By Caleb Klipowicz 

January 19, 2024

Iowa City, IA

Riit ilo Kajin Majel: Letok jibañ ñe kwōkōṇaan jerbal ippem.

Despite snowy weather and temperatures below zero, doctors and public health professionals offered a warm welcome to Dr. Sheldon Riklon this past Friday. Doctors in Iowa invited Dr. Riklon to talk about ways they can better serve the growing Marshallese and Micronesian communities in the state. 

According to Dr. J. Muse Davis, a pediatric infectious disease physician who organized Dr. Riklon’s visit, the goal of the event was to bring together representatives from many different groups working to meet the healthcare needs of Marshallese in the state. Dr. Davis also added that he hopes this event shows Marshallese families that healthcare providers “care and want to understand and connect” with community members.

Interest among physicians like Dr. Davis  in learning about Marshallese culture has grown following a steady increase in cases of tuberculosis in Iowa, especially in cases in children. 

Dr. Riklon’s visit took up a full day which included a round table discussion with over 25 providers from across the state and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion presentation attended by 130 some people in person and on Zoom, as well as several smaller meetings with medical students and other doctors. 

In the morning, Dr. Riklon fielded questions from Iowa doctors and public health workers about the  issues they were facing working with Marshallese families, especially around communication. Dr. Riklon assured providers that, “Marshallese patients want to access health care and they want to be healthy.” But, he added, significant barriers like lack of trained translators and confusing health insurance policies often stand in the way. 

Later in  his prepared remarks, Dr. Riklon consistently emphasized the need for local public health and other medical providers to build trust with the Marshallese communities they serve. He described the lasting impacts of nuclear weapons testing and the persistent mistrust that many community members feel towards health professionals who they do not know. Providers will need to go the extra mile to earn that trust by taking part in community events and getting to know local church leaders, Riklon said. 

Riklon also talked at length about the differences between Marshallese and US customs, making clear several ways American providers can offer more culturally appropriate services to their Marshallese and other Pacific Islander families. “Culture, for us, is key,” said Riklon, adding that this includes not only treating the individual patient but also addressing the needs of the family and larger community as well. 

In addition to urging providers to be extra patient when working with Islander community members, his final message for Iowa-based providers was straightforward, “Invest in us if you want to serve us.” By this Riklon emphasizes the key role Marshallese and other Micronesian community health workers have played as “champions” for public health in several programs in Arkansas over the years. Currently in Iowa there are only a handful of Islander outreach workers, and none employed by the Iowa Department of Public Health. 

Riklon later told this reporter that he looks forward to returning to Iowa again soon to visit the Marshallese communities around the state in person. Though he might wait for better weather first.