Geographical Locations - Northern Mariana Islands

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor:
• CIA - World Factbook : Northern Mariana Islands

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) in Manila (Philippines)

Government

• Government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
• Commonwealth Health Center Saipan
• Emergency Medical Services for the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands
  "The purpose of this website is to demonstrate how Public Health personnel can utilize EMS Professionals more effectively in the administration of Public Health Programs. It also demonstrates to EMS Professionals acute and preventative health care programs in which they may become more involved as healthcare professionals"

Non-Government

Academic Institutions

• Northern Marianas College

National Policy and Related Documents

• 2010 State Plan [Department of Public Health, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Country Profile
  "SPC country profiles document the nature and extent the organisation’s services to individual members. This country profile presents basic country facts and a synopsis of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island’s (CNMI) development background and a narrative summary of the Secretariat’s assistance during the period 2006-2008. Annexes include specific country activities and human resource development activities in 2008, and a financial summary of assistance during the period 2006 to 2008." [Secretariat of the Pacific Community, February 2009]
• Impact of methodological "shortcuts" in conducting public health surveys: Results from a vaccination coverage survey
  Background: Lack of methodological rigor can cause survey error, leading to biased results and suboptimal public health response. This study focused on the potential impact of 3 methodological "shortcuts" pertaining to field surveys: relying on a single source for critical data, failing to repeatedly visit households to improve response rates, and excluding remote areas. Methods: In a vaccination coverage survey of young children conducted in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in July 2005, 3 sources of vaccination information were used, multiple follow-up visits were made, and all inhabited areas were included in the sampling frame. Results are calculated with and without these strategies. Results: Most children had at least 2 sources of data; vaccination coverage estimated from any single source was substantially lower than from all sources combined. Eligibility was ascertained for 79% of households after the initial visit and for 94% of households after follow-up visits; vaccination coverage rates were similar with and without follow-up. Coverage among children on remote islands differed substantially from that of their counterparts on the main island indicating a programmatic need for locality-specific information; excluding remote islands from the survey would have had little effect on overall estimates due to small populations and divergent results. Conclusion: Strategies to reduce sources of survey error should be maximized in public health surveys. The impact of the 3 strategies illustrated here will vary depending on the primary outcomes of interest and local situations. Survey limitations such as potential for error should be well-documented, and the likely direction and magnitude of bias should be considered. [author abstract] [BMC Public Health 2008, 8: 99]

Educational Resources

• CDC - Travel Information: Australia and the South Pacific
• Chamorro Community website
  "This site is devoted to preserving and sharing the culture of the Chamorro people of the Marianas Islands