In 2001, the School of Rural Public Health (SRPH) decided to focus the efforts of the Center for Community Health Development (CCHD) on establishing a strong presence in the Brazos Valley, the community in which the School and Texas A&M University (TAMU) reside. As the only school of rural public health in the nation, SRPH saw its home community as an ideal place to form a partnership and pursue its mission of improving the health of rural and underserved populations through teaching, research, service, and creative partnerships. The norm is for policies to be made and funds allocated based on information gathered for urban areas. Rural areas typically have to translate policies and stretch what few resources trickle down to them. CCHD has been able to establish partnerships with organizations serving both rural and urban areas of the community and build a positive reputation for the SRPH and the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC).

The following are brief descriptions of our three community collaboration projects.

The Brazos Valley Health Partnership
South Texas Projects