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PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

MEMORANDUM DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
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TO

FROM

SUBJECT:

HEALTH RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION
BUREAU OF HEALTH RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

DCHP, DFU, and DRMP Staff . . DATE: DRAFT/8-16-74

Acting Associate Director for Health Resources Planning

HRP Implementation
In this period of transition it is especially important that all staff of
the three programs be kept informed of current developments regarding the

pending Health Resource Planning (HRP) legislation and our implementation

efforts in that connection.

My meeting with you several weeks ago (August 2) was intended to serve
that end. Drs. Graning, Pahl, and Rorrie will, I am certain, continue
to relay relevant information about such developments to their respective

program staffs in the course of regular staff and other meetings they hold.

.In addition, though, I believe some useful purpose may be served by

periodic communications such as this memorandum, to all the staff of
DCHP, DFU, and DRMP. I intend in this way to inform you every two weeks
or so, about recent HRP developments and I have asked Mr, Peterson in his
new role as my special assistant for HRP implementation to assist me with

this as one of his responsibilities.

Legislation

As most of you know, the House health subcommittee recently reported out a
clean bill, H.R. 16204, the "National Health Policy, Planning, and Resources

Development Act of 1974", (We soon will have copies of it in quantity.)

It is anticipated that the full Committee on Foreign and Interstate Commerce

will report out that bill before the House recesses on August 23. Final
2.
y~ action, a vote by the full House on this bill is not expected until sometime
after the House reconvenes on September 11. It is expected the Senate
Committee on Welfare and Health, which recently reported out a manpower bill,

will be turning its attention to marking up its companion HRP bill shortly.

HRP Implementation

We have begun to put together the approach and framework for implementing
this anticipated legislation and the new Health Resource Planning program it
would establish. That approach and framework has three essential elements.

1. An HRP executive staff which, in addition to myself, includes Drs. Graning,
and Pahl and their deputies, Dr. Rorrie and Mr. Peterson. Mr. Zwick,
representing HRA/OPEL, also is sitting in with this group; and we are
looking forward to having a representative from the Office of Regional
Operations meet with us regularly. This executive staff, which has met
three times already, will be the principal policy-setting and decision-
making group insofar as HRP implementation is concerned. It also will
serve to insure the availability of staff and other resources that will
be required to get the overall implementation job done.

2. A number of task-oriented work groups each of which will be headed by a
project manager, usually on a full-time basis. Several such work groups
already are in the process of establishment and should be functioning
fully in a short time. Mr. Peterson, as my special assistant for
HRP implementation, will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day
direction, coordination and monitoring of these work groups, and whose
project managers in turn will report directly to him. He also will serve
as a principal communication link between the HRP executive staff and

these implementing workgroups.

 
3.
A major initial concern of the executive staff, one that has occupied a
prominent place on its early agenda, is how to achieve substantive and
active Regional Office involvement and participation in the HRP implementation
effort. We see Regional Office involvement and participation in the planning
for and implementation of the anticipated legislation as crucial since the
Regional Health Administrators and their staffs clearly will have an integral
role in both the immediate implementation and continuing administration of

the new HRP program.

Another matter which has occupied the attention of the executive staff is the
planning for the September-October meetings to be held with CHP, EHSDS, Hill-
Burton, and RMP representatives. In that connection, Dr. Colin Rorrie has
been given the lead responsibility for developing an agenda for those meetings,
and Mr. Sam Gilmer has been assigned lead responsibility for their logictical

aspects.

Mr. Howard (Nick) Kelley has been designated the project manager for the area
designation work group. It is anticipated that additional staff assignments

will be made to that work group shortly. As regards area designation, we
already have made tentative plans for possibly two meetings with State officials
awho, as their Governor's designees, would have key roles to play in that
process. Those meetings hopefully could be held within 30-45 days of final
enactment. A contract is in the process of being let to develop an area

designation simulation package and exercise as one part of those meetings,

You also should know that Mr. Clark Murff, an organizational specialist from
SSA, has been with us for several weeks now on a detail. Mr. Murff should be
of material assistance in developing appropriate and possibly alternate

organizational and staffing patterns for a new bureau which, as Dr. Endicott
indicated at the August 2 meeting, is likely to be established subsequent
to final legislative enactment, Mr. Murff already has talked to a number
of you; and I anticipate that he will be in contact with many others of

you before very long.

Once we have final HRP legislation, the scope of our initia’l implementation
efforts will rapidly expand and of necessity accelerate, Before too long,
therefore, many more of you will be drawn directly into that effort and the

myriad of tasks that have to be done,