SERA-19 Minutes
August 3-4, 2006 -- Memphis, Tennessee

Web: http://srdc.msstate.edu/sera19/index.html

E-mail list: health-sera@lists.msstate.edu (To be added to this list, send an e-mail request to Emily Shaw, Program Manager, Southern Rural Development Center at emilye@srdc.msstate.edu.)

• Wrote guidebook on partnerships in rural health
• Document of state health initiatives
• Sponsored symposium at 1992 Southern Rural Sociology and Southern Ag Econ Annual meetings
• Organized region-wide conference
• Developed proposal to convert the working group to a SERA
• Had a Resource Directory of people who were working in health in the South - this publication is now out-of-date
• Developed a position paper that lead to development of National Extension Initiative: Healthy Communities, Healthy People
• Developed curriculum and offered week-long, intensive Southern Extension Health Institute on 3 occasions: Canton, MS, October, 2000; Kentucky, 2001; MS, 2002.

Topical Presentations - Invited and Contributed Speakers
See http://srdc.msstate.edu/sera19/aug06meeting.html for proceedings.

Citizens' Health Care Working Group
see http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/ for more information; attendees were asked by Dr. Shirley to submit comments at the website by August 31, 2007.

• National Committee Perspective
  Aaron Shirley, M.D., Jackson, MS
• Rural and Urban Perspective
  Alan Barefield and Bonnie Carew, Mississippi State University

Latino/Hispanic Outreach Initiative
Nolo Martinez, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (unable to attend due to travel difficulties)

Effect of Natural Disasters
Ed Jones, North Carolina State University

Vertical Integration Business Strategies in Health Care Markets: Theory and Evidence
James Barnes, Louisiana State University

Physician Recruitment Problem Using Transaction Cost Theory
James Barnes, Louisiana State University (for Matt Fannin, Louisiana State University)

North Carolina Hispanic/Latino Lay Advisor Program
Barbara Garland, North Carolina State University

Partnerships and Programs for Addressing Children's Environmental Health Issues
Sandy Wiggins, North Carolina State University

Preparing to Serve the Latino Community: The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Experience
Julia Storm, North Carolina State University

Alabama Communities of Excellence Program
Arturo Menefee, Auburn University

Upcoming Calendar:

Priester Conference April 10-12, 2007 Kansas City, MO

After hearing a presentation by Gail Carlson, conference coordinator and former health specialist at U. of Missouri, the Rural Health SERA decided to coordinate the rural health track of the conference and hold our Spring 2007 meeting in conjunction with the Priester Conference (see Strategic Planning session notes for action items) Priester Tracks Environmental Health Rural Health Chronic Disease Management and Prevention Successful Aging

21st Century Family Conference April 17-19, 2007 LIttle Rock, AR

Call for proposals has closed, but Russ Kennedy can make space for more. 5 tracks, including rural health; Clinton Library Tour; Website: http://www.uaex.edu (the icon is on this website); or http://www.arfamilies.org/21st_century/default.htm

STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION NOTES

Most strategic plans fail because no one accepts responsibility and there is no accountability

 What do we need to do?
• Need take home goals
• Need activities to reach those goals
• Don't want to be just one more organization that survives
• Need to define the purpose of the SERA (including the mission statement)
  • What is our purpose today?
  • Important to know or acknowledge where we were, but more important to know why we exist now
• How do we move forward with an organization that has multiple organizations
  • We need to develop a means of communication between group members that is not so onerous that no one wants to do it.
  
  

 Strategic planning steps:
• Situational Analysis - where are we now and how did we get into this situation?
  • Who cares that we exist?
    • Customers
    • Clients
    • Stakeholders
  • What do they need us for?
• Visioning - what do we want to be in the future?
• Setting Goals
• Implementing the Plan
  

 Who cares about the organization?
• Customers
  • County Extension Agents
  • Extension Specialists
  • Members of the group - this is an information exchange organization
• Products - we collectively create educational products
  • Southern Extension Health Conference
  • Scholarly publications
  • Curriculum - Institute workshop has a curriculum notebook
  • SERA Conferences that have been open to the future
  • Advocacy or position paper
  • A significant product in support of the membership of the group
  • The networking aspect may be at the core of the organization
  
  

 Phil Hardwick's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Communities
• Passionate Leadership
  • Plato Style - Allegory of the Cave - leader sees the vision and convinces the others to follow. This is transformational leadership and is the hardest type of leadership to accomplish.
    
    
  • Eisenhower Style - Art of getting other people to do what you want them to do and convince them that it was their idea. This is political leadership and to an extent, it is manipulation.
    
    
  • Max Style - named for Max Dupree, son of the founder of the Herman Miller Corporation (makers of high quality office furniture) - also called servant leadership. The leader turns the vision over to the group.
    
    
• Written Mission Statement or Plan
  • the Tupelo Community Development Foundation has its mission statement and goals hanging in the boardroom.
  
  
• Basics Are Covered
  • these are the things that no one cares about until they are not done.
  
  
• Community Spirit
  • are you proud to be a member of the organization?
  
  
• Business Involvement
  • businesses like to support effective organizations.
  
  
• Active Marketing
  • Internal marketing to members
  • External marketing to other people
  
  
• Outsiders Are Welcome
  • are you a closed community? Some communities don't want to grow because growth means change.
  
