[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CONGRATULATING USUHS ON ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 1997

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, last year this House overwhelmingly 
endorsed and recognized the important role of the Uniformed Services 
University of the Health Sciences in maintaining the health and 
readiness of our Nation's Armed Forces. Today I am proud to 
congratulate this fine institution, located in my congressional 
district in Bethesda, MD, on its 25th anniversary.
  Public Law 92-426 established USUHS in 1972 to ensure continuity and 
leadership for uniformed medicine. USUHS has graduated 2,470 military 
medical officers; 2,276 of them continue in active duty today, 
constituting 17 percent of Department of Defense's physician force.
  USUHS has met every goal and mission envisioned by the founders of 
the remarkable institution, the West Point of military medicine. The 
overall USUHS retention rate is an incredible 93 percent. Of those who 
have completed their original obligation, 85 percent continue on active 
duty in service to their Nation.
  The high level of performance and deployability of USUHS graduates 
was validated during congressional hearings in 1994. The three Surgeons 
General and USUHS graduates who served in Operations Desert Shield and 
Desert Storm testified that USUHS physicians were immediately 
deployable to combat areas and aptly utilized combat, field sanitation, 
unconventional warfare, and preventive medicine training.
  In addition, USUHS provides products and services to DOD that should 
be recognized and factored in to the cost-effectiveness of the 
University: one, the newly accredited Graduate School of Nursing 
provides family nurse practitioners and registered nurse anesthetists 
for the Federal Nursing Chiefs; two, the Office of Graduate Medical 
Education provides consultation on internship, residency, and 
fellowship training programs for DOD and is the administrative office 
for the National Capital Military Medical Education Consortium; three, 
the Graduate Education Programs have granted over 444 graduate degrees; 
and four, in 1996, the Office of Continuing Education for Health 
Professionals [CHE] provided 107 accredited programs with an attendance 
of 3,500 physicians and 3,031 nurses. USUHS CHE generated cost-
avoidance for DOD by eliminating extensive travel expenses and time 
away from the hospitals and clinics. In 1996, the Military Training 
Network, part of CHE, developed and implemented policy guidance and 
ensured compliance with curriculum and administrative standards for 
resuscitative and trauma medicine training programs for 242,663 DOD 
personnel.
  Those who say that the university is too expensive are wrong. The 
cost-effectiveness of USUHS should be judged based on all of the 
products and services it provides to the Nation. The General Accounting 
Office report of September 1995 substantiated that USUHS costs are 
comparable to scholarship costs based on expected years of service and 
all Federal costs. And, this conclusion was reached by GAO without 
considering all of the other products and services provided by USUHS.
  The facts demonstrate that USUHS has more than met its mandated 
mission. There is no doubt that the university is providing a corps of 
career-oriented, dedicated, military medical officers who will lead the 
military health care system into the 21st century.
  In conclusion, I want to recognize and congratulate the superb 
faculty and staff of USUHS for a job well done. Happy Anniversary to 
our Nation's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

                          ____________________