FederalDaily.com > HHS: Training Needed for PHS Commissioned Corps

FederalDaily - February 22, 2007

HHS: Training Needed for PHS Commissioned Corps

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) needs to improve training, as well as the way it deploys, the officers that are part of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), said a new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the OIG looked at the deployment and response of the Commissioned Corps, which is made up of officers commissioned on the basis of their health-related training. After the hurricanes struck, more than 2,100 PHSCC officers worked with state, local, and private agencies—but the response could have been better, said the report, released Feb. 20. “The Corps was not able to meet some state needs,” the report said. “Furthermore, deficiencies in officer preparation, deployment logistics, field operations, and officer reimbursement diminished the effectiveness and efficiency of the response.” The report recommended that the PHSCC institute more effective training for it officers and improve the system used to contact officers for deployment. The PHSCC is in the midst of a new transformation plan that should address most of the shortcomings cited in the report. To see more, go to: http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-06-00030.pdf.

OIG Report Finds Leadership Flaws

In a blunt report, the Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) law enforcement employees distrust agency management and complain the program lacks credible leadership. The report was released Feb. 20 and was applauded by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which says the OIG’s findings closely track wildlife protection data it has developed. An OIG employee survey revealed that fewer than half of FWS employees surveyed trust senior management and that the law enforcement program lacks a system of quality control to reliably assess the “efficiency and effectiveness” of its work. “Our review discovered weaknesses in the core areas of leadership and oversight, contributing to a general mistrust of senior management,” the report said. “We found a lack of effective communication between headquarters and the field, which has created a perception that there is a “wall” between management and field personnel.” To see more, go to: www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=825 .

Lawmakers Call for Investigations at Walter Reed

A weekend series of stories in The Washington Post on conditions at a Walter Reed Army Medical Center rehabilitation program has stirred up a flurry of reactions—including calls for investigations into the program and changes to how injured war veterans are treated. The stories described substandard living conditions, bureaucratic delays and inadequate benefits for seriously injured servicemembers. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., along with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Feb. 20 they will introduce legislation to ease the plight of injured war veterans. Meanwhile, Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to launch an investigation into the living conditions described in the stories. The Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy announced on Feb. 20 that they have begun a review of the medical care provided at both Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, and that an independent review group will be formed to look into outpatient care and administrative processes at the two facilities. To see more, go to: http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=269542 or http://mccaskill.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=269531&.