Ekwe ṃoktata iakwe eok Takto Riklon. Ekwe kajjitōk eo arro kein kajuon. Ewi toon aṃ ekatak ak jikuuḷ in medicine?
First of all, iakwe eok Dr. Riklon. Our first question is how long have you been practicing medicine?
Ikar karuwōjḷọk jān aō kar pād ilo medical school in kaminene ilo residency, eo ilo kar 2001, kiiō enañin 25 de iiō in pād ilo jerbal in.
I graduated from medical school and my residency program in 2001, so almost 25 years now.
Ijeḷā ke lollap eo ear bar pād lo ejja jerbal rōt in kwōj pād ie kiiō –ak lukkun ta eo me elukkun kar kōṃakūt eok bwe kwōn?
I know that your father worked in the same field–what really made you decide to go into the medical field?
Ekarere lukkun ṃool iḷọkkar rūttoḷọk Majōl im lakkar jino jikuuḷ im itotak im jeḷā kajjien armej im ij kijoñ lo an rūtto ro bwe lollap eo ej taktō akō mama ej nurse. Eṃōj ij kijoñ lo aerro jerbal hospital im eḷap aō kijoñ bwiloñ bwe aolep iien rej jerbal im lak rool tok reṃōṇōṇō. Ewōr aerro jibadbad im kōttōpar.
It was really different things. Growing up in the Marshall Islands, I went to school and I went around getting to know different people. I saw that my dad was a doctor and my mom was nurse. Then I saw them working at the hospital and I was amazed by how happy they were. Their life mission or purpose was to be able to help people.
Im meñe re boub bwe jet iien rej on call, overnight lo hospital ak rej rooltok raan en juon rej ettoñ dikdik wōt im ejjab bōjrak akō meñe reboub akō ej wōr wōt aer iien ippān baaṃle ko aer bwe ijeḷā k ijjab kijoñ kar ire ñan aō iien ippaer.
Even if they were busy, staying overnight on call, they would come home the next day still smiling. Even if they were busy at work, they would always find time for our family. We never had to compete for their attention or time.
Im elōñ ro iar rūtto ḷọk ippaer baaṃle im ro ṃōtta im ro jera im Rikaki ro ao eḷap aer kar pushi ña bwe in jab bōjrak ak in wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im etal ñan college im jikuuḷ ko jet. Im elōñ iaer rej ba kwōn tōn jikuuḷ in taktō āinwōt jemaṃ ak elōñ iaer rej ba kwōn tōn jikuuḷ in lawyer, etal im jikuuḷ in rikaki bwe kwōn rool tok im tōn katakin ajri rani.
All my family, friends, and pastors at church encouraged me not to stop but to keep pushing on to college and higher education. Some said go to school to be a doctor like your dad and some said go and come back to be a lawyer. Some even said go to school and come back and be a teacher to teach these children.
Akō bulen men eo iar lale im epen ikōnaan bwe in āinwōt rūtto ro, rekar jab lukkun push i ña akō rej ba ijo wōt kwōkōnaan kōṃṃane im naaj ṃōṇōṇō ikijjien jerbal ko aṃ. Im ilo ao kar rūtto ḷọk ilo Majōl elōñ men ko ij loe im ij būroṃōj kaki. Ilak kar itok ñan America kein ij loe an oktak kilen mour, ājmour an rein jokein im ro joko.
It maybe was hard to decide but I realized I wanted to be like my parents, even though they didn’t push me to be a doctor. All they said was that they would be happy with whatever I decide to do. Growing up in the Marshall Islands, I saw many sad things. Coming to America I see how life is different, comparing the health of people from those over there.
Im ikōnaan bwe en eṃṃanḷọk ñan armej ro im eḷaptata ñan baaṃle ko aō i paake er. Im iar ḷōmṇak ippa make bwe bulen eṃṃanḷọk taktō bwe ilak ḷōmṇak kōn lawyer im iṃakoko im pād ṃaan court. Imijak in arguemant im pād iṃaan akō ij ba ippa make bwe i rather be working in the back im jipañ armej kōn ājmour.
And I want it to be better for the people and especially for my close families. And I thought to myself maybe I should be a doctor. When I thought about being a lawyer, I couldn’t imagine myself being in the front of the court and arguing cases. I thought I would rather be the guy behind the scenes helping people to be healthy.
Eṃṃan uaak in. Ekwe kajjitōk eo in eḷap an aorōk ippān rimajōl ilo tōre in ke wiik eo ḷọk jar alooje ilo social media bwe rar tok im kapit eok bwe kwōn commissioner. Elōñ armej rej jeḷā naan in commissioner wōt jan police commissioner, āinwōt jeban police department. Kwōmaroñ ke kōmeḷeḷeik ta position eo an commissioner ñan kōjeañ ri Majōl bwe jen jeḷā ta meḷeḷein bwe elak oktak meḷeḷe, eoktak ḷōmaṇak im ad jeḷā.
