Climate & Ocean Resilience: Pacific leaders at the 8th Virtual Island Summit highlighted practical local work on climate adaptation and ocean governance, but stressed the need for stronger collaboration, finance and partnerships to scale up solutions. Pandemic Preparedness: WHO and partners unveiled the Western Pacific’s first Pandemic Fund multi-country project, aiming to boost disease surveillance, lab capacity and emergency response across 12 countries. VA Health Access for COFA Veterans: A new GAO report says veterans in Palau, FSM and the Marshall Islands still face major barriers to VA care, with no VA facilities locally and costly travel; VA is moving toward limited expansion via reimbursement, telehealth and medicine delivery. Medicaid Coverage Cuts for Noncitizens: New federal rules tied to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” begin Oct. 1, restricting Medicaid for many lawfully present immigrants; reports warn thousands could lose coverage, including people from Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands under Compacts of Free Association. Guam Water Safety & Cancer Risk Concerns: A separate report from Guam raises alarms about contaminated drinking water linked to pesticide exposure near an Air Force base, with health impacts under scrutiny. Family Violence Awareness (Guam): The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence is launching a month-long campaign to raise awareness and connect survivors to support services.