PACIFIC ISLANDER HEALTH ALLIANCE NW (PIHA-NW)

MISSION AND VISION

Our mission is to provide cultural and competent health education and outreach services to the Pacific Islander community in Washington state. We envision a world where our Pacific Islander people feel empowered to take control of their health for our next generations.

OUR HISTORY

We began as Samoan Nurses of Washington in 2010 after breaking away from our former group the Samoan National Nurses Association branch of California. Early on, we were a 10-member organization and referred to ourselves as health educators committed to serving the Samoan community. Our commitment led us to pursue our nonprofit status with the state. This enabled us to move forward with our community outreach to provide:

• Blood pressure clinics
• Senior meal sites
• Health presentations to the Pacific Islander community including churches

Flash forward to 2019, our organization regrouped and discussed the importance of outreaching to all Pacific Islanders not only Samoans. With a new vision, we nominated a new Board of Directors and changed our name to Pacific Islander Health Alliance NW. Our commitment to our Pacific Islander community continues to be our anchor in the work that we do.