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Area Health Education Centers

About

The Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program enhances access to high quality, culturally competent healthcare through community-based interprofessional/interdisciplinary training, continuing education, and health careers outreach activities that will ultimately improve the distribution, diversity, and supply of the primary care health professions workforce who serve in rural and underserved healthcare delivery sites.

Area Health Education Centers

The AHEC Program grantees consist of schools of medicine and schools of nursing. These educational entities contract with community-based AHEC centers to implement educational activities that involve several health professions/disciplines and expose students to primary care, public health and to the needs of underserved populations. The training of healthcare personnel is a focus of the AHEC program grantees with an emphasis on primary care delivery sites in rural and other underserved areas. In addition, the AHECs work closely with state and local workforce investment boards to identify and address healthcare personnel issues. The AHEC programs and centers, along with their state and local partners, (1) implement community-based training programs for students in the health professions; (2) implement continuing education for healthcare providers; and (3) provide health careers outreach activities that are responsive to the current healthcare workforce, service delivery and access needs of underserved populations. This focus may be statewide or regional.

The AHEC Program consists of two phases: (1) Infrastructure Development (plans the projected growth of the program wherein one center can receive up to six years of funding with the program receiving no more than 12 years of financial support for multiple centers) and (2) Point of Service Maintenance and Enhancement (stabilizes and evaluates evolving conditions that impact the outcomes of the program.)

Infrastructure Development Area Health Education Centers

These awards fund schools of medicine, or schools of nursing in states with no medical school, to plan, develop and implement AHEC centers that link the grantee school and at least two other disciplines with local educational and clinical sites. These AHEC grantees initiate community-based, interdisciplinary/interprofessional training programs and establish AHEC centers in one or more regions of a state.

• Program details (Opportunity Closing Date: 02/15/2012)
• Active grants

Point of Service Area Health Education Centers

These awards fund AHEC programs and centers that have completed the Infrastructure Development phase. Modifications may be made to the program due to changes in demographics or needs of the populations in AHEC service areas. There is an emphasis on community-based, interdisciplinary/interprofessional training programs and activities that will enhance primary care, workforce diversity, and quality of care with the goal of ultimately improving access to healthcare in underserved areas.

• Program details (Opportunity Closing Date: 02/15/2012)
• Active grants

Additional Resources

AHEC Training and Consultation Center (A-TrACC)
AHEC Training and Consultation Center (A-TrACC) Resource Room
National AHEC Organization

Advisory Committees

Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL)

The Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) was created by Congress to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services concerning policy and program development and other matters of significance related to activities under Part D, Title VII of the PHS Act, as amended by the Affordable Care Act. 

The Advisory Committee focuses on the targeted program areas and/or disciplines of Area Health Education Centers, Geriatrics, Allied Health, Chiropractic, Podiatric Medicine, Social Work, Graduate Psychology, and Rural Health.

Bureau of Health Professions All-Advisory Committee (AAC)

The All-Advisory Committee (AAC) comprises the Bureau's four statutory advisory committees (The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, The Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages, The Council on Graduate Medical Education and The Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry).  The All-Advisory Committee (AAC) brings these separate committees together to work on issues of common interest, particularly the area of interprofessional education and training.  

Contact Information

Meseret Bezuneh, MSEd
AHEC Branch Chief
mbezuneh@hrsa.gov
(301) 443-6950

Jamie Weng, MPH
AHEC Project Officer
jweng@hrsa.gov
(301) 443-6950