The Center for Rural Health, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the University of North Dakota College of Nursing have formed a partnership to plan, develop, and implement an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program in North Dakota. The North Dakota AHEC includes a state-wide plan to incrementally develop three regional AHECs: eastern, northwestern and southwestern. All three locations provide a variety of opportunities in rural health clinics, community health centers, and Indian Health Service. Additionally, each of the three regions is home to at least one university and/or college. Over time, avenues for their direct and formal involvement with the AHEC will be developed. Activities will be developed for kindergarten through health professional students, educational programs, and recruitment and retention of health care providers. The program is initially designed to provide educational and clinical opportunities for students in medicine and nursing at the college and graduate level.
The purpose of the AHEC is to improve the distribution, diversity, supply and quality of health care personnel in the health care services delivery system.
AHEC's mission is to help improve the health status of nation’s population by increasing access to health care services in medically underserved areas.
More information and a web site dedicated to the North Dakota AHEC program will be launched soon.
