51 by exercising its own leadership to mount as concentrated and effective an assault upon heart disease, cancer and stroke as may be possible in terms of the resources of the State of North Carolina. On the basis of these prem- ises the Regional Medical Program of North Carolina has evolved a de- cision-making mechanism which is both responsible and rational, and which will maximize the effectiveness of the wealth of leadership which is available. . . . "Participating Organizations: The North Carolina Regional Medical Program has received the enthusiastic support of the participating organi- zations. Particularly outstanding have been the contributions of the North Carolina Heart Association and the North Carolina Division of the American Cancer Society. "The staff of the Association for the North Carolina Regional Medi- cal Program has devoted much time and energy to the orientation of health interests throughout the region in terms of the nature and objectives of the Regional Medical Program, and as it has been possible to identify appropriate functional roles, an in- creasing number of them have be- come active participants. This effort will continue to be a dominant feature of the Program since to a large ex- tent its success will depend upon the degree to which the skills and man- power represented by these interests can be mobilized. . . . "The Planning Division has made good progress in assembling survey data essential for program planning and to provide overall baseline data against which future impacts may be gauged. "One study which has been com- pleted has explored the dimensions of an affiliation between the Memorial Mission Hospital at Asheville and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. In addition to collecting data perti- nent to this situation, this experience will serve to teach us how to organize and communicate the data needed to provide linkages beween Medical Schools and community hospitals. Surveys have been made of practic- ing physicians in Buncombe County and of other staff members of the Asheville Hospital aimed at securing their ideas of the general utility of such an affiliation and their specific recommendations of what such an affiliation should strive to provide, especially in the way of continuing education. "A report on this study was devel- oped by the Planning Staff for the Association for the Regional Medi- cal Program with the assistance and guidance of Memorial Mission Hos- pital, Bowman Gray School of Medi- cine, the Buncombe County Medi- cal Society and the State Medical Society. It includes a description of the characteristics of its patients and staff. Also included arc ideas of key hospital personnel as to the desira- bility of developing the affiliation with the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, suggestions as to programs of continuing education, and sugges- tions as to what other elements might be included in an affiliation between the two facilities. It also includes the viewpoints of the county's physicians toward affiliation, continuing educa- tion, diagnostic resources and needs, and paramedical personnel needs through an analysis of questionnaires that were distributed to all Bun- combc County physicians in Febru- ary and March, 1967. Diabetic Consultation and Education Service "This study was begun January 1, 1967 and participants include rep- resentatives of Bowman Gray and Duke Medical Schools, the Univer- sity of North Carolina School of Public Health, the State Board of Health, Community Board of Health, practicing physicians, and public health nurses. The feasibility of a regional consulta- tive service and an educational pro- gram for diabetic patients is being tested. Scheduled clinics in COIIUDU- nity hospital or similar settings and also at the university medical centers are included. These activities will be supported by a home nursing service to assure proper follow up and sus- tained patient contact. The educa- tional program will be directed to community groups of diabetic pa- tients and will be coordinated with community health organizations. . . . Continuing Education "Data on the number and types of continuing education programs for professional and ancillary personnel, their geographical outreach and the numbers and characteristics of indi- viduals attending is being collected through a monitoring system involv- ing obtaining of registration forms from program chairmen. When this monitoring process was first initiated, the researchers attempted to gather data only from those organizational meetings with program content re- lated to the categorical diseases. HOW- ever, it was often difficult to draw a line between those meetings that either did or did not fall within this provision. As a result an attempt has and will continue to be made to moni- tor all of the major medical meetings unless the program content clearly indicates na relevance to the RMP. In a statewide study of this nature an analysis of any part of the continuing education process becomes an analy- sis of the total on-going system. Con- sequently, the findings will be more relevant and meaningful if the widest possible representation of the education system is obtained." Northern New England Regional Medical Program "The Northern New England Regional Medical Program and core staff have been organized along functional lines-medical economics, education, information systems, dis- ease prevention, and patient care services. All planning and program efforts, in turn, are organized ac- cording to a systems approach which provides continuous feedback of information and assessment of progress. . . . "We have made good progress in determining the scope of participa- tion of various health related groups in Regional Medical Programs. From the beginning we have made every effort to include representatives from all interested groups in our planning effort. . . . "A number of steps have been taken to develop cooperative work- ing relationships with health profes- sions groups, hospitals, health agencies, and other organizations concerned with health and welfare throughout the Region. . . . "Determining the planning ap- proach has been complex because we have attempted to shape our program in response to the requirements of the systems approach to planning. This approach provides for the appli- cation of advanced mathematical and computer techniques in analyzing alternative solutions to problems. It also includes cost-benefit studies. Some cost estimates of the training of allied health personnel and coronary care training for nurses have been made. Since there are no precedents, some experimentation has been nec- essary. . . . "The development of a Model of Patient Care is the major initial planning effort. To develop the edu- cational aspects of the Model, an Education Committee has been ap- pointed which will be concerned with lay health education, continuing education for all health professionals, and basic education in the allied health professions. . . . "A meeting held in February 1967 with representatives of some 25 or- ganizations which operate a variety of health education programs was a first step in coordinating the existing health education programs with Re- gional Medical Program activi- ties. . . . "Since continuing professional education is an integral aspect of Regional Medical Programs, an ad hoc committee has been appointed for continuing education of allied health professionals with representa- tives from the Vermont Division of the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, the State Health Department, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilita- tion of the College of Medicine, the Vermont Heart Association, the Ver- mont Pharmaceutical Association, the State Mental Health Depart- ment, the Office of Continuing Edu- cation of the College of Medicine and the Regional Medical Program's staff. This group has defined, specific objectives for continuing education and is gathering information on exist- ing activities and personnel needs for carrying on these activities. . . . "The potential use of various modes of communication and trans- portation to augment continuing education programs is being ex- plored. Two-way television connec- tions between the Medical Center Hospital and community hospitals in the Region and the use of the Uni- versity's airplane are two possibilities for future education program sup- port. . . . `