An innovative medical civil-military operation training program
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Mechanical Ventilation Boot Camp Curriculum
Published on: March 12, 2018
Douglas Lougee1, Teresa M Kemmer, Julia Lynch
1San Antonio Military Pediatric Center, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, TX 78236-9908, USA.
Insights
This humanitarian civic assistance program uses public health surveillance for lasting impact. Military medics train in population assessment and primary care, benefiting both military readiness and host nations.
Area of Science:
- Military medicine
- Public health
- International health
Background:
- Humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) programs often provide short-term medical interventions with limited long-term benefits.
- There is a need for sustainable HCA programs that yield lasting positive outcomes for host nations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe an innovative humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) program developed by the San Antonio Military Pediatric Center.
- To highlight the program's focus on public health surveillance for sustainable impact.
- To present a model for enhancing military training and host nation benefit through HCA.
Main Methods:
- U.S. military medics conduct random household nutritional surveys in austere settings.
- Medics receive training in population assessment and primary medical care in developing nations.
- Activities are coordinated with the host nation, with data shared for policy development.
Main Results:
- Over 200 military medics trained since 2001 in essential skills for medical civil-military operations.
- Public health data collected and reported to Honduran public health leaders, USAID, and NGOs.
- Established a collaborative framework for HCA program development and policy.
Conclusions:
- The program's focus on public health surveillance offers a sustainable model for HCA.
- This approach enhances military medical training and provides significant benefits to the host nation.
- This innovative HCA program serves as a potential model for future international health initiatives.
Abstract:
The San Antonio Military Pediatric Center has developed an innovative humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) program. Many medical HCA programs focus on short-term medical interventions and provide transient benefit. To have a more lasting impact, this program focuses on public health surveillance. U.S. military medics conduct random household nutritional surveys and train in austere settings and on rounds in Honduran hospitals. Since 2001, >200 military medics have been trained in population assessment, primary medical care in developing nations, and other skills critical for medical civil-military operations. All activities are coordinated with the host nation. Public health data are collected and reported to Honduran public health leaders, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and nongovernmental organizations, to assist with program and policy development. This innovative project is a potential model to improve both military training and host nation benefit from HCA programs.
