Nebraska AHECs receive renewed grant funding

UNMC has received a five-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to continue its Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in Grand Island, Norfolk, Scottsbluff and Omaha along with a new partner in Lincoln that will serve the southeast region of the state.

This is the 13th year Nebraska AHECs have received federal funding. The first year of this grant is for $457,135.

The AHEC program is key in the recruitment and retention of health professionals in all 93 counties of Nebraska. Some of the other key duties performed by AHECs include:

• Working with local schools (grades K-12) in health career promotion;
  
• Providing health career fairs and camps;
  
• Assisting health profession students gain educational experiences in underserved communities;
  
• Working with local health career providers to assure the availability of continuing education; and
  
• Working with community agencies to meet local health care needs.

“This grant allows AHECs to continue their work with community and academic partners to make a difference in medically underserved communities,” said Michael Sitorius, M.D., chairman of the department of family medicine and director of Nebraska AHEC at UNMC, noting that more than 75 percent of the grant dollars go to the regional centers and their communities.