February, 1st, 2022, Honolulu, HI
Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii Press Release
On Saturday, January 29th, the Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii (MCOH) hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic that drew record numbers of participants in the heart of Waipahu. MCOH partnered with other local non-profits, including nurses from Project Vision, as well as the Hawaii Department of Health and Consulate General of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) to pull off the event. Volunteers counted a total of 65 family members of all ages coming to the free pop-up vaccine and testing site held from 4-8 pm on the second story of the West Gate Shopping Center, just in front of the Marshallese Island Dream store.
According to Jendrik Paul, the president of MCOH, it is essential to provide services to community members where they are comfortable and feel welcome. “Events like this bring the community to us,” said Robert Anjain, owner of the Marshallese store as well as the nearby Marshallese restaurant Mama’s Kitchen. Robert’s store helped provide some of the chairs and tables as well as refreshments to volunteers.
Direct support from the RMI Consulate was also on hand. Speaking in Marshallese, the native language of the RMI, CG Silk encouraged her community members to come to the clinic on Facebook live, and offered her personal assistance in helping people understand the vaccination process. Silk helped translate forms and answer questions for Marshallese participants all evening long.
Many Marshall Islanders continue to face significant barriers to accessing healthcare in Hawaii, including limited translation services. “But events like this show one way we can help change that,” says Caleb Klipowicz, a medical anthropology PhD student from the University of Iowa who came to Hawaii to learn from Marshallese advocacy groups. “Numbers like this just go to show how effective community-based organizing can be for getting those hard-to-reach folks the health care they deserve.”
With the success of this event, MCOH and their partners plan on continuing their community-based outreach, hosting vaccine events every other week into the foreseeable future.
The Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii (MCOH) is a grassroots non-profit advocating for Marshall Islanders in Hawaii.