Arkansas Marshallese Physician Responds to COVID-19 Outbreak in his Homeland

By Jacqueline Froelich

Published October 5, 2022 at 2:50 PM CDT

Arkansas Marshallese physician Dr. Sheldon Riklon (third from left) at a COVID-19 emergency response orientation post-arrival August 17th on Majuro atoll, led by RMI Secretary of Health Jack Neidenthal (fifth from left), joined by Hawaii-based Marshallese nurse Philmar Mendoza Kabua (far left), Palau-based Fijan-born PIHOA Lab Specialist Manasa Mainnaqelelevu, Pohnpei-based WHO consultant and Marshallese physician Dr. Aina Garstang, Hawaii-based Marshallese physician Dr. Wilfred Alik, and Lee Jack RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services, far left.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, est population 41,000, was among the last nations on Earth to remain free of COVID-19, after closing borders against the global pandemic. That changed August 8th. A team of U.S. based Marshallese medical providers, including Arkansas physician Dr. Sheldon Riklon, traveled to the RMI to respond to the outbreak in cooperation with RMI medical providers, with PPE supplied by U.S. Marshallese migrants.

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Jacqueline Froelich

Jacqueline Froelich is an investigative reporter and news producer for <i>Ozarks at Large.</i>

See stories by Jacqueline Froelich

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