SUMMARY OF DUTIES: The PIHOA Regional Human Resources for Health Coordinator position will be located in the Honolulu, Hawaii office. Continuation of employment is dependent upon program/operational needs, satisfactory work performance, availability of funds, and compliance with applicable Federal/State laws.
Responsible for overseeing the development, funding, budgeting, implementation, and evaluation of a regional strategy for addressing the health workforce priorities of the six USAPIs, including Guam, the CNMI, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the RMI, and the FSM (Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei). The Regional Human Resources for Health Coordinator will strengthen, among PIHOA member states, health workforce assessment and planning; cross-sectoral coordination (particularly with partners in education); resource development for underwriting regional and local plans and activities; regional policy addressing health workforce issues; provider recruitment systems (including licensure and credentialing standards); and the integration of health workforce issues across other PIHOA priority areas, including lab, quality assurance, health data systems, and planning; oversees the Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) development, evolution, growth, and sustainability; maintains ongoing communication and engagement with Pacific health leadership, host sites, and funders along with new priority areas, as they emerge.
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: Established in 1986 by the chief health officials of the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands(USAPIs) of American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands(CNMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands(RMI), and the Republic of Palau, the Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) is a 501(c)3 headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a field office in Hågatña, Guam. PIHOA’s mission is to provide, through collective action and decision-making, a credible regional voice for health advocacy in and for the Pacific. Today, PIHOA’s membership is comprised of the ministers/directors/secretaries of health (executive governing board) of the six USAPIs, their deputies and Chief Executive Officers of local public hospitals (associates), and Pacific regional professional associations (affiliates). PIHOA’s Secretariat, comprised of twenty-four executive, administrative and technical staff and a number of short and long-term consultants, have been tasked to provide technical assistance to the USAPI health ministries and departments in the following health systems strengthening areas: 1) health workforce development/human resources for health; 2) epidemiology and surveillance; 3) performance improvement; 4) laboratory services; 5) regional health policy and advocacy; 6) health security; and 7) leadership development.
In May 2010, the PIHOA leadership made a landmark decision to declare a regional state of NCD emergency under Resolution 48-01. It triggered high-level responses and commitments across the executive and legislative branches of government and traditional leadership across the USAPIs. Following the declaration, an ‘incident command’ response framework (USAPIs NCD Strategic Roadmap) was developed to inform the regional response over three key phases: Phase 1 - Sounding the Alert: raising awareness and advocacy amongst key decision-makers in the USAPIs and across the wider Pacific; Phase 2 - Crafting the Response: developing NCD-related tools and resources and establishing effective partnerships; and Phase 3 - Implementing the Response: adoption of an agreed package of NCD policies and legislation, convening a USAPIs NCD law and policy summit, and the collection and analysis of NCD data and information to track NCD progress and risk factors.
From 2010 to the present, PIHOA’s Secretariat, in close collaboration with USAPI health agencies and in partnership with local health agencies and regional partners, has made significant efforts to mobilize resources to plan and implement a response to the NCD Emergency Declaration. This included key interventions such as: the development of and garnering the endorsement of regional and other key stakeholders for the USAPI NCD Policy Commitment Package; ensuring a coordinated response across the region by establishing the Health Leadership Council (PIHOA affiliates); developing and implementing the USAPI NCD Strategic Roadmap to guide the response; developing and maintaining the USAPI NCD Core Monitoring and Surveillance Framework and Data Set endorsed in consensus amongst all the USAPIs health agencies; and supporting local efforts to strengthen state/national-level NCD surveillance systems, capacities, and processes to support evidence-based policymaking and program improvement.
