Pacific
Center of Excellence in the Elimination
of Disparities
The Pacific
Center of Excellence in the Elimination
of Disparities (Pacific
CEED*) focuses on the peoples of the US Affiliated
Pacific Islands (USAPI**). The population
of the USAPI is spread over one million
square miles of ocean, five time zones,
and the international date line. Each
of the USAPI has unique cultures and
histories that are related but distinct. At
least eleven separate languages are
spoken. There are significant
health disparities between the U.S.
and the Flag territories and appalling
health and education disparities between
the U.S. and the FAS.
The Center's overarching
goal is to reduce health disparities
of citizens of the USAPI, both in their
home countries and among those now living
in Hawai‘i and the continental U.S. with
a special emphasis on breast and cervical
cancer.
The mission of the
Pacific CEED is to develop a comprehensive
model program that promotes the elimination
of health disparities that are unequally
borne by racial and ethnic populations
within the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Island
populations.
Both communicable
diseases and non-communicable diseases
contribute to morbidity and rising health
costs. The rise in cancer rates and other
chronic diseases outpaces the health
systems’ ability to address these issues
in a systematic approach. Culturally
acceptable cancer screening and preventive
services must be systematic and made
locally available to remote populations
as well as intensified in the few urban
centers.
Cancer mortality
now ranks as the second most common cause
of death in nearly all USAPI jurisdictions. Cervical
cancer was in the top five leading cause
of cancer mortality in the RMI, Palau,
FSM and CNMI.
Both breast and cervical
cancer rank among the top six most prevalent
cancers in the region and are underreported
and/or diagnosed in the late stages for
multiple reasons including; no access
to mammography in several jurisdictions,
lack of culturally appropriate preventive
services and severe challenges in the
health infrastructure.
Intervention
Strategies: Focusing
on breast and cervical cancer and related
intervening factors, the Pacific CEED
provides the infrastructure and technical
assistance to
Implement the
respective community based participatory
strategies within the USAPI local comprehensive
cancer plans and the Pacific regional
comprehensive cancer plan as they relate
to breast and cervical cancer
Works with the
USAPI population in Hawaii with evidence
based interventions and
Expand partnerships
at the local, regional and U.S. national
levels while serving as a national
expert resource center for breast and
cervical cancer.
Pacific CEED supports
the regional coordination and targeted
technical assistance functions of the
comprehensive cancer prevention and control
program partnership model. This
partnership model includes the Regional
Comprehensive Cancer Control Program,
the Regional Cancer Registry Program,
the Pacific Cancer Coalition, (Cancer
Council of the Pacific Islands and the
USAPI Comprehensive Cancer Coalitions)
and the Pacific CEED.
*The University
of Hawai‘i Department of Family Medicine
and Community Health (DFMCH), at the
John A. Burns School of Medicine is the
lead agency (Central Coordinating Organization)
for the Pacific Center of Excellence
in the Elimination of Disparities (Pacific
CEED).
**The U.S.
Affiliated Pacific Island Nations (USAPIN)
are: the Territory of Guam, the Territory
of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI),
The Republic of the Marshall Islands
(RMI), the Republic of Palau, and the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM),
including the FSM States of Chuuk, Kosrae,
Pohnpei and Yap.
Pacific
Cancer Programs, Principal Investigator, Chair of the
Department of Family Medicine & Community Health,
UH-JABSOM, Neal Palafox, MD, MPH
Regional Comprehensive Cancer Control (RCCC) and Pacific
Regional Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR), Program Manager:
Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, MD
Pacific Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities
(Pacific
CEED), Program Manager, Karen A. Heckert, PhD, MPH,
MSW, pacificceed@gmail.com
Pacific Regional Central Cancer Registry, (PRCCR) Program
Coordinator, Tricia Torres, MPA: pcregistry@gmail.com
Regional Comprehensive Cancer Control
(RCCC), Program Coordinator, Brian Roberts, MBA: pacificcompcancer@gmail.com
Key Partners:
Cancer Information Services-Pacific
Region (CIS),
Pacific Islands Health Officers Association
(PIHOA) Hawai‘i Tumor Registry
