The fourth factor that has impact on the health and welfare of the Marshallese population is the willingness of the health care provider to understand culture and the needs of the Marshallese people. Healthcare providers has to understand that the Marshallese family is a close knit family and places their trust on community or church leaders (more often church pastors). This closeness means that material possessions and familial responsibilities are shared with one another. It is not uncommon for a male or female adult to care and provide shelter for the children of their brothers, sisters, or distant relatives. When a member of a family decides to leave the Marshall Islands to migrate to Hawai'i, family members residing in Hawai'i are expected to welcome this new addition regardless of his/her ability to provide for themselves. This loyalty and closeness often results with multiple family members sharing a one bedroom apartment with multiple family members resulting in what the Western culture would consider as cramp or crowded living space, (Look, Trask-Batti, Agres, Mau, & Kaholokula, 2013). Medical personnel can often see this family closeness by simply observing the many relatives that pack into the patient’s room during the visiting hours in the hospital. It is also common for at least one family member to remain at bedside to attend to the patient’s needs. Patients A and B acknowledges…show more content… This is especially true when a patient no longer perceive their need for a prescribe drug and would share the same prescribed drug to another family member who is having the same illness (Weltin and Lavin, 2012). Patient B admittedly have this same view in regards to his healthcare. He stopped taking his prescribed antibiotics after he felt that his wound was getting better and felt that the medication was causing his
