F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health
Since its inception, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) has focused on rural health issues. In an effort to bring rural issues to the forefront, the TTUHSC Office of Rural and Community Health was established at the vice presidential level in 1997 to provide a more defined rural focus for the institution. This was made possible by the generous endowment of the F. Marie Hall Chair in Rural Health and the commitment of university resources.
In 2001, an increased priority was placed by the Texas Legislature on addressing the needs of rural West Texas communities. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center received a $1 million annual state funding appropriation to support the efforts of the Office of Rural and Community Health
In February 2006, the Office received one of the largest private donations in TTUHSC history, creating the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health and expanding the Health Sciences Center's rural–focused outreach, workforce, and research initiatives.
The Institute now serves as the primary liaison with communities across the 108–county TTUHSC service area. These community partnerships provide both the framework and the mechanism for achieving the mission of improving the health of West Texans.
The Institute develops and coordinates a wide range of rural health and community projects, which include assisting with the creation and implementation of sound rural health policies; focusing on health education and health workforce development; sponsoring and conducting applied research and policy analysis; and improving the health of communities through innovative research, health education and health care service delivery programs.
Some of the core programs of the Institute include the Rural Health Research Group, Telemedicine, and the West Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program.
These core programs are foundational components of efforts to develop comprehensive, sustainable programs that will improve the health status of residents of rural and underserved communities in West Texas.