Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team
PI-COPCE
The Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team is a national group of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) researchers, health experts, community leaders and advocates formed to plan and implement infrastructure for informing and supporting families and communities about COVID-19.
The National Lead for the team is Dr. Raynald Samoa and the Technical Assistance Lead is Dr. Nia Aitaoto. The Pacific Islander Center of Primary Care Excellence is the convening organization for the Response Team. A list and names of the National Focus committee, as well as the names and contact information for the different regional leads for California (Northern and Southern), Washington state (King and Pierce County), Utah, Arkansas, Oregon and Hawaii is included below.
Tune into Koviki Talk!
Koviki Talk Podcast
Mondays starting September 14 – 5:00-6:00pm PDT
Join LIVE on Facebook – @PI-CoPCE @Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response @Empowering Pacific Islander Communities @PolyByDesign OR on Zoom – bit.ly/KovikiTalk-Zoom
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the inequities across many areas in our society including health care, research, policy, and essential community services. Although data that separates Pacific Islander numbers from the general population is limited, the states and counties that are reporting this data show Pacific Islanders are disproportionately affected by COVID-19—with some regions seeing rates of infection up to five times that of white people.
Join the Pacific Islander Center of Primary Care Excellence (PI-CoPCE) with partners for the Koviki Talk, a limited podcast series on all things Pacific Islanders, COVID-19, and seeking wisdom to learn more about how the Pacific Islander community is responding.
Featured Resources
March 29, 2021 – Woven with Elders: Pacific Islander Vaccine Toolkit
Download toolkit »
See press release »
NHPI Data Summary – The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) COVID-19 Data Policy Lab at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research: NHPI Data Summary
Week of August 6
Week of August 13
Week of August 13, 2020
Week of September 10, 2020
Week of September 17, 2020
Week of October 1, 2020
Week of October 29, 2020
August 3, 2020 Community Toolkit – SoCal Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team NHPI COVID-19 Community Toolkit
Download toolkit »
June 20, 2020 Town Hall – National Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Town Hall
Watch recording »
Download slides »
August 3, 2020 Community Toolkit – SoCal Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team NHPI COVID-19 Community Toolkit
Download toolkit »
June 20, 2020 Town Hall – National Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Town Hall
Watch recording »
Download slides »
Recent Press
Online
- Pacific Islander Death Rate From Covid Still The Worst In LA County (Though Not As High As Originally Thought (July 16, 2020 – LAist)
- The Alarming COVID-19 Death Rate of Pacific Islanders (May 6, 2020 – AALDEF)
- Track us better: Overlooked Pacific Islanders hit hard by coronavirus (May 5, 2020 – CalMatters)
- In LA County, Pacific Islanders are Dying from Coronavirus at a Rate 12 Times Higher than Whites. These Leaders are Fighting Back (April 30, 2020 – LAist)
- Pacific Islanders in US hospitalised with Covid-19 at up to 10 times the rate of other groups (July 26, 2020 – The Guardian)
- ‘I was naive to think this couldn’t touch my family’: Pacific Islanders hit hard by the coronavirus (July 19, 2020 – Los Angeles Times)
- How the coronavirus is devastating Southern California’s Pacific Islanders (June 29, 2020 – The OC Register)
- Coronavirus kills California blacks and Pacific Islanders at excessive rate, numbers show (April 16, 2020 – Sacramento Bee)
Radio
- Dr. Raynald Samoa – Clinic Lead for the National Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team in the United States (July 27, 2020 – Pacific Media Network)
- Why LA’s Pacific Islander community is especially susceptible to COVID-19 (July 24, 2020 – KCRW)
- New US data shows high COVID-19 rates for Pacific Islanders (April 28, 2020 – ABC Radio Australia)
- High COVID-19 Rates for Pacific Islanders in the U.S. (April 27, 2020 – Radio New Zealand)
TV
- Pacific Islanders topping the list of America’s most vulnerable during Covid-19 pandemic (July 28, 2020 – 1 News New Zealand)
- Pacific Islanders Slammed by High Coronavirus Infection Rates (July 21, 2020 – Spectrum News 1)
- SoCal family struck by coronavirus shares story to help Pacific-Islander community (July 20, 2020 – ABC7)
- Family Shares Story of Coronavirus Recovery, Aiming to Spread Education About COVID-19 Impact on Pacific Islanders (July 19, 2020 – CBS Los Angeles)
Pacific Islanders COVID-19 Response Team Members
Note: If you need COVID-19 assistance and the contact information for your Regional Lead is not shown below, contact us at pi-copce@aapcho.org.
| Region | Last Name | First Name | Phone | |
| Arkansas | Lelan | Melisa | mlaelan@arkansasmarshallese.org | (479) 283-2992 |
| N. California | AhSoon | Natalie | natalieahsoon@ramsinc.org
nahsoon@gmail.com |
(415) 385-5357 |
| N. California | Vee-Noga | Taunuu | tauvee@gmail.com | (808) 371-7110 |
| S. California | Aina | Sefa | ||
| S. California | Alo | Audry | aloaudrey@gmail.com | (310) 293-2136 |
| S. California | Lepule | Tana | tana.lepule@gmail.com | (619) 886-5688 |
| S. California | Quenga | Heidi | HQGUAMDIVA@yahoo.com | (562) 972-0969 |
| S. California | Scanlan | Rita | ||
| S. California | Tulua | Alisi | atulua@ocapica.org | (323) 440-0859 |
| S. California | Young | Kawen | kawenty@gmail.com | (310) 767-3196 |
| Oregon | Alailima | Manumalo | manumaloalailima@gmail.com | (909) 525-6241 |
| Utah | Fitisemanu | Jake | jjfitisemanu@gmail.com | (801) 259-8700 |
| Utah | Pasi | Fahina | fahina@ntasutah.org | (801) 467-8712 |
| Utah | Satini | Margarita | RitaSatini@gmail.com | (801) 631 9283 |
| Washington | Seia | Joseph | joeseia83@gmail.com | (206) 859-7922 |