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Rural and Community Engagement

The Rural and Community Engagement Division (RCE) of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 鈥� Permian Basin (香蕉直播-PB) partners with communities and organizations to improve health outcomes. Through its 鈥淢edicine on the Move鈥� initiative, a mobile health program, and a suite of other continually evolving programs, the RCE Division commits to improving population health.

Purpose

Developing a model for a 鈥渃linic without walls鈥� by engaging communities to better health. 

Priorities

• Provide Health Access Point
  Providing health access points is a strategic priority of the Rural and Community Engagement Division. Telehealth opportunities, vaccination clinics, mental health fellowships, and primary care services are the current activities to connect communities to healthcare.
• Community Engagement
  Community engagement entails developing trusting connections with people and community organizations to learn health-related needs and bringing together resources to address the issues.
• Health Promotion
  RCE prioritizes the recognition that health is influenced by factors including access to healthcare, lifestyle factors, and socio-economic factors in its health promotion programs.
• Health Workforce Development and Training
  Permian Basin and most of the surrounding counties in the rural areas are designated Health Professions Shortage Areas. Thus, workforce development and training evolved as a natural priority mission for the RCE division.

Events

• National Rural Health Day
  Texas Tech University Health Science Center join communities across America in celebration of National Rural Health Day (NRHD) on November 20, 2024. The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and rural-focused organizations throughout the United States set aside the third Thursday of November to recognize NRHD. This annual event is an opportunity to celebrate the 鈥淧ower of Rural鈥� and honor the individuals and organizations dedicated to addressing the unique healthcare needs of people living in rural America. The 2024 National Rural Health Day Celebration and Recruiting event is put together in partnership with Permian Basin AHEC, AHEC of the Plains, the State Office of Rural Health, and by Rural and Community Engagement at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. This year's event will be on Wednesday, November 20th, from 10:30 am - 3 pm at Odessa Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. This year鈥檚 event will include a poster presentation along with the keynote presentation, luncheon, award ceremony, and recruitment fair.
• Rural Health High School Summer Camp
  In collaboration with our partners at Permian Basin Area Health Education Center and Sul Ross State University, we plan to host our inaugural Rural Health Careers camp for rural high school students at Sul Ross State University Campus in Alpine from June 5 鈥� June 7th, 2024. The goal of the camp (the only rural-focused summer healthcare career camp in Texas) is to illustrate the need and opportunities available for rural healthcare workers; equip them with information about the various disciplines in healthcare and training programs in West Texas from the community college, university level and professional schools; and engage them in meaningful experiences with their medical student and medical professional camp counselors.  This camp will be inclusive of academic institutions from West Texas and be multi-disciplinary in career focus.

Programs

• Medicine on the Move
  Medicine on the Move is a mobile health program under the Rural and Community Engagement Division to learn and mitigate barriers communities have in improving health outcomes. This is an initiative of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in partnership with the Permian Strategic Partnership and the Caring Foundation of Texas. The program uses a community telemedicine model to provide and improve access to healthcare in areas with limited or no access to clinical services. 
• Confianza: Hispanic-Oriented Medicine Enrichment
  All current RCE staff are integrally involved with the Confianza: HOME at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Permian Basin which is a federally designated Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Hispanic Center of Excellence created to: recruit, train, and retain students from the target area to become family medicine physicians and generate culturally competent healthcare providers to cater to the underserved population of rural West Texas.
• Health Promotion Outreach
  Health Promotion Outreach program includes scheduled rural outreach to West Texas communities, distribution of evidence-based health literature, community engagement visits, participation in Hope for the Homeless at American Legion Odessa, health screenings, workshops, promoting RCE Virtual health series, and attending health fairs and events.
• Vaccination Program
  RCE has developed and conducted several vaccine administration training. Other vaccination programs included Texas Vaccines for Children, Flu vaccination, and vaccine education programs.
• Mental Health Fellowship
  The 香蕉直播 Family Medicine Mental Health Fellowship Program (FMMHP) provides optimal training in psychological practices. The Rural and Community Engagement Division is closely working to expand the Mental Health Fellowship program to rural communities in the Permian Basin and beyond.
• Rural Health Education Series
  We regularly host or support educational series targeting providers and community members. A diversified area of topic from Stroke management, Depression, Motivational Health Coaching, Chronic Kidney Disease management has been presented in these sessions. 
• Lifestyle Medicine Series
  香蕉直播 Family Medicine Resident Instructors lead this Lifestyle Medicine series presentation. It occurs third Thursday of every month virtually from 12 -1 pm each session focusing on one of the six pillar areas of Lifestyle medicine.
• Positive Wellness Narrative
  Positive Wellness Narrative is an interactive session used for health promotion and community engagement. It envisions creating a community space to learn, reflect, connect, share, and change based on narrative methods focusing on themes such as Strengths, Connections, Gratitude, and Purpose.
• Rural Student Mentoring Programs
  The Rural Student Health Sciences Mentorship Program is an established program created by Area Health Education Center of the Plains (AHEC) and medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (香蕉直播) in Lubbock, Texas. With their success, Permian Basin AHEC and 香蕉直播 Permian Basin, are implementing this program within our region. 
• RCE Elective
  This course currently offered to fourth-year medical students will provide a community medicine experience in the rural Big Bend and Permian Basin area with the 香蕉直播-Permian Basin Rural and Community Engagement (RCE) Division. RCE was created to build bridges between our community partners that 香蕉直播-PB serves. Regular RCE activities include community outreach activities which include resident physicians as well as multidisciplinary students from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions.

People

Kristi Herrera

Coordinator
Rural and Community Engagement Division
Phone: 432.703.5025

Margaret Robles

Unit Manager
Rural and Community Engagement Division
Phone: 432.703.5274

Dijo John, Pharm.D., MPH, MBA

Senior Director
Rural and Community Engagement Division
Phone: 432.703.5057

Adrian N. Billings, MD, PhD, FAAFP

Associate Academic Dean
Rural and Community Engagement Division
Fellow of F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health
Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Phone: 432.703.5436