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REACH Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focuses on reducing non-communicable diseases among racial and ethnic groups in various communities. REACH project strives to make healthy choices easier by promoting healthy behaviors and chronic disease management.

In September 2023, the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) at the University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine was awarded REACH funds to work with the United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) on nutrition, tobacco, physical activity, and adult vaccination policy, system, and environmental interventions. This 5-year REACH grant uses tailored community-based participatory approaches to identify and develop culturally appropriate strategies for addressing health disparities. This project strengthens the existing collaboration of the local coalitions, health departments, clinics, government agencies, community organizations, and other partners from various settings and disciplines to take action to address risk factors contributing to their chronic diseases.

The USAPI REACH project goals are to:

  1. Implement local-level policies and activities that promote food service and nutrition guidelines and associated healthy food procurement in facilities, programs, or organizations where food is sold, served, and distributed.   
  2. Implement local-level policies and activities that coordinate the uptake and expansion of existing fruit and vegetable voucher incentives and produce prescription programs.
  3.  Adopt or strengthen commercial tobacco prevention and control policies.
  4. Implement local-level policies and activities to connect pedestrian, bicycle, or transit transportation networks (e.g., activity-friendly routes) to everyday destinations.  Create activity-friendly routes to make it safe and convenient to increase access for walking, running, hiking, biking, etc.
  5. Chuuk and Kosrae ONLY: Implement practices to increase awareness, confidence, demand, and access for flu, COVID-19, and other routinely recommended adult vaccines.

 

JURISDICTION

NUTRITION

TOBACCO

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Guam

FACEBOOK PAGE

Enhance healthy nutrition standards/food service guidelines at the government of Guam vending machines

Increase uptake of existing fruit and vegetable incentive programs at Pay-Less Markets

Enhance tobacco control and prevention policies in Guam; identify and train community champions to relay the burden of tobacco use and exposure including vape use among youth and flavored commercial and electronic cigarettes, and tobacco cessation/Brief Tobacco Intervention (BTI) information

Create activity-friendly routes for Mangilao Village 

Republic of Palau

FACEBOOK PAGE

 

Enhance healthy nutrition standards/food service guidelines in feeding practices/food service programs policies and contracts and promote healthy food procurement at the senior center

Increase uptake and expansion of produce prescription programs at NCD clinics

Strengthen and enhance the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MHHS) betel nut and tobacco-free policies

Create activity-friendly routes in Airai

FSM Kosrae State

FACEBOOK PAGE

 

Enhance healthy nutrition standards/food service guidelines in feeding practices/food service programs policies and contracts at early care education centers

Increase uptake and expansion of produce prescription programs at the NCD clinic

Enhance and strengthen tobacco control and prevention policies at the Kosrae government agencies

Create activity-friendly routes for Tafunsak Village

FSM Chuuk State

FACEBOOK PAGE

 

Enhance healthy nutrition standards/food service guidelines in feeding practices/food service programs policies and contracts, and promote healthy food procurement at after-school sporting events

Increase uptake and expansion of produce prescription programs at the NCD clinic

Enhance and strengthen tobacco control and prevention policies at local public gyms

Create activity-friendly routes at Anderson Field

 

Major intervention activities to reach goals include:

  • Conducting community assessments pre- and post-intervention.
  • Securing and continuing partnerships with local coalition groups, government agencies, health programs, and other stakeholders to develop and carry out action plans and sustain the project.
  • Conducting workshops and educational training for department staff, coalitions, and other stakeholders.
  • Disseminating monthly messages through the media (newspaper, radio, bulletins) and social media (Facebook) to increase knowledge and awareness and for the promotion of REACH interventions.
  • Creating linguistically and culturally appropriate signage.
  • Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the intervention activities and the effectiveness of the program at achieving its outcomes

2023-2025 USAPI REACH staff:

  • Guam: Mr. Kin Guerrero
  • Chuuk State, FSM: Ms. Marsha Mori
  • Kosrae State, FSM: Ms. Jacoline Esau
  • Palau: Ms. Carla Ngirailemesang

REACH staff

PUBLICATIONS

Digital Stories:

Guam’s tobacco-free video

Palau’s tobacco-free video

Pohnpei’s physical activity video

List of publications:

