The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41552

Charles Habis, MPH, International Services, American Red Cross, 431 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-5304, 202-639-3273, habisc@usa.redcross.org

Kosovo’s most recent post war period brought about new challenges and opportunities for public health leaders in building and revitalizing a public health system in a peace- keeping transition. Lessons learned from experiences in leading the public health system in the Mitrovica region revealed that peace had to be a foundation for the system to function. The public health manager had to be included in the peace process particularly when the transition of building the system was challenged in becoming responsive to a population ravaged by the effects of war and ethnic conflict in Mitrovica, Kosovo.

The role of the public health manager should extend beyond the normal responsibilities and functions of policy, planning and management. The role should be that of a partner in the healing process bringing resourcefulness, diplomacy, and interpersonal skills. These were found characteristically critical in Mitrovica, where gatekeepers for peace and for a unified public health system were in the hands of politically active medical and public health practitioners.

The conditions for successful outcome of the public health manager in the peacekeeping process included creating and organizing for a secure environment to conduct open communication, and building trust to establish a foundation for dialogue, conflict resolution and negotiation. The public health manager must facilitate a forum for communication. He/she must acknowledge and respond to issues and demands, and deliver timely negotiated requirements. These requirements range from policy concerns to needed resources in support of the medical and public health community in the peace process.

Learning Objectives:

•  Describe the information, skills, behaviors or perspectives participants in the session will acquire through attendance and participation
•  A historical perspective of Kosovo’s public health system post conflict period.
•  Experiences from the field on roles and actions for public health administration to revitalize Kosovo’s public health system during the peace process.
•  Experiences from the field on constraints and opportunities to manage the public health system despite of ethnic conflicts in a post war period.
•  Clearly identify the outcomes or actions participants can expect to demonstrate as a result of the educational experiences.
•  Understanding the role of public health managers in building peace coalitions with politically active medical and public health stakeholders and practitioners in a post war era.
•  Understanding options and resources public health managers have to organize a public health system during a post war transition.
•  Write the learning objectives that relate to these outcomes and that reflect the content of the session.
•  Define the role of the public health manager in building resources for peace to unify a public health system in transition,
•  List options and resources public health managers use to leverage the support of politically engaged public health practitioners in the peace process and build a unified public health system during conflict.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.