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1. What Is An AHEC?
Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) were begun by the federal government in the late
1970's as programs designed to address health manpower distribution through community
based initiatives.
2. How Are AHECs Structured?
AHECs are administered by a school of medicine, which is the program office, and
subcontracts with remote centers from the medical school. Each center must be a 501(c)3
entity, governed by a Board of Directors representing the region surrounding the center. A
program office may receive a maximum of twelve years of federal seed funding while the
centers are eligible for six years of funding. The program office administers a
multidisciplinary academic consortium that includes one or more nursing schools and
schools of other health professions, such as allied health and social work.
3. How Are AHECs Funded?
The federal government, through competitive grants, makes seed monies available to
establish AHEC programs and centers. The intent is to provide sufficient dollars to build
the infrastructure and to build a case for state support assuming the activities and
accomplishments are of value to the communities served by the AHEC.
4. What Is The Role Of The Community In AHEC? (Back)
Communities are the heart of AHEC. The centers are governed by a community Board of
Directors who live in and represent the region served. These community boards identify the
needs and priorities for health care professionals in their region within the scope of the
broad AHEC objectives. The AHEC employees live in the center's region and are employees of
the Board of Directors rather than of the academic partner. A minimum of 75% of all
federal dollars awarded must be subcontracted directly to the centers, with the remaining
financial oversight and to develop institutional support and linkages needed by the
committee.
5. How Many AHECs Operate In Georgia? (Back)
The AHEC program in Georgia was begun by the Morehouse School of Medicine
(MSM) in 1984
with the establishment of two centers, the Atlanta AHEC (serving three metropolitan areas)
and the Tuskeegee AHEC in Alabama. The Atlanta AHEC was changed to become the Southeastern
Primary Care Consortium AHEC (SPCC-AHEC) . The second center, the CHEP-
AHEC, was begun in
1987 serving 39 counties in central and southeast Georgia. The second
center was later renamed the Magnolia Coastlands AHEC.
The Southwest Georgia (SOWEGA) AHEC was established in 1990 and serves 38 counties. The Three Rivers
AHEC,
established in 1994, serves 28 counties in west central Georgia.
The Medical College of Georgia (MCG), in partnership with MUSM, received a grant in 1996
to operate as a federally funded AHEC. This funding has supported the development of centers in northwest and northeast Georgia as well as overseeing the maturation of the
Three Rivers AHEC. The program office at MCG coordinates the Blue Ridge AHEC in northwest
Georgia, serving 20 counties. Foothills AHEC, established in 1999, serves
31 counties in northeast Georgia.
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