  1. Sy A, Tareg A, Nitta M, et al. Feasibility of Healthy Beverages Policies in American Samoa and Federated States of Micronesia: Water and Coconut Water Only Community Interventions. Health Promotion Practice. 2023;24(1).
  2. Hyatt A, Chan B, Moodie R, et al. Strengthening cancer control in the South Pacific through coalition-building: a co-design framework. The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific. 2023:100681.
  3. Hadley J, Jr., Sablan E. Lessons from the Field: The Traditional Monarch of Kitti in Pohnpei Addresses the High Rates of Non-Communicable Diseases through Local Policy. Hawai’i journal of health & social welfare. Jun 1 2020;79(6 Suppl 2):6-9.  PMC7311939
  4. Tareg AC, Reichhardt MLE. Lessons from the Field: Going Local-Everybody Wins. Hawai’i journal of health & social welfare. Jun 1 2020;79(6 Suppl 2):13-18.  PMC7311945
  5. Gonzales R, Alam L, Silverio A, Navasca D. Lessons from the Field: Guam Salt Reduction Campaign. Hawai’i journal of health & social welfare. Jun 1 2020;79(6 Suppl 2):30-32.  PMC7311934
  6. Sy A, Tannis C, McIntosh S, et al. An Assessment of E-health Resources and Readiness in the Republic of the Marshall Islands: Implications for Non-communicable Disease Intervention Development. Hawai’i journal of health & social welfare. Jun 1 2020;79(6 Suppl 2):52-57.  PMC7311931
  7. Sy A, Marriott J, Tannis C, et al. A Rapid Assessment Procedure to Develop A Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Pilot Health Communications Project Using E- and M-Health Communications in Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. Hawai’i journal of health & social welfare. Jun 1 2020;79(6 Suppl 2):58-63.  PMC7311940
  8. Sarfati D, Dyer R, Sam FA, et al. Cancer control in the Pacific: big challenges facing small island states. Lancet Oncol. Aug 5 2019;doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30400-0
  9. Sarfati D, Dyer R, Vivili P, et al. Cancer control in small island nations: from local challenges to global action. Lancet Oncol. Aug 5 2019;doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30511-X
  10. Palafox NA, Given L, Hohman K, et al. Comprehensive cancer control planning in the Pacific: the Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands a multi-national regional coalition. Cancer Causes Control. Dec 2018;29(12):1287-1295. doi:10.1007/s10552-018-1115-z  PMC6311141
  11. Palafox NA, Reichhardt M, Taitano JR, et al. A Socio-ecological Framework for Cancer Control in the Pacific: A Community Case Study of the US Affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions 1997-2017. Frontiers in Public Health. 2018;6:313. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00313
  12. Nitta M, Navasca D, Tareg A, Palafox NA. Cancer risk reduction in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands: Utilizing a novel policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approach. Cancer Epidemiol. 2017;50:278-282.
  13. Nitta M, Tanner C, Narvarte K, et al. Policy, System, and Environment Strategies to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Food Sources to Address Guam’s Disparate Non-Communicable Disease Burden. J Health Care Poor Underserved. May 2015;26(2 Suppl):96-103. doi:10.1353/hpu.2015.0057
  14. Sy AU, Heckert KA, Jamison C, Maskarinec GG, Lim A, Buenconsejo-Lum LE. Pacific CEED legacy projects and local projects: Culturally tailored promising practices to prevent breast and cervical cancer in the US affiliated Pacific Island jurisdictions. In: Joav Merrick M, MMedSci, DMSc (Medical Director, Health Services, Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem, Israel), ed. Public Health Yearbook 2013. Nova Science Pub Inc; 2014:99-114:chap 9. Health and Human Development (Joav Merrick – Series Editor – Medical Director, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel.
  15. Sy AU, Heckert KA, Buenconsejo-Lum L, Hedson J, Tamang S, Palafox N. An assessment of the Pacific Regional Cancer Coalition: outcomes and implications of a regional coalition internal and external assessment. Hawaii Med J. Nov 2011;70(11 Suppl 2):47-53.  3254227
  16. Palafox NA, Gunawardane K, Demei Y. Pacific island partnership: the Pacific Cancer Initiative. J Cancer Educ. Spring 2006;21(1 Suppl):S87-90. doi:10.1207/s15430154jce2101s_15