History

The AHEC Program began in the early 1970s when many areas of the United States were faced with severe shortages of health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and public health workers. Recommendations issued by the Carnegie Commission addressed how colleges and universities could help ease these shortages. One of the Commission’s recommendations led to the development of Area Health Education Centers (known as AHECs). In 1972, Congress awarded funds to establish AHEC programs in 11 states. The program has since expanded to over 40 states. The federal AHEC Program provides oversight for AHECs all across the nation.

Mission

Our mission is to improve the health status of Marylanders through community educational partnerships that foster a commitment to enhancing healthcare access in the rural and urban underserved areas of the state.

Purpose

The AHEC program has several important purposes, including:

• Forming linkages between health care delivery systems and educational resources in underserved communities;

• Creating collaborative community-based education and training opportunities for health professionals, students and primary care resident physicians;

• Increasing the number of individuals from minority and underserved communities who enter health careers;

• Supporting multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary training in response to community needs;

• Creating systems for learning and networks for information dissemination;

• Translating results of quality research to benefit communities and health care professionals.