Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Robin Peak | PACOM Joint Blood Program read more read more
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CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii – The Indo-Asia-Pacific region is one of the most complex and culturally diverse regions in the world. It is home to nearly 36 percent of the world’s population many of whom live on the fringes of the most active seismic geology on the planet—the Ring of Fire.
In this region it is never a matter of if a natural disaster will occur, but when; and when disaster hits, having a safe, sustainable blood program is key in being able to effectively respond.
United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) sits at the heart of the ring of fire and has roughly 300,000 service members operating though out the region. Through its Joint Blood Program, USPACOM partners with host nations and other organizations to conduct Global Health Engagements (GHE) that aim to enhance host nation’s blood programs.
“The end goal is for these countries to be self-sustainable, so that when a disaster hits they’re able to respond quickly and effectively” said Lt. Cmdr. Steven C. Clifford, the USPACOM Director of the Joint Blood Program.
“We help them collect, test, process and have the quality assurance programs set in place to help get them accredited by the World Health Organization,” he said.
Clifford coordinates and manages the program throughout the entire Indo-Asia-Pacific Theater which primarily provides blood support to U.S. troops stationed or operating in the region. Clifford understands GHEs are a key piece in that mission by building partnerships that aid in support of U.S. personnel but also allows host nations to bolster their blood safety and capacity.
“Building a host nation’s capacity to safely store blood allows them to be able to provide for themselves, for instance, in the event of a natural disaster,” he explained. “It also allows us to safely store our own blood at those facilities, creating better access when we have live-fire exercises and potential operations in those areas.”
Drawing on a recent engagement, Clifford said, “A country like Laos has drastically increased in blood collection. When we started working with them they were collecting roughly 10,000 samples and now they are up to 60,000. They are aiming for two percent of their population, a standard for accreditation by the World Health Organization (WHO), and they are progressing which is what’s important.”
These GHE’s not only build partnerships with host nations but also drive cooperation and understanding between U.S. government organizations and international agencies.
Lt. Col. Teresa M. Terry, the program manager for GHE Blood Safety for Cambodia, worked with USPACOM, the Cambodian Ministry of Health, the WHO, the Center of Disease Control, the Australian Red Cross and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in achieving the gamut of Cambodia’s blood safety goals.
“Over the last few years, with the help of international and interagency partners, the Cambodia Blood Safety program has been able to educate doctors, nurses, laboratory professional, health care administrators and engineers in the necessity of a safe blood supply,” said Terry.
In addition to developing a national blood administration guideline, USPACOM and other U.S. and international agencies aided USACE in the completion of one national blood transfusion center in the capital Phnom Penh and two provincial blood centers in Kampong Cham and Siem Reap. There are also two more blood centers currently under construction in other parts of the country.
“These building significantly improve Cambodia's capacity to collect, manufacture, test, store and distribute blood products throughout the country,” said Terry.
With the continuing success of the GHE in Cambodia and the country’s path toward accreditation, Terry appreciates the teamwork that goes into a GHE such as Cambodia.
“I am proud of the relationships that have been built and to be part of the collaborative efforts to improve the quality of blood products and transfusion practices for the Cambodia people,” said Terry.
She went on to say, “In support of the national security objectives and the health theater security cooperation plans, we have been able to use soft diplomacy of medicine and a whole of government approach to demonstrate how the Department of Defense can effectively help civilian programs in Cambodia to improve infrastructure in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”
The USPACOM Joint Blood Program continues to support GHE’s throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region enhancing humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts.
USPACOM protects and defends, in concert with other U.S. Government agencies, the territory of the United States, its people, and its interests. With allies and partners, USPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies and deterring aggression.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2017 13:48 |
| Story ID: | 245155 |
| Location: | HI, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lifeline of the Pacific, by PO1 Robin Peak, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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