Med SWAT teams proposed by Frist

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Globe-trotting "medical SWAT teams" and medicine's role as "currency for peace" are part of a Global Health Corps proposed by Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., as a way to battle disease pandemics, revive the nation's tarnished image in the Third World and help win the war on terror.

Especially in the face of the flu pandemic threat, Frist said a rapid response health organization -- incorporated into the Dept. of Health and Human Services - is a concept whose time has come.

"One can argue that global pandemics -- whether naturally occurring or intentionally spread -- pose a greater threat than most man-made weapons of mass destruction, the Tennessee lawmaker said in a letter he is expected to present to his senate colleagues in early December.

"Avian flu and SARS may represent the vanguard of a new wave of "superbugs" that could potentially kill millions. Many of these disease spread first from animals to humans,and current global monitoring and relief efforts aren't adequate to stop them," Frist said.

Because these aggressive diseases spread more quickly in countries with poor healthcare infrastructure, he said a Global Health Corps. could "bring advanced disease surveillance and improved public health to potential 'hot zones.'"

Hallmarks of the organization would include "medical SWAT teams" that could be dispatched to health emergencies around the world, and a volunteer force of medically-trained private sector and government workers and Peace Corps. members.

The volunteers would also include experts like veterinarians, engineers and hydrologists who would serve overseas for fixed terms or could deploy to hot spots at a moment's notice, Frist said. The Global Health Corps.' task list would include expanding the availability of healthcare staff, equipment and services around the world, he said.

But beyond the widely-publicized pandemic threat, the Global Health Corps. would have a broader mission, the senator said. "Promoting democracy around the world, improving (the U.S.) image among the citizens of third world countries, and winning the Global War on Terror requires a vigorous and creative effort," Frist said, "and I believe that a focused plan that combines diplomacy with public health can help us do that."

"The most effective types of foreign diplomacy help ordinary people --not just elites and institutions -- and assist them on an individual level," Frist argued. "Everybody needs medical care; providing it is one of the most powerful ways of demonstrating the generosity, compassion and character of the American people ... we can use medicine as a currency for peace" he said.

Frist said that the multi-purpose health network he envisions wouldn't add costly new bureaucratic layers to the federal health system, occupying only a "small office" at HHS.

HHS officials were unavailable for comment at press time.