U.S. bill would establish survey to collect health data from native Hawaiians, Pacific islanders

Madeleine Bordallo, the U.S. delegate from Guam, has introduced legislation that would fund a survey to collect health data from Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the Pacific Daily News reports.

The legislation would amend the Public Health Service Act to fund the survey through HHS.

Bordallo said, "Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are eager to move forward with their efforts to improve public health. This scientific survey would establish baseline health information to inform health policy and interventions so that individual and community health can be properly tracked and evaluated."

According to the Daily News, while federal agencies should be collecting data on native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders separately from Asian-Americans, most have not done so (Limtiaco, Pacific Daily News, 5/26).