mission, manage expectations of all participants, and foster cross-cultural
harmony between various organizations and personnel on the mission.
2. Source the mission with personnel based on PDSS findings. Currently GFM
requires manning to be submitted prior to the execution of the PDSS. The result
is often a tailoring of the mission to personnel sourced, rather than tailoring
personnel to the HN needs. A focus on more SMEE activity, professional
seminars, and community health education requires fewer personnel than clinical
care, in turn decreasing cost of the mission and lightening the burden of a large
footprint on the HN. Right-sizing of the mission would eliminate the need to
rotate personnel throughout the engagements, decrease transport requirements,
create more cohesive teams, and decrease amount of “down-time."
3. ADVON/PDSS: Establish continuity between the PDSS and ADVON. Critical
relationships are formed over time with familiar faces, fostering a deeper understanding of HN nuances and insights. PDSS/ADVON members should be
experienced in HCA training course standardizing a comprehensive approach to
rigorous assessment may improve mission planning. Additional manning of the
PDSS/ADVON with a public health nurse and dentist would greatly improve the
information/contacts made in these critical specialties. With greater fiscal
restraints impacting PDSS/ADVON size, additional members may not be
feasible. If this is the case, consideration should be given to creating a comprehensive document that contains questions and suggested queries solicited from
specialty experts with HCA experience. ADVON members embarking the ship
and berthing with PP13 personnel after arriving at the mission stop would
facilitate communication, create greater sense of team, and significantly
decrease cost. ADVON needs to revisit ALL sites, to include planned living
quarters, to ensure HN personnel are prepared for our arrival, expectations of
engagements are understood, event sites are prepared, and appropriate living
quarters are in adequate and safe condition.
4. Consider making the 1st day ashore a “prep” day. Ensure all supplies are at
the sites. Facilitate "meet and greet" with event OIC/teams. Review expectations for event.
5. Optometry is a highly valued resource in all countries. Dispensing of +/glasses and sunglasses creates a sustainable change in HN individuals' lives.
6. Adequate screening tools should be provided for the mission. HN expects
some level of health care. Screening for disease is useful for meeting that
expectation without providing clinical care. It creates a compulsion for people to
absorb community education when they are identified as potentially having a
medical concern. For example, if a high blood sugar is detected at a health fair
screening, the individual can be offered diet and exercise education and be
encouraged to seek follow up medical care in the HN system. Oto-opthalmo-
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