Our focus in Chuuk State is to empower local staff, develop stronger systems, and improve access to care. Dr. Albala has worked closely with Chuuk State Hospital leadership, the local government, and clinical teams to improve care-delivery to patients. In addition to his direct clinical work and teaching in the emergency department and the wards, Dr. Albala focused on system and infrastructure strengthening. His formal analysis based on the World Health Organization Harmonized Health Facility Assessment provided hospital leadership extensive guidance in departmental and system-wide budget and stock planning.
Dr. Bal worked in partnership with the Moran Eye Center and Chuuk State Hospital to provide eye care, surgical services, and develop a comprehensive ophthalmic technician training program for the nursing and public health teams in Chuuk. Her work continues to expand and, most recently, reached patients in remote outer islands in Chuuk lagoon, bringing care directly to the communities in which patients live.
Our partnership with Chuuk is long-term and in 2024 we were awarded a $183,000 Department of Interior Technical Assistance Program Grant to develop medical simulation capacity and training.
