AHEC (AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER)

Organization name: IUPUI

Program Type

Work-based learning programs

Ages Served:

12-18 Years
19-25 Years

Overview

Brief Program Summary: A healthy Indiana needs healthy communities. And it needs health care professionals located in all areas of the state from the inner cities to the rural neighborhoods prepared to help educate citizens about health problems and issues and to provide quality service. Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) play an important role in providing communities with health care professionals prepared to meet their needs. Today, 54 AHEC programs with more than 200 centers operate in almost every state and the District of Columbia. An AHEC is a network of regional centers that are coordinated through a central program office. Each regional center is locally grown and is designed to assess and meet the needs of citizens in that specific region. AHECs perform four basic functions: • Assist in the ambulatory training of health professionals. Health professionals who train in underserved communities are much more likely to serve those populations when their training is completed. • Provide continuing education, especially for providers to the underserved. Continuing education programs improve the quality of care and enhance professional satisfaction, both of which contribute to provider retention. • Recruit minority students into the health professions careers. Minority health professionals are substantially more likely to serve vulnerable populations then their majority counterparts. • Respond to emerging health issues by distributing information necessary for practitioners and facilities to address critical health issues and threats in a timely way. In accomplishing these goals, the AHEC can improve the quality of health care, especially primary and preventative care.
Success Metrics: IUPUI has a robust evaluation foundation to measure the impact of of the IN- AHEC program. For example, National Student Clearing House data is used to monitor whether AHEC Pipeline Students have matriculated into College/University and are potentially pursing a health profession degree. Third Year medical students completing Family Medicine rotations are placed in rural and/or medically underserved areas to peak interest in practicing in primary care and serving in a rural area or MUC. Additionally, every two-years, IUPUI submits a match with the professional licensure database to see where IN-AHEC graduates are practicing and if they are serving in one oft the program’s target areas: primary care, medically underserved communities, and/or rural area in the state of Indiana. To date, the IN-AHEC Network has located 6,563 former AHEC students now working as licensed health professionals in Indiana. Of those, 31% are working in a health professional shortage area.

Demographics

Number Served & Racial Distribution:

Total Number of Individuals Annually Served

10,050

Black or African Americans Annually Served

10.30%

Hispanic or Latinos Annually Served

10.60%

Geographic Scope:

− Central Indiana Counties: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion,
Morgan, Putnam, Shelby
− Additional/Other Areas of Focus: Statewide

Resources

Annual Operating Cost: $3,638,257
Initial Start-Up Cost: $0

Contact Information

Organization Name: IUPUI
Website: https://www.iupui.edu/
Respondents Name: Karen Dace
Email: kdace@iupui.edu
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