the Pacific people along with increasing numbers of diabetes related complications such as amputations and kidney failure.
We must find ways to bend the curve and decrease the numbers. I commend the Non-Communicable Disease Collaborative, as it helps us share lessons learned and strengthen action with government ministries, healthcare systems, and community-based partners across the region.
Honorable Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Health, Republic of the Marshall Islands
For more information on the Pacific Chronic Disease Council, please contact Patrick Luces, PCDC Chair.