The Palau AHEC--academizing the public health work plan: capacity development and innovation in Micronesia.

The Palau Area Health Education Center (AHEC)--a program of the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and based at Palau Community College--was established in 2001 in response to the recommendations of the 1998 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report--Pacific Partnerships for Health--Charting a New Course for the 21st Century1. One of IOM's core recommendations was to promote the training of the primary health care workforce among the U.

Palau's current and future capacity for disaster management.

Despite the challenges of geographic isolation, a small population and limited financial resources, the Republic of Palau has been able to significantly improve its ability to address disasters through establishing an emergency health program funded by US Federal Grants. The ability to prevent and respond to ordinary emergencies and disasters has been bolstered by creating electronic Public Health and Hospital Emergency Operations Plans, improving and creating hospital surge capacity infrastructure in all units beyond recommended minimums, initiating a database of volunteers with disaster response related skills, creating pharmacy caches, developing a national HAZAMT team, teaching critical incident stress debriefing skills, creating and expanding communications networks, improving the pre-hospital care system, conducting active disease surveillance, and improving the scope and quality of lab services. New policies and procedures are implemented and sustained through an active education system incorporating drills, exercises and didactic teaching sessions.