OUTREACH
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally Moran is partnering with local service organizations to identify eye care needs in underserved populations across the state. The Moran Eye Center’s Global Outreach Division provides care to thousands of Utahns in need each year thanks to donors who provide funding for free or low-cost eye exams, surgeries, and eyeglasses at clinics around the state and on the Navajo Nation.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT NEXT STEPS The group is reviewing available data and conducting surveys and interviews to document local resources and service gaps. After interpreting the results, the team will set an agenda. Ideally, the plan will enable partners throughout the state to provide basic eye care and refer complex cases to Moran.
From left: Craig Chaya, MD; Sean Collon, MD; and Sharon Talboys, PhD, MPH.
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This outreach work to preserve or restore eyesight strengthens local communities as those who receive care can find or hold jobs, read, drive, look after children, and engage in school. Yet the need for eye care in Utah and worldwide rapidly outpaces capacity and available resources. A newly launched Community Eye Health Assessment aims to identify how current efforts can expand or improve to keep pace with changing needs. In partnership with the University of Utah’s Division of Public Health, the Moran Outreach Division is taking an innovative, detailed look at the health care needs of four of Utah’s underserved communities: Native Americans, those experiencing homelessness, resettled refugees, and the underinsured or uninsured. “It has become apparent to us that we don’t have a clear picture of the visual health needs in our state,” said Global Outreach Division Co-Medical Director Craig Chaya, MD. “We need to understand the many factors, such as social determinants, that may affect eye health. This has led us to take a more comprehensive, scientific approach to understanding the multitude of issues our communities face.” Moran resident Sean Collon, MD, proposed the idea of a local outreach assessment, which is expected to take 18 months to complete.
