The Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) is stepping up its support for rural health care in Texas by launching the Rural Engagement Program. This new initiative combines efforts from the Texas A&M schools of medicine and nursing and the Rural and Community Health Institute to expand the health care workforce and bolster the viability of health care organizations to better serve rural Texans.
Texas boasts the nation’s largest rural population, with more than 4 million residents. However, the state also has the most rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to the Center for Quality and Payment Reform, and only 10 percent of Texas physicians practice in rural areas. Counties without a hospital and those that have been impacted by hospital closures rely heavily on clinics to fill care needs, but those clinics often lack sufficient funding or staffing resources. Declining access has become a crisis for many rural communities.
Through the Rural Engagement Program, the School of Medicine collaborates closely with local communities to design tailored experiences that allow medical students to fully integrate into the fabric of rural life. This includes opportunities to learn from local practitioners, actively participate in community initiatives, and collaborate with school districts on health education programs. The immersive experiences aim to provide a holistic understanding of rural health care challenges and opportunities, fostering a sense of connection between students and the communities they serve.
In coordination with the Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute, the Rural Engagement Program is also working on expanding health care organizations’ telehealth capabilities. The Telehealth Institute will enhance the availability of behavioral health care by extending access to patients’ homes, local clinics and hospitals over the next two years, and will lay the groundwork for other tele-specialty services in our rural communities. The institute will also foster innovations with the School of Nursing in expanded clinical care and telehealth training.
Read more at Today.TAMU.edu.
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