The National AHEC Organization (NAO) is the professional association of Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in the United States. AHECs are regional organizations associated with The National AHEC Program. AHECs work in designated regions through community and academic partnerships to advance the availability of health care and health care education, focusing on rural and medically underserved areas. According to the NAO, approximately 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and allied health schools work with the AHEC system. [1] AHECs affiliated with the NAO collaborate to educate, share resources, and strengthen local and national partnerships.
Within each state, AHECs are coordinated by one or more central program offices. "In 2009, 54 AHEC programs with more than 200 centers operated in 48 states in the U.S." [2] [and in the District of Columbia]. Of these, 51 AHEC program offices and 192 regional AHECs were members of the NAO.
Development of the AHEC system began when the first programs were funded by Congress in 1971 as a national strategy to improve the supply, distribution, retention, and quality of primary care and other health practitioners in medically underserved areas. [3] The program originated in response to a 1970 report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Higher Education and the Nation’s Health: Policies for Medical and Dental Education, which expressed concern with healthcare availability and delivery in the United States. [4] In this landmark report, the Carnegie Commission noted a significant healthcare workforce shortage and urgently recommended immediate “restructuring of the education of health manpower” [5] to increase by fifty percent over the following decade the number of centers that train physicians. [6] The Commission’s broad recommendations also included workforce development of nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions. [6] AHECs receive some of their funding by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources through the Bureau of Health Professions. [7]
The NAO organizes its work around the core goals of its AHEC constituents:
The work of the NAO is achieved through ten standing committees and additional ad hoc committees. An editorial committee oversees the content and quarterly publication of the Journal of the National AHEC Organization (formerly the National AHEC Bulletin). The NAO holds a policy conference each spring and fall, as well as a biannual national meeting in alternating summers.
The University of New England (UNE) is a private research university in Maine with campuses in Portland and Biddeford, as well as a study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. During the 2020 academic year, 7,208 students were enrolled in UNE's campus-based and online programs. It traces it historical origins to 1831 when Westbrook Seminary opened on what is now the UNE Portland Campus.
Louis Wade Sullivan is an active health policy leader, minority health advocate, author, physician, and educator. He served as the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services during President George H. W. Bush's Administration and was Founding Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in Charleston, South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities across the state. It is one of the oldest continually operating schools of medicine in the United States and the oldest in the Deep South.
UConn Health is the branch of the University of Connecticut that oversees clinical care, advanced biomedical research, and academic education in medicine. The main branch is located in Farmington, Connecticut, in the US. It includes a teaching hospital, the UConn School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and Graduate School. Other community care satellite locations exist in Avon, Canton, East Hartford, Putnam, Simsbury, Southington, Storrs, Torrington, West Hartford, and Willimantic, including two urgent cares in both Storrs and Canton. The university owns and operates many smaller clinics around the state that contain UConn Medical Group, UConn Health Partners, University Dentists and research facilities. Andrew Agwunobi stepped down as the CEO of UConn Health in February 2022 after serving since 2014 for a private-sector job. Bruce Liang is UConn Heath's interim CEO and remains dean of the UConn School of Medicine.
A medical assistant, also known as a "clinical assistant" or healthcare assistant in the USA is an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. Medical assistants can become certified through an accredited program. Medical assistants perform routine tasks and procedures in a medical clinic.
Allied health professions are health care professions distinct from optometry, dentistry, nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. They provide a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and support services in connection with health care.
Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is a private medical school and health sciences university with its main campus in Pomona, California, with an additional osteopathic medical school in Lebanon, Oregon. With an enrollment of 3,814 students (2020–21), WesternU offers more than twenty academic programs in multiple colleges.
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) is a public medical school located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It offers a Doctor of Medicine program, combined Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health and Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration programs, and standalone Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Public Health programs. Brody is a national leader in family medicine, ranking No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 2 nationally in the percentage of graduates who choose careers in family medicine, based on the 2017 American Academy of Family Physicians report on MD-granting medical schools. Brody ranks in the top 10 percent of U.S. medical schools for graduating physicians who practice in the state, practice primary care and practice in rural and underserved areas. Brody graduates currently practice in 83 of North Carolina's 100 counties.
A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician, physician assistant, registered dietitian, veterinarian, veterinary technician, optometrist, pharmacist, pharmacy technician, medical assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, dentist, midwife, psychologist, or who perform services in allied health professions. Experts in public health and community health are also health professionals.
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, division of Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Workforce.
A.T. Still University (ATSU) is a private medical school based in Kirksville, Missouri, with a second campus in Arizona and third campus in Santa Maria, California. It was founded in 1892 by Andrew Taylor Still and was the world's first osteopathic medical school. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. ATSU includes three campuses on 200 acres with seven schools and colleges.
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs,, is an accreditation agency for postsecondary education programs in 30 health science fields.
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) is a private medical school in Biddeford, Maine. Founded in 1978, the college is part of the University of New England and grants two degrees: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and a Master of Medical Education Leadership. According to U.S. News & World Report, UNECOM graduates the 6th most physicians of any U.S. medical school that go on to practice in a primary care specialty.
The Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program is a federally funded program established in the United States in 1972 "to improve the supply, distribution, retention and quality of primary care and other health practitioners in medically underserved areas." The program is "part of a national effort to improve access to health services through changes in the education and training of health professionals." The program particularly focuses on primary care.
The Greensboro Area Health Education Center is one of nine regional centers affiliated with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program and is administered by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Greensboro AHEC serves healthcare professionals in an eight-county region including Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Montgomery, Orange, Randolph and Rockingham by providing information resources to both practicing healthcare professionals and students.
The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program provides the central leadership and support for all of the regional NC Area Health Education Centers (AHECs). It is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC.
Throughout the United States, many rural communities are faced with severe healthcare workforce shortage issues. These regions often consist of a larger percentage of medically underserved individuals, in conjunction with fewer physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers. The shortage of healthcare workers negatively impacts the quality of medical care due to decreased access to health services as well as an increase in workload placed on providers. Healthcare systems in rural communities generally have fewer personnel and infrastructure, creating substantial healthcare disparities among the United States population. Rural communities tend to have a higher incidence of chronic diseases, infant and maternal morbidity, and occupational injuries. These communities also consist of individuals who tend to be older and have a lower socioeconomic status, which directly relates to the high rate of uninsured individuals. Ethnic minorities are also increasing in number throughout rural areas, further adding to the size of healthcare disparities.
The Bureau of Health Workforce is a part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA programs train health care professionals and place them where they are needed most. Grants support scholarship and loan repayment programs at colleges and universities to meet critical workforce shortages and promote diversity within the health professions.
The Bureau of State Services (BSS) was one of three principal operating agencies of the United States Public Health Service (PHS) from 1943 until 1966. The bureau contained the PHS divisions that administered cooperative services to U.S. states through technical and financial assistance, and included significant programs in community health, environmental health, and workforce development.
Katherine A. Flores is a family physician and an Associate Clinical Professor in Family Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, in the United States. She is one of the founding members of the National Hispanic Medical Association. Flores founded and continues to direct a range of programs focused on increasing the number of culturally competent doctors serving the Latinx communities in California's Central Valley, particularly by supporting traditionally underserved student populations to successfully pursue education and medical careers. These educational programs include the California Borders Health Education and Training Center (HETC) program, Partnerships for Health Professions Education (PHPE), and the Hispanic Centers of Excellence (HCOE), the California Health Professions Consortium, and the Latino Center for Medical Education and Research. The Latino Center for Medical Education and Research is the home of Junior Doctors Academy and Doctors Academy, programs that support middle and high school students as they pursue education and careers in medical fields. She received a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in 2010.
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