1-1 By: Bivins S.C.R. No. 74 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed April 18, 1997; April 22, 1997, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 24, 1997, 1-4 reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; 1-5 April 24, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Concern about the financing of health care in Texas 1-8 is shifting emphasis from treatment of disease to prevention of 1-9 disease; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The health-related components of The Texas A&M 1-11 University System already have a substantial investment in 1-12 community/public health program development and delivery; and 1-13 WHEREAS, The geographic distribution of these components 1-14 across the state provides regional focal points for program 1-15 development and delivery based on local needs assessments; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Extensive external partnerships further enhance the 1-17 potential for a comprehensive statewide effort by The Texas A&M 1-18 University System; and 1-19 WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University System's land-grant 1-20 commitment to broad access and service in agriculture and 1-21 engineering have made significant contributions to the state and 1-22 nation; and 1-23 WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University System now intends to apply 1-24 the land-grant university model to the enhancement of the health of 1-25 the people of Texas; and 1-26 WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University System already has in place 1-27 most of the components of an academic health science center; and 1-28 WHEREAS, Systemwide coordination of its health-related 1-29 programs will result in increased joint programming and sharing of 1-30 resources among the components to the benefit of the people of the 1-31 state; and 1-32 WHEREAS, The board of regents has indicated its desire to 1-33 consolidate its major health components into a systemwide 1-34 administrative unit; now, therefore, be it 1-35 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-36 hereby support the desire of the board of regents of The Texas A&M 1-37 University System to combine the Baylor College of Dentistry, the 1-38 Texas A&M University College of Medicine, the Texas A&M University 1-39 Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology, and the Texas A&M 1-40 University School of Rural Public Health into a unified 1-41 administrative structure to be named The Texas A&M University 1-42 System Health Science Center, with headquarters in College Station, 1-43 which will maintain a close collaborative affiliation with the 1-44 Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Prairie View A&M 1-45 University College of Nursing, the Tarleton State University 1-46 Division of Nursing, the Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi 1-47 College of Nursing, the Texas A&M International University College 1-48 of Nursing, the West Texas A&M University Division of Nursing, and 1-49 such other health-education-related programs as may be duly 1-50 authorized and approved in the future. 1-51 * * * * *