European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 04, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday february 4,1994 Dodds keeps goals High official says Nyji Tijones education writer Blankenberge Belgium despite the Mili tary draw Down the Pentagon is not downsizing educational goals for its overseas school system a defense department executive says. Carolyn Becraft. Deputy assistant Secretary of de sense for personnel support families and education said this week that she and others in the Pentagon will continue to strive to minimize the effect of the draw Down on Dodds students parents and  her comments came at the opening wednesday of a three Day conference of school administrators from the department of defense dependents schools Atlantic re Gion. V ".". /.  it is the final annual get together for the regional group. Currently three regions Germany Mediterranean and Atlantic operate in Europe. But by next school year Dodds will have consolidated into two re Gions the european and Pacific. More than 100 administrators and regional staff Mem Bers Are in Belgium to discuss ways to improve education during a time of closing schools fewer teachers and Les Money. In a wednesday morning address Becraft said every Effort would be made to maintain curricula at current Levels. Close and consolidate schools during summer months. Ensure that school bus transportation times do not exceed one hour each Way. And develop alternate methods of delivering instruction such As courses offered through telecommunications. Becraft acknowledged the unrest generated by consolidation of the Germany Atlantic and Mediterranean re Gions. The merger ordered by a defense management re View panel is intended to improve delivery of services and Avoier duplication of operations Becraft said. Many Dod organizations Are or have been affected by decisions to centralize defense operations in person Nel finance and accounting information management and medical services Becraft said. The Impact of the draw Down for the Atlantic Region has meant nine school closures since fiscal 1991. Three Are to merger of 3 regions seeded up Nyji Tijones education writer. Blankenberge Belgium the military overseas schools system will merge the three european regions by july 1, nearly two years earlier than announced. We re on the move department of defense dependents schools director John Stremple said or thursday. Well be eliminating the regional offices in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Well have District offices but one operation run but of Wiesbaden  Stremple in Belgium this week to meet with administrators from Atlantic Region schools and District offices at their annual conference said the consolidation will eliminate jobs and save Money because we have fewer kids to  currently three regional offices oversee the shrinking Dodds system in Europe the Atlantic Region headquartered in London the Mediterranean Region with main offices at Livorno Italy and the Germany Region in Wiesbaden. In two years the number of Dodds schools in Europe has dropped from More than 200 to slightly ome administrators May have to go Back to teaching for a year or two until jobs become available. It will depend upon retirements and such Vav   Odds director John Stremple More than 150.joe h. Blackstead who Heads the Germany Region will become director of the european Region officials said. Stremple said the London office might remain As a District office but the Mediterranean main offices will close a District office Likely will be placed in Vicenza Italy. There will be seven District offices in Germany and an auxiliary office in Turkey he said. The consolidation and the draw Down mean some administrators Are losing their jobs Stremple said. Some administrators May have to go Back to teaching for a year or two until administrative jobs become available he said it will depend upon retirements and  close this year leaving 23, she said. The Region includes the United kingdom Belgium and the Netherlands. There will be More Small schools and a need to be innovative about ways to continue to offer a wide Range of electives said Becraft the Mother of two sons one of whom attended Dodds. Becraft saluted Dodds forts development of families and schools together known As fast which encourages parental involvement in schools. She also noted that the 1993 report card from parents Survey showed that the top concerns Are bus discipline and the school lunch program. Dodds is slated to take Over the bus transportation from the military and Becraft said she will be looking into the school lunch program which is handled by the Exchange system. Becraft oversees family support education morale welfare and recreation services transition support and other Quality of life programs affecting Active duty Mili tary personnel their families and . Civilians. Nof enough hours 7n fhe Day 1/o/sons say by Ron Jensen Niernberg Bureau Forth Germany Reggie Underwood who studied Medicine in Germany and has worked As a patient Liaison since