That’s a good answer. One of the question the Marshallese people really want to know like few weeks ago we watched on social media they come and made you the commissioner. Many of us only know the word commissioner from police commissioner or the head of the police department. Can you explain what is the role of a commissioner for the Marshallese so that we can have a better understanding especially if we think it is something else than it is.
Eḷap eṃṃan im eḷap aō jeraṃṃan kōn appointment in. Appointment in ear itok jān house speaker Brian Adams ilo Arkansas legislator jān juon recommendation iaan ri kweiḷọk rani ad juon jān Washington county Nicole Clowney in juon iaan ro me speaker en ej appoint i ñan Arkansas Minority Health commission.
It really is good and I’m very fortunate to receive this appointment. This appointment was made by house speaker Brian Adams in Arkansas legislature, on the recommendation from our representative in Washington County, Nicole Clowney, who was appointed by the speaker to be Arkansas Minority Heath Commission.
Arkansas Minority Health commission etto an pād im ej jerbal iuṃwin kien ne an Arkansas im jerbal eo an eñ ne ilo title ne aō ej ñan pukot commission ñan ājmour eo ñan ro rej itok jān minority population ro ilo Arkansas. Minority population meḷeḷḷein ro edik ak ejjeḷọk ainikier. Eiiet nōṃba ko aer im ejeja an lōñ resource ko rej tal ñan ippaer. Āinwōt kōj men ri Majōl.
The Arkansas Minority Health commission has been around for a while and operates under the state government. My job as the minority health commissioner is to address health issues affecting minority populations in Arkansas. Minority populations are people with little voice or no voice at all. They are smaller in number and have resources. Like us Marshallese.
Im jerbal e aō einwōt juon commissioner ij jerbal ippān commissioner ro jet ñan lale ta kane reṃṃan, raabañ ko im jaikuj kōṃṃan oktak ko ilo būlaan bwe en wōr resources ko im wōr program ko ñan armej ro ad ilo minority population ro āinwōt ri majōl ro, ri hispanic im ri kilmej im ro jet bwe en eṃṃanḷọk kōjier, eṃṃanḷọk program ko ñan er, bwe ren maroñ in ājmourḷọk, bwe ren maroñ in mweie ḷọk ilo elōñ kain wāwein.
My role as a commissioner is to work with other commissioners to look for opportunities to help to reduce disparities. So that there are resources for minority groups like the Marshallese, Hispanics, African Americans, and other groups. To improve their quality of life and access to different programs so they can be healthier and live rich, full lives.
Bwe en ejjeḷọk oktak kōtaad im ro jen jukjukin pād ko mwe rej ba minority jen ro jet mwe eṃṃanḷọk kōjier im ḷapḷọk aer jāān im lōñḷọk aer nōṃba ikijjien population.
So we can all have the same level of living as a community, without any difference between minority communities and groups that have more money or larger populations.
Im jerbal in ej ñan lale ikijjien data kani im lale nōṃba kani im lale ijo ewōr abañ ie bwe jen kōṃṃan recommendation ñan agency ko, ñan program ko, ñan Governor eo im ñan Nitijeḷā eo an Arkansas ikijjien ta ko im jej kile ke bulen emaroñ eṃṃanḷọk ñan armej rein ad.
My role is to know the data and look at the numbers of how we grow as a community, what is needed and what area should be our concerns. So, we can know what programs are needed, what agencies can provide assistance, and how we can help each other.
Jerbal e eo ejjab policeman, jerbal e aō ijjab jerbal ippān Immigration. Ijjab tōn kalbuuj armej bwe ijeḷā bwe ewōr ro im rej bar kajjitōk tok ta in commissioner im ta e ij tōn kōṃṃane. Im jerbal e aō ejjab ikijjien law, nothing legal ak ikijjien wōt jerbal e aō ikijjien ājmour.
This job is not being a policeman, I don’t work with immigration either. I’m not going arrest people, but I know that people have asked what is a commissioner and what is it that I’m going to be doing. My job has nothing to do with the law, nothing legal. It’s all about health.
Ak jerbal ippān rein im lale ewōr ta program jej kile ke reṃṃan rainin im jej kaddeḷọk ak jej kile bwe ewōr kōlaburbur ko ie im jaikuj in juḷọk bwe en eṃṃan an pelḷọk ñan armej ro ad.
Working with the commission to see what type of programs help our people nowadays. Things are looking better. Although there are times things are not so good. So that’s why it’s important to work together to improve opportunities and access for our people.
Im ta ko me ilju im jekḷaj jej kile bwe program ko reṃṃan ñan armej ro ad ilju im jekḷaj im enaaj bar eddōkḷọk bwe en eṃṃan kōjeañ juon im kōjwōj ippān doon. Im bwe jekdoon ia im ta taitōl eo aṃ im kōj itok jen ia.
And what we learn in the future will improve these programs for the benefit of our people. It will help people grow and it won’t matter your background or where you are from.
