Community/Public Health Workgroup:
Organized efforts of society to protect, promote, and restore people's health. It is the combination of science, skills, and beliefs that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people through collective or social actions. The programs, services and institutions involved emphasize the prevention of disease and the health needs of the population as a whole. Public health activities change with variations in technology and social values but the goals remain the same: to reduce the amount of disease, premature death, and disease-produced discomfort and disability in the population. Public health is thus a social institution, a discipline, and a practice International Institute for Medical Education.

Rural Workgroup:
This workgroup will address various issues affecting small and rural communities across Texas.

Delivery Workgroup:
A term sometimes used as a synonym for "comprehensive health care delivery system." However, the term "Health care delivery" applies to providing any of the wide array of healthcare services as well as to the totality.
Slee's Health Care Terms

Information Technology Workgroup:
Information technology is a term that for our purposes is broadly applied to the use of computer, electronics, and telecommunications equipment for processing and distributing information in digital form. This distribution ranges from worldwide networking of industries to individualized services, including cable TV and e-mail.

Finance Workgroup:
For purposes of the Shared Vision Project, financing includes identification of payment sources, covered individuals, and scope of benefits for health care.

Workforce Workgroup:
This workgroup will address health workforce issues to ensure that health care services and facilities are available to all Texans and that the current and future supply of health care professionals is adequate to meet the health care needs of the population served.

Additional Definitions

Community:
A group of people who have common characteristics. Communities can be defined by location, race, ethnicity, age, occupation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds.
Turnock 1997

Collaboration:
A process through which parties (individuals) who see different aspects of a problem can explore constructively their differences and search for solutions that go far beyond their own limited vision of what is possible.
Gray (1989)

A process that enables independent individuals and organizations to combine their human and material resources so they can accomplish objectives they are unable to bring about alone.
Kanter 1994, Lasker et.al. 1997; Mayo 1997; Wandersman, Goodman and Butterfoss 1997; Zuckerman, Kaluzny and Ricketts 1995

Micropolitan Statistical Area:
A Micropolitan Statistical Area must have at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population.
OMB 2003

Rural Health Network:
An organization with at least one CAH and at least one full service acute care hospital in which the participants have worked out agreements on such items as patient referral and transfer, use of communication system and transportation of emergency and non-emergency patients.

Delivery System:
Integrated structure of health care organizations managed by a single entity designed to improve the health status of the individuals and populations it serves.

Policy:
A definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions. A high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body.