Living Islands hosts Marshallese community event at Beaverton, OR Village Church

Doctors, medical staff and health care providers came together to address health disparities and and bridge cultural gaps during a Marshallese cultural health forum at the Beaverton Village Church on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Living Islands is a Portland nonprofit focused on promoting cultural education to support Micronesian communities

by: Nicholas LaMora

Posted: Aug 30, 2023 / 08:47 PM PDT

Updated: Aug 30, 2023 / 08:47 PM PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Doctors, medical staff and health care providers came together to address health disparities and and bridge cultural gaps during a Marshallese cultural health forum at the Beaverton Village Church on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Featuring multiple speakers, the event highlighted the community and history of people from the Marshall Islands.

A small Micronesian nation in the Pacific Ocean — its population is estimated at about 62,000 — the Marshall Islands is perhaps best known for being the site of U.S. nuclear weapon tests after World War II. Although it became an independent republic in 1979, it retains strong political and economic ties to the United States and is considered an associated state.

Living Islands, a Portland nonprofit focused on promoting cultural education to support Micronesian communities, hosted the event with the intention of bringing light to the healthcare barriers faced by Marshallese people in the United States.

Located in the west of the Pacific Ocean, the Republic of the Marshall Islands lacks many health resources available in the United States, leading many Marshallese people to emigrate to Hawaii or the U.S. mainland.