August said he is supposed to work 40 hours a week but nearly always puts in at least 10 hours each Day. I Don t mind. I love my Job he said. If i quit work every Day at 4 30, a lot of patients would not be  /  another Liaison Kay Booth who visits about 75 patients a month at two facilities near Bamberg has been in the program since december 1992, she endorses the program As helpful and necessary but said there Are problems mainly a need for a longer period of coverage. We re not always available. And that is a big drawback she said. Like Underwood she said Long Days Are part of the Job. None of us work 40 hours a week. We All work overtime she said. The Liaison s first duty each Day is to Check with the area clinics and hospitals to determine if an american has been admitted. If so the Liaison helps ease problems that might exist with language or the differences in the health care systems. Each military clinic and Hospital Are supposed to have one Liaison. Joseph Bonfiglo id a 7th medical come spokesman said that there Are 26 slots but that Only 18 Are filled. The empty slots Are being filled. One Liaison May be enough for a Small clinic but perhaps is not sufficient for a Large clinic or Hospital said or. Col Charles f. Miller commander of the 3rd combat support Hospital in Niernberg. He said one solution might be to provide some areas with an additional Liaison to handle the patients from two clinics providing essentially a a persons for each facility. Underwood said a Beckwo Virok friely. Currently there is no Way to reach him at a Hospital if he is needed elsewhere. The 7th medical come has endorsed that Sugges Tion Bonfiglio said. Also the command believes that each Community must have an interpreter available 24 hours a Day to supplement the Liaison. We Are getting input from our Liaison representatives and evaluating the program to see if we can make any modifications he said. In addition the command announced this week that it had received $2 million of a promised $5 Mil lion from the department of defense. Some of that Money will be used for additional liaisons and interpreters. Miller recalled that when or. Edward d. Martin acting assistant Secretary of defense for health affairs visited Europe recently he urged officials to be innovative in solving problems. So Miller wonders if volunteers can be enlisted to help on weekends or perhaps retirees living in Ger Many who would work for expenses. Also he said the German employees still on the payroll perhaps can be asked to assist with Liaison work. The goal he said should be 24-hour Liaison serv ice but that could be expensive. Is there a Way we can do it without having to take on full time employees i think we have to explore that he said. Newborn from Page 1 ease the Brodys were worried until they found out it was simple pneumonia still serious but not As frightening forthe parents. Also Cristofer had been having Sei zures for several Days before they were told the Brodys said. Plus they spent Many Days not knowing what was being done to their son or Why. Or. Col Charles f. Miller com Mander of the 3rd combat support Hospital in Niernberg admitted there Are weaknesses in the Liaison program. There Are problems. The problem is we Don t have enough of them he said. A spokesman for 7th medical come in Heidelberg said the Liaison program initiated barely one year ago is still undergoing change. This is of course a relatively new program said Joseph Bonfiglio. We re doing the Best we can to meet the needs of the communities. It s  and Reggie Underwood the Liaison in Niernberg said he did not deprive the Brodys of his service. He met often with the baby s doctors during the Day while the parents schedule allowed them to visit Only at nigh t. Plus he said he helps 80 to 90 patients each month at eight clinics in the Furth and Niernberg areas. People Don t realize that he said. The Brodys would not have needed Underwood at All if the baby had not been premature. They had planned on having the birth in the 67th evacuation Hospital in Wiir Burg about an hour away. The 3rd combat support Hospi Tal which will close in april stopped providing maternity services last june. Cristofer s Early appearance prompted a Rush to a Furth clinic in a German ambulance summoned by a German speaking neighbor. The baby was born 90 minutes later. I Don t speak German. My husband does t speak German Kristina Brody said. Be were having a very  after meeting Underwood a couple of Days after the birth the Brodys said by rarely saw him. They later told Miller of their disappointment with the services they received. Miller said the Brodys were victims of a new program that has not been perfected not individual neglect. Where they Felt they were let Down is there was no backup he said we have no backup. That s a  Underwood was on leave around the holidays Miller said. So were other officials who could have supplied the Bro Dys with help such As the health Bene is adviser and the Hospital s social work chief. It was just a very bad time Miller said. R