The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact and Lessons Learned on Sustainability of a Micronesian Islander Parent Leadership Program

Abstract

Micronesian and Pacific Islander (M&PI) communities were hit the hardest with COVID-19 cases, 154 to 217.7 per 100,000, compared to other racial-ethnic groups, particularly in the western United States. In Oregon, COVID-19 cases and death rates among M&PI were higher than all other racial and ethnic groups. Micronesian Islander Parent Leaders (MIPLs, including parents and caregivers of children) of the expanded Health and Education parent leadership program in Oregon express concern about the COVID-19 impact on their health and M&PI families and learning on children. Investment in leadership development is shown to have often increased acceptance, development, implementation, and translation of interventions within the M&PI communities. The COVID-19 pandemics’ impact on CBPR must be recognized when conducting CBPR. Consequences include interrupted formal education and parents’ mental health as unintentional proxy educators for children as students with distance learning. We report on a qualitative descriptive study on the COVID-19 impact on the learning of MIPLs and their families, with MIPLs being caregivers as key informants. We describe lessons learned as notes from the field from our experience as the Micronesian Islander Community (MIC) non-profit organization and public Washington State University as a community and academic partnership navigating the COVID-19 impact in conducting CBPR. This community and educational partnership had two major responsive pivots in navigating the COVID-19 impact in working with CBPR. The shift in the project was a necessary methodical resilient strategy for the sustainability of the M&PI parent leadership program.