The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is surrounded by ocean, and it feels like we’re often one swell away from literally and figuratively drowning; the small island economy teeters on a razor’s edge between feast and famine. But what was once a strange and seemingly hopeless place to me, has become my home and mission.
Kaitlyn Neises-Mocanu
Special Assistant for Policy, Sustainability, and Development
Commonwealth Healthcare CorporationKaitlyn Neises-Mocanu has taken many opportunities to wrap arms around health issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and solve them from many angles. As the Special Assistant for Policy, Sustainability, and Development for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Kaitlyn improves the health of CNMI residents and makes improvements to discount programs for the uninsured, drafts comprehensive policy briefings on Medicaid and health care financing in the CNMI for policymakers, and advocates for tax increases on harmful products such as betelnut and sugary drinks at the CNMI Legislature.
Currently, Kaitlyn is working on a listing of non-communicable disease policy recommendations to include in the CNMI State Strategic Plan, which will include guidance on “complete streets” policies to promote active transportation and rules on marketing unhealthy products to children along with recommendations to promote health at the organizational and family levels.
Kaitlyn is currently working toward her Master of Public Health degree at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.