Army Corps of Engineers and US Department of Interior to analyze medical facility maintenance management in US Affiliated Pacific Islands

From left of picture to right is Director of OAS Joseph Giliko, Director of DOE Dominic Fanasog, Grants Management Analyst Martin J. Moore III, US Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District Donald W. Schlack, DHS Lab Supervisor Maria Marfel, Governor Charles Chieng, HHF Planners President Thomas A. Fee, OIA Field Rep for the FSM Cheryl Burkindine, Acting Director of OPB Fachibman Fathal, and Director of DYCA Alex Gilfiley

On March 30, 2023, the Honorable Governor Chieng met with a team from the US Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District, HHF Planners who will conduct a root cause analysis of medical facility maintenance management practices in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) to improve the quality of medical care. 
​
The team composed of Mr. Donald W. Schlack Project Manager International and Interagency Services - US Army Corps of Engineers, Mr. Martin J. Moore III Grants Management Analyst - Office of Insular Affairs US Department of Interior, Ms. Cheryl Burkindine Field Representative for the FSM - Office of Insular Affairs US Department of Interior, and Mr. Thomas A. Fee - President of HHF Planners. Governor Chieng welcomed the team and expressed his most sincere appreciation for the teams’ work in the State of Yap.

The team requested relevant hospital documents and reports, such as facility master plans and maintenance/CIP budgets, as part of the site visit pre-planning process in 2020. The site visit was delayed until now by Covid 19.  Mr. Schlack and Fee also brought an architect, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and a physician to interview key hospital and other personnel, conduct group sessions, look into all aspects of facilities issues and discuss root causes and opportunities to improve maintenance management practices.

The USAPI jurisdiction includes American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Root cause analysis helps identify and prevent recurrence by collecting data, cause charting, root cause identification, and recommendation generation and implementation.  Addressing root causes provide long term comprehensive solutions as opposed to trying to simply fix each problem when it comes up.