Basic/Core Area Health Education Centers

Program Objectives

The Basic/Core Area Health Education Centers (BAHEC) Program and Model State Supported Area Health Education Centers (MAHEC) Program goals are to assist schools to improve the distribution, diversity, supply, and quality of health personnel in the health services delivery system, and to attract and retain health personnel in underserved areas. The AHEC Program awardees link the academic resources of medical schools and participating health professions schools with local educational and clinical sites, and thereby establish a network of community-based training sites to provide educational services to health professions students, faculty-preceptors and health care providers in underserved areas, and ultimately, to improve the delivery of health care in an underserved region or in an entire state. Emphasis is placed on community-based training of health professions students, primary care-oriented medical residents, local providers, and also 9-12 grade students. The BAHEC program assists schools in the initial planning, development and implementation of community-based Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) which assist schools and organize the training of at least three health professions disciplines at training-service delivery sites in rural and underserved areas, of a region or an entire state. Schools which complete Basic AHEC Program development, then compete for Model AHEC Program awards in partnership with affiliated (contracted) AHEC Centers to maintain and enhance/expand training programs and training sites responsive to local, State and Federal needs and priorities. The BAHEC and MAHEC programs embrace the goal of increasing the number of health professions graduates who ultimately practice in underserved areas. Both AHEC programs carry out health careers recruitment and enhