Location

Coast Guard Reserve Training Center, Yorktown, VA.

General Information¹

Recent health care reform efforts in the United States and abroad demonstrate the importance of health in national strategic planning and resource management. Economic impact and complexity of health programs today create challenges for policy makers. The central focus of the International Health Resources Management (IHRM) Program is to develop strategies for improving health resource management that will contribute to a country's national security interests. This is accomplished by promoting a self sustaining process of collaboration among health resources management decision-makers involved in improving the health of their military and civilian populations through the appropriate application of knowledge and allocation of resources.

Increasingly shifting linkages between health systems and national objectives require coordination and study, particularly in light of evolving civil-military relations. A typical program will focus on building collaborative partnerships in one or more of the following areas: military policy on quality of life; military medical administration; military and civilian cross-sector health care topics; and military involvement in public health strategic action plans. The program is flexible to permit the discussion of issues of interest that best meet the needs of the country.

This program is divided into five phases (three primary and two optional).

Scope¹

The second phase of the IHRM Program focuses on training the country's delegates as facilitators in the collaborative pursuit process used in Phase III. Facility tours, lectures, videos, and written material are provided to enhance learning and to refine the issues and goals for Phase III.

Phase II can be accomplished by extending Phase I by 3-5 additional days in-country or by the country's delegation coming to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

The choice of Phase II location is determined by the host country and the IHRM staff based on country-specific program objectives and available funding.

Programming and implementation of Phase II¹

Phase II is conducted in CONUS [the Continental United States] and is not a MET [Mobile Education Team], rather it is the curriculum-building phase. One or more delegates from the country will travel to the U.S. (normally to the IHRM in Monterey, California) for a period of five days. They may also visit various military and civilian health care organizations and receive a variety of briefings on U.S. programs that are relevant to the issues identified in Phase I. They will then assist the IHRM instructors in determining important national health resource objectives and participate in creating a tailored seminar to be presented in the host country.

Costing and funding of Phase II¹

A cost estimate of $29,000-$40,000 is programmed for planning/ funding purposes. After the SAO identifies the number of delegates and IHRM identifies instructors, a more accurate estimate is determined. The approximate cost is based upon several students' travel from the participating country to the IHRM. The estimate includes round-trip transportation, cost of student lodging, CONUS transportation expenses (rental van or air transportation), interpreter fees if required and the weekly course cost. If the IHRM requires assisting instructors from other locations in the U.S., their travel expenses and per diem costs are also included.

Source:

¹ United States, Defense Security Assistance Agency, Expanded IMET Handbook, (Washington: February 14, 1997) I-7, I-8, IV-A-33-5.