Role of the Civil Engineer in Statewide Health Planning

The purpose of this paper is to identify the function known as statewide comprehensive health planning, with a brief background of its origin. In describing the process, no effort is made to gloss over its vagaries, ephemeral aspects and its frusterations, for these difficulties highlight the need for the pragmatic and systematic capabilities of the engineer. Hopefully, the presentation will encourage some civil engineers to accept, and even to seek appointments to health planning commissions and councils. The existence in ASCE of a Task Committee on Civil Engineering in Biomedicine and Health Care System is a good omen. It is hoped that this seed will germinate a growing awareness in the civil engineer of the opportunities for application of his capabilities in a vitally important area of service in which he has been only nominally represented in the past.