LUFILUFI, Samoa - A team of U.S. Navy nurses and hospital corpsmen spent the day at Lufilufi Health Center in Lufilufi, Samoa, assisting and training staff there as part of Pacific Partnership, Oct. 28.

The team spent the morning assisting with patient intake and outpatient treatment alongside their Samoan partners, and they dedicated the afternoon to training and capacity building. The visit marked the team’s third of six planned clinic days in Samoa.

"We spent the first few days working side-by-side with our Samoan partners, learning their processes, protocols, and capabilities," said Cdr. Calina Coronado, U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. "Now we're applying our skills to help them find efficiencies that streamline operations and enable them to provide the greatest possible care with the resources at their disposal. Our job here is to be force multipliers for the Samoan doctors, nurses, and paramedics."

The health center recently received a new ambulance, but the vehicle was not stocked with equipment and supplies.

"In the U.S., an ambulance typically has a large rear compartment with purpose-built shelves containing all the emergency supplies a paramedic might need," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Joseph Alvis, of La Mirada, California, "This week, we helped our Samoan partners assemble go-bags with well-organized emergency medical supplies and inventory lists to keep them properly stocked. This helps transform the ambulance from patient transportation into a point of critical care.”

The local staff expressed gratitude for the wide range of specialists, services, and training that Pacific Partnership has brought to Samoa.
"The simulations we did, including CPR, trauma, and massive hemorrhage, were really helpful. It's been more than a year since some of our nurses have done a simulation like that, and it was a great refresher for them," said Dr. Regina Duseigneur, the head of Lufilufi Health Center.

Doctors, nurses, and specialists, including optometrists, dentists, veterinarians, and others, are making similar stops at health care facilities across Samoa as part of Pacific Partnership 25 to build domestic capacity, working by, with, and through their Samoan partners.

The mission aims to strengthen local capacity, deepen regional cooperation, and enhance collective preparedness for disasters and emergencies throughout the Indo-Pacific.

For more information about Pacific Partnership 2025, visit https://www.clwp.navy.mil/Pacific-Partnership.