Welcome to PIHOA Pacific Basin Primary Care Office
PIHOA and Pacific Basin Primary Care Office (PCO)
Pacific Islands Health Officers Association (PIHOA)
The Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) is a non-profit organization that is governed by and represents the collective interests of the Ministers, Secretaries, and Directors of Health of the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Island Countries and Territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
PIHOA’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of the Pacific communities it serves by providing, through consensus, a unified credible voice on health issues of regional significance.
Honorable Esther Muna, President (CEO, CNMI CHCC)
Honorable Gafar Ucherbelau, V-President (Minister of Health, Palau)
Honorable Marcus Samo, Secretary (Secretary of Health, FSM)
Honorable Bruce Bilimon, Treasurer (Minister of Health and Human Services, RMI)
Honorable Motusa Tuileama Nua, Member (Director, American Samoa DOH)
Honorable Arthur San Augustin, Member (Director, Guam DPHSS)
Federal, Global, and Regional Partners
Health Professional (PBMA) Partners
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Pacific Basin Primary Care Office (PCO)
The PIHOA Pacific Basin Primary Care Office (Pacific Basin PCO) is one of 54 HRSA-funded State Primary Care Offices across the nation (Cooperative Agreement Grant # U68HP26801).
The purpose of the Pacific Basin PCO program is intended to facilitate the coordination of activities within the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPIs) in the Pacific Basin to accurately identify unmet needs for primary care providers and services.
The 3 aims of the State PCO program are:
1) statewide primary care assessment (SPCNA) to identify geographic areas, populations, and facilities with too few primary medical, dental, and mental health providers, and inadequate primary medical services;
2) health professional shortage designation (HPSA & MUAP) coordination; and
3) support and expand regional efforts to reduce shortages of primary care providers i.e. promote the recruitment and retention of health care providers from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Nurse Corps, and others (i.e. H1B1-Visa).
Pacific Basin State PCO Program Staff:
Emi Chutaro, PIHOA Executive Director and PCO Program Director, emic@pihoa.org
Janet Camacho, PIHOA Deputy Director, janetc@pihoa.org
Kris Quereshi, PIHOA Regional Coordinator of Human for Health Resources, krisq@pihoa.org
Angela Techur-Pedro, PCO Program Coordinator & PCO Primary Contact Person, angiet@pihoa.org or techur@hawaii.edu,
The Primary Care Office Program is endorsed by the PIHOA Board Resolution 43-11, “Federal Funding Supporting Primary Health Care in the Pacific Island Jurisdictions” ) and aligns with PIHOA’s Strategic Framework for Action 2018-22 key area of regional focus, “Human Resources for Health (HRH) Workforce Developmen.t”
Pictured above (left to right): Dr. G. Dever, (Pediatrican), Mrs. M. Dever & son, Dr. Y Bechesrak (Palau MOH Pediatrician), Dr. A. Techur-Pedro (PIHOA Pacific Basin PCO Coordinator), Dr. Dever (Visitng Pediatric Psychiatrists), and Dr. S. Wally (Palau MOH Director of Psychiatry).