A networking approach to rehabilitation service delivery in the developing nation/states of Micronesia.
The people of Micronesia , those inhabitants of a collection of over 2,000 islands and atolls encompassing three million square miles of Western Pacific Ocean, have developed by the establishment of three political entities, compacts of Free Association with the United States (United Nations Administrators of the area under the designation of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands). These emerging nations aim for self-sufficiency in all areas of national endeavor within specified periods of time. The University of Guam's Vocational Rehabilitation Training Program has addressed itself to the issue confronting not only these newly emerging nation/states of Micronesia , but indeed, those developing nations which currently struggle with the social, cultural and economic issues of providing for its citizenry , appropriate rehabilitation programming which meets criteria of high quality services to the largest number of people within an attainable cost structure. Initial findings suggest this Third World Rehabilitation community refrain from adopting a polarity of thinking approach in the design and delivery of Rehabilitation services. The logical extension of such either/or planning attempts seems only to limit current and future Rehabilitation programming effort. Rather, a comparative cost analysis of selected rehabilitation services and accompanying travel expenses related to providers from both sides and throughout the Pacific, demonstrates that an admixture approach, which includes all available sources of services, warrants further investigation as a viable programming model for the nation/states of Micronesia to utilize as they develop locally based Vocational Rehabilitation Service programs of their own.
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D003906:Developing Countries; D005544:Forecasting; D006285:Health Planning / Q000639:trends; D006295:Health Resources / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008849:Micronesia; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000639:trends*