My Vision Eye Center & Optical Inc. opens at new location

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — My Vision Eye Center & Optical Inc., a privately owned eye optical care center in American Samoa, celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in Tafuna, located in the government Tafuna Housing area, last Friday.

The eye clinic originally opened its doors on January 21, 2014, at Haleck’s Building in Pago Pago. In June 2017, it relocated to KS Mart in Ili’ili, where it continued to serve the community until its recent move to the new location.

For optometrist Galumalemana Dr. Laloasi Petaia-Steffany, last Friday’s grand opening was the fulfillment of a heartfelt promise to her late mother, and the realization of a shared dream she had pursued with her late husband.

“I still remember my first year at the University of Hawaii. I would call home to check on my mother, who was diabetic. She often complained about the long wait times to see a doctor at the hospital and how diabetes was affecting her eyesight,” she recalled.

"She encouraged me to major in optometry so I could help her and the many people in American Samoa suffering from vision-related conditions. Sadly, she passed away in 2014 not long after I returned home. My husband, who was the major driving force behind establishing this institution, also passed away just before the government approved our request for a lot i… for our clinic.

“So, it goes without saying that the official opening of the new My Vision Eye Center & Optical Inc. is dedicated to my late husband and co-founder of the clinic, Utagamamao Taisi Steffany, and my late parents, Rev. Mika Faamausili Petaia and Alofa Fiamalua-Petaia.”

The dedication ceremony was attended by Lt. Governor La’apui E.V. Ale, Speaker Savali Talavou Ale, senior government officials, several church ministers, and friends and relatives of the owner.

The program began with an invocation by Rev. Iese Fa’avaoga of the Leone CCCAS, who emphasized the importance of faith and the power of prayer. He noted that despite the many challenges Dr. Petaia-Steffany had faced over the past ten years, she had remained “steadfast in her faith and never ceased to pray for this day.”

Rev. Fa’avaoga remarked that ten years was a long time, but “God in His infinite wisdom and timing chose this day to manifest His blessings and make Dr. Petaia’s dream and aspirations a reality.”

In his remarks, Lt. Governor La’apui discussed the governor’s plans to build a new hospital in the ASG Tafuna Housing area, envisioning a medical park where various medical services would be centralized.

He noted that Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga’s vision aligns perfectly with the establishment of My Vision Eye Center & Optical Inc. at its current location due to its proximity. The Governor hopes that this will inspire the development of similar private medical institutions in the area.

La’apui commended Dr. Petaia-Steffany for her vision and dedication to serving the people of American Samoa. He mentioned that the government is pleased to support her through the provision of land for the facility and financial assistance.

He emphasized that the optometrist is a role model for her commitment to returning home to serve her community, despite the prospect of much higher pay on the mainland. He urged other Samoans with medical backgrounds who are currently off-island to follow her example and return home to serve the territory.

Before introducing and inviting the eye doctor to speak, Master of Ceremony Faipule Fiu Saelua highlighted that Lt. Governor La’apui is also a role model.

"He chose to leave a prestigious law firm in the mainland, where he could have earned five times his current salary, to return home and serve his people," Fiu acknowledged.

Dr. Petaia-Steffany expressed her gratitude to the government for approving her request for a lot for her clinic. She recalled receiving the notice of approval in September 2020, a particularly challenging time as her husband had just passed away. She revealed that she had doubts about whether she could proceed with the project on her own.

She expressed her gratitude to her spiritual parents, family, and friends for their prayers, which lifted her spirits from the depths of grief.

“By the grace of God, we now come together to celebrate the opening of our new building,” she said.

She also acknowledged Jays Construction for a well-done job and revealed that the building was constructed without a loan.

Dr. Petaia-Steffany explained that the establishment of a surgical clinic was not part of the original plan. However, she decided to add this crucial service due to the many elderly patients who cannot afford the airfare to travel off-island for eye surgery. Ophthalmologists from the United States will perform eye surgeries at the new facility.

Medicaid Director Sandra King-Young addressed the gathering, noting that in the two years since My Vision Eye Center has been a Medicaid provider, it has delivered eye services to 1,796 Medicaid patients. Among these patients, 591 are children and 534 are senior citizens aged 65 and over.

She echoed Lt. Governor La'apui's call to Samoans with medical backgrounds who are off-island to return home and serve our people and pointed out that there is a future in medical entrepreneurship here on island leveraging the power and authority of the Medicaid Program.

"We have $50 million that we can't use," Director King-Young said. "Number one because we don't have enough local match, and number two because we don't have any doctors in the private sector. All the other referral services are groups or institutions.

"So Dr. Laloasi has the distinguished position of being the very first individual doctor provider in our network on-island. And that is something to be proud of. She came here and opened up her clinic ten years ago. What does that tell you? She came here because of her heart. She came to serve and give to our community because of her love, and her inspiration from her parents. Her roots brought her back.

"When we suspended the Medicaid services program, who stayed open? She stayed open. She didn't rely on Medicaid. She is running My Vision Eye Center with sound financial management, she can survive without Medicaid, and that's what we want. And we want her to continue when we reopen next month."

Laloasi Mika Petaia is the sixth of nine children born to Rev. Mika Faamausili Petaia and Mrs. Alofa Fiamalua-Petaia. She has five sisters and three brothers.

She started her educational journey at the Alataua Elementary School then completed her elementary education at Leone Midkiff Elementary School, before moving on to Leone High School where she graduated in 1984 as a member of the LHS National Honor Society.

She spent the next two years at the American Samoa Community College and graduated with an Applied Science degree in Health Science. She also secured an off-island government scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii, Manoa where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1994.

She continued her tertiary education at the Ferris State University in Michigan graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Opticianry in 1997. She was then accepted at the Michigan College of Optometry and transferred to the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, School of Optometry where she received her Doctoral of Optometry degree, O.D. in 2010.

After her educational goal, she worked at Moran Eye Center, University of Utah as an Optometrist, Contact Lenses Department until 2013.

Earlier this year, her father’s family in Malie and Sapapalii bestowed upon her the high chiefly title of Galumalemana.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by my father’s family,” acknowledged Galumalemana Dr. Laloasi Petaia-Steffany. "I also know that it comes with responsibility, which I am prepared to take on because it is how I was raised. Family is everything.

“I thank God for everything I have achieved. The good book says, 'So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ Coming home to serve was always my goal, and with God’s help, I will do so to the best of my ability.”