For immediate release: Aug. 17, 2007
GALVESTON, Texas - The Division of Community Outreach at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is seeking input from campus and community organizations in its bid to become the home of the nationwide Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.

Formed in 1996 and housed in Seattle at the University of Washington, the nonprofit organization is composed of a growing network of 1,600 communities and campuses in 48 states, the District of Columbia and more than 10 countries.

Organizations throughout the country interested in hosting the organization were asked to submit letters of intent to CCPH. "UTMB was one of only five organizations asked to submit a full proposal following review of its letter of intent," said Steven R. Shelton, assistant vice president for community outreach.

The organization promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. Member organizations collaborate to promote health through service-learning, community-based participatory research, broad-based coalitions and other partnership strategies.

"These partnerships are powerful tools for improving higher education, civic engagement, reduction of health disparities and the overall health of communities," Shelton said.

UTMB faculty and staff have been active members of CCPH for several years, participating in several of the organization's national meetings. In 2004, UTMB and the Galveston County Health Access Program received a national CCPH award recognizing their collaboration to improve access to health care for all residents of Galveston County.

"Community Outreach is hoping to engage interested UTMB entities and community organizations in preparation of the full proposal," Shelton said.

The deadline for submission is Sept. 14. Anyone interested in contributing to the proposal or learning more about CCPH and the application process should contact Becky Walsdorf, executive director of community relations in UTMB's Office of Community Health Services, at (409) 772-7834 or bwalsdor@utmb.edu, or Shelton at (409) 772-7884 or srshelto@utmb.edu.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Public Affairs Office
301 University Boulevard, Suite 3.102
Galveston, Texas 77555-0144
www.utmb.edu