Health disparities in West Texas are associated with healthcare under-service on a scale that is both vast and highly diverse. This region offers a valuable context for (1) study of disparities in health status among Hispanic and rural underserved populations (2) development of community-based participatory research methods for studying intervention approaches to traditionally intractable rural health problems, and (3) creation of interventions that can reduce disparities in health outcomes. The West Texas Rural EXPORT Center will leverage resources at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and Texas Tech University. Work of the Center will build on a tradition of successful collaboration, community outreach, and program development in the TTUHSC Office of Rural & Community Health, which is currently directing the West Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program. The AHECs will play key roles in establishing partnerships with community-based organizations and individuals from health-disparity groups, in disseminating information, and in eliciting participation in clinical studies and in the conduct of health promotion, disease prevention and early intervention research. The West Texas Rural EXPORT Center will be organized in five components: Administrative, Community Outreach, Shared Resources, Training, and Research Questions. Research will focus on three leading determinants of health disparities in the region: low socioeconomic status, ethnicity and rurality. The West Texas Rural EXPORT Center will (1) develop partnerships between other academic institutions and community organizations (2) strengthen research and training infrastructure (3) develop research questions through pilot studies that explore behavioral, cultural, economic, and political determinants of disparity in rural areas and (4) develop community-based research methods for studying intervention approaches to eliminating health disparities, all leading to the submission of a P20 grant to further develop research in this area. ? ?
