Creation of the U.S. Army Public Health Command
What is it'
The commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command has directed the establishment of a U.S. Army Public Health Command (USAPHC) as a subordinate command. The creation of the USAPHC will integrate select missions from the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine and the U.S. Army Veterinary Command (VETCOM) to form the core of the USAPHC. The USAPHC became provisional on Oct. 1, 2009, and includes all of the USACHPPM missions and services. Select missions (levels III-V) of VETCOM will become part of the USAPHC (Prov) in spring of 2010 and fully integrate by Oct. 1, 2010.
Why is the Army doing this'
In order to optimize the delivery of healthcare support to the Army, Soldiers, family members and all other eligible Military Health System beneficiaries, the MEDCOM is currently engaged in a four-phased reorganization. As part of this reorganization, the MEDCOM commander directed the establishment of a U.S. Army Public Health Command.
Why is this important to the Army'
The creation of the Army Public Health Command will enhance the provision of critical public health capabilities to the Army. The overall objectives of the USAPHC are:
Aca,!Ac Enhance health and wellness of Soldiers and military retirees, their families, and Army civilian employees.
Aca,!Ac Optimize public health support to the Army.
Aca,!Ac Create a single point of responsibility for public health within the MEDCOM.
Aca,!Ac Improve planning and use of Army public health assets across the full spectrum of installations and activities.
Aca,!Ac Execute effective veterinary service programs across DOD.
What is planned for the future'
The creation of the USAPHC will occur in two phases over two years.
Aca,!Ac In phase 1, the current phase, MEDCOM established a USAPHC (Prov) to coordinate the capabilities of USACHPPM and VETCOM and continue the delivery of public health services. This phase includes development of a concept plan describing the USAPHC mission, roles and responsibilities, and approved policies that lay out an integrated Army public health program and assign enterprise oversight, monitoring, and execution responsibilities to the various MEDCOM organizations.
Aca,!Ac In phase 2, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 1, 2010, the USAPHC (Prov) will achieve initial operational capability. This phase begins with the HQDA approval of the USAPHC concept plan and ends when all tasks outlined in the concept plan have been completed, to include activation of the USAPHC and inactivation of USACHPPM and VETCOM.
Resources:
<a href="http://phc.amedd.army.mil/home/" target="_blank"> U.S. Army Public Health Command</a>
<a href="http://vetcom.amedd.army.mil/" target="_blank"> U.S. Army Veterinary Command </a>
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