  

 SERA-19 is:

An	Of	That
Association Network Group Collection	Researchers Education Professionals	No Response Recorded

 What is SERA-19 (group responses)
• SERA 19 is an association of multi-disciplinary Extension specialists and researchers from Southern land-grant universities and their partners that exchange information on health education and applied research to improve our state rural community health programs and collaborates on regional health workshops, conferences, and educational resources.
• SERA is a network of rural health educators from 13 Southern states that meets regularly to address common rural health problems and share resources and programs.
• Research and Extension professionals from the Southern Region who share information around community health issues.
• A network/learning organization to help rural Southern communities strengthen their capacity for community health.

 In three years, I will be proud of SERA-19 if:
• We are working on important community health issues.
• We expand the membership to more universities and to more researchers.
• It is a strong viable association that provides a relevant need.
• It influences Extension involvement in community health beyond the Southern region.
• I have been able to learn new ways to help rural Southern communities improve their health systems.
• It has activities that show clearly defined and visible impact on rural health services in the Southern region.
• It achieves measurable goals in providing health-oriented education.
• It becomes more well known in the field of rural health.
• We're not still having an identity crisis.
• We successfully produce a tangible, meaningful, collaborative new product.
• If it brings together Extension and medical education faculty in the 13 Southern states to address agricultural communities' health care and preventive/wellness needs.
• It has evolved into a multidisciplinary national (all states welcome) group to support and extend community health and health related Extension programs.
• The group has increased in number to include more of those involved in Extension health programming.
• Is a "definitive source" of reference for Extension health professionals.
• We complete two to three activities per year (i.e., Priester Conference)
• We have new leadership, new members, and new projects.
• We get grant funding and complete an eXtension project.
• We increase our membership by adding at least one member from every state in the region.
• It has realized its voice as an advocacy group for rural America.
• Achieves the status of a desirable and productive organization for the Southern rural development leadership.
• If the organization is able to move to another level of understanding its purpose.
• If there are tangible accomplishments that everyone understands.
• If we can be a recognized resource for Extension for research-based solutions to common health education problems.
• The unit continues to raise awareness of health to community issues throughout the U.S., as well as identify a model of action to assist communities.
• We have a shared task that links research and activities.
• We have an activity commonly implemented in rural states.
• It has developed online curriculum.
• Membership at semi-annual meetings has grown by 50 percent and the number of people involved in projects has grown by 200 percent.
• We accomplish goals identified today.
• Membership becomes more inclusive: university representation and professional partners.>

 If SERA-19 were a vehicle, what would it be:

Current
Motor Home	1992 Crown Victoria	Airport Parking Shuttle
Fully Loaded Computer Access Resource Library	Lots of Room Reliable Kind of beat up	Tends to go around in circles

Future
Bullet Train	2010 Toyota Hybrid Minivan
Leaves and arrives on time Carries lots of people Known destination Stays on track	Fuel efficient Several seats Trunk space On-Star so you'll know where you're going

 Goals
• Grow Membership - Identity and Recognition
• Productivity - New Products - Research Based
• Rural Health-based

 Membership Committee
• By October 31, publish a history of SERA-19 on the website
  • Brian Whitacre, Gerald Doeksen
• By October 31, develop a list of membership benefits and costs to be published on the website.
  • James Barnes, Brian Whitacre (Allocation: $0.50)
• By December 31, develop a list of relevant publications and curriculum to be published on the website.
  • James Barnes, Alan Barefield (Allocation: $0.25)
• By the next SERA meeting, each current attendee should contact and invite a colleague from an 1862/1890/1994/Hispanic Serving Institution to participate in the SERA. Each current attendee should also invite someone from a partnering entity.
  • John Wheat, Tracy Carter, Gail Cramer (Allocation: $8.50)

 Identity Recognition Committee
• By November 30, 2006, complete "Branding Activity" (logo, name, phrase)
  • (Allocation: $1.00)
• By April 2007, update, finalize, and distribute a SERA-19 brochure to be initially used at the 2007 Priester Conference
  • (Allocation: $1.00)
• By April 2007, update the SERA-19 webpage with strategic plan and marketing material
  • Tracy Carter, Julia Storm (Allocation: $2.50)

 Productivity Committee
• By May 31, 2007, develop "needs assessment" to determine actual needs to be used as a basis for further productivity.
  • Linda Alexander (Allocation: $5.25)
• By Fall 2007, write a proposal to be selected as an eXtension (should this be Cooperative Extension Curriculum Project - CECP?) Community of Practice"
  • Linda Alexander, Beverly Howell (Allocation: $3.00)
• By April 2007, have a SERA-19 track for the Priester Conference
  • Julia Storm, Gerald Doeksen, Linda Alexander (Allocation: $5.00)

BUSINESS MEETING NOTES

Meeting was presided over by Russ Kennedy, outgoing Chair.

Dr. Gail Cramer of LSU, Administrative Liaison, requested the following:
• List of officers
• List of each member's publications

Dr. Cramer gave a brief overview of some related North Central region projects in the areas of health and nutrition, and of federal funding, with the synopsis that federal formula funding will continue.

Election of Officers; terms begin immediately, with each officer succeeding through the ranks till that person serves as Chair, thus each year a Secretary is elected to continue the succession:
• Chair: Alan Barefield
• Chair-elect: Sandy Wiggins
• Secretary: James Barnes

2007 Meetings:
• Spring 2007: The membership voted to sponsor the Rural Health track of the Priester Conference and to hold the next meeting of the SERA Rural Health group at the Priester Conference, as follows:
  • Tuesday, April 10, 2007, hold a ½ day working session in Kansas City prior to the 1 pm start of the Priester Conference, then hold the SERA Rural Health Business Meeting during one of the Tuesday afternoon 45-minute presentation blocks.
• Fall 2007 (preferably October): The Chair or Emily will survey the SERA Rural Health membership to identify a host, location and dates for the fall meeting.