The partnership will focus on (a) developing and conducting training programs for health care providers and (b) implementing modern health communications and community mobilization strategies, essential for effective public health programs in a democratic society. Specific objectives are to:

Hospital Management

• Develop courses in hospital services management for health care professionals.
• Establish education/training materials to permit Health Managers to optimize the benefit to their patients, their employees and their organization given health care reform issues, particularly cost containment.
• Develop materials in quality management, cost accounting, financial management, strategic management, policy analysis, leadership, decision-making, evaluation, and social marketing in public health human resources management.
• Create capacity in adult learning methodologies, using case studies and other training techniques relevant in the Romanian health care context.
• Develop a train the trainer module and incorporate a skills assessment/evaluation component to assess instructor competencies and communications abilities.

Health Communications

• Develop curricula and course materials in health communications and behavioral change for use in the "CAROL DAVILA" Department of Public Health.
• Formulate a plan to reach the public and health professions on issues related to health care reform, using a plan modeled on CAPP methodology.
• Develop specific strategies to engage the community in defining the direction of health care reform.
• Develop, implement, test, and market several campaign strategies that support and reinforce health reform efforts.

• The US Partnership Coordinator conducted the initial partnership assessment in conjunction with AIHA headquarters and regional staff.
• In December, a four-person Romanian delegation traveled to Lexington to develop the partnership workplan and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Focusing on case studies, the partners spent time with the US partners and at the University of Louisville developing and improving upon the school's curriculum in areas such as: Human Resources; Marketing of Health Care Services; Identifying Instruments in Decision Making at the Hospital Level; Strategies of Management, Decision Making, Leadership and Organizational Culture, and Health Insurance. The partners are working in teams with assigned modules to create and finalize during this next year to present as the new curriculum at the Institute of Health Services Management.
• The partners have developed a communication strategy to promote the new health reform program that will be implemented in FY02. The plan will provide practical information to help people accept changes within the health system; as well as define communication training needs for inclusion in the school's curriculum. Partners will develop a curriculum, course materials, and methods of communication, social marketing and behavioral change, for training courses, continuing education, and academic curricula for the future school of public health. their US colleagues, established the Constanta Community Foundation, with approval from the Constanta Court of Justice. The Foundation has created a Board and a scope of activities.
• Since the start of the partnership, four exchanges have taken place, two to Romania and two to the U.S.. The exchanges involved 54 person days in Bucharest and 58 person days in Kentucky, for a total of 112 person days.