HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Tripler Army Medical Center (Tripler) supported the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) Blood Safety Program mission in Cambodia earlier this month.

Lt. Col. Teresa M. Terry, the chief of Transfusion Medicine Service in Tripler's Department of Pathology, worked with the PACOM Joint Blood Program Officer, the Cambodian Ministry of Health (MoH), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center of Disease Control (CDC), the Australian Red Cross and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACoE) to continue with the development of a National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC), four Regional Blood Centers and standardized Quality Management Teams throughout the country.

The international and interagency partners worked side-by-side to assist the Cambodian medical staff during a transition to three new blood centers while maintaining the centers' daily operations.

Terry also helped to prepare the Cambodia NBTC for accreditation processes, strengthening Cambodia's capacity and capability to provide a sustainable blood supply program.

The PACOM Blood Safety Program mission in Cambodia enhances humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts, significantly contributing to global health engagements in the Pacific realm.