| West Central Iowa AHEC |
The Area Health Education Center, or AHEC, program is a federal initiative developed by Congress in 1972 to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to the underserved.
How Does an AHEC Work? In an environment where innovation and promotion are crucial to increase the healthcare workforce across Iowa, the AHEC program combines best-practice methods of workforce development with creative collaborations among school systems, colleges and universities, health professionals, hospitals, health centers, public health venues and other key healthcare stakeholders. AHEC programming accomplishes this by: ● Organizing activities for kindergarten through undergraduate students to foster interest in the pursuit of healthcare careers. ● Providing greater opportunities for health profession students to gain clinical experience in rural and underserved areas. ● Offering continuing education courses to practicing healthcare professionals that address the unique challenges of caring for the underserved. CONNECTING... Students to Careers, Professionals to Communities and Communities to Better Health
Why Do We Need an AHEC Program in Iowa? Until 2007, Iowa was one of only four states without an AHEC program. In building a new AHEC program, we have an opportunity to benefit from established best practices while responding to the unique challenges of Iowa’s population, including: ● Health Workforce Shortages Throughout the state, shortages are documented in primary medical care, dentistry, mental health and other vital service provisions. ● Barriers in Access to Healthcare The number of uninsured and underinsured who have difficulty accessing quality healthcare has continued to increase. ● Gains in Diverse Populations Diversity has increased in counties adjacent to metropolitan areas, as well as those that often provide employment opportunities in agriculture. ● The Aging of Rural Iowa Since the farm crisis of the 1980s, population trends in rural communities clearly show they are faced with the challenge of having a higher percentage of elderly residents with fewer family and health resources available.
A partnership between:
This website was made possible by Grant Number U76HP08261 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (Bureau of Health Professions) and Des Moines University. The contents of this site are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the supporting entities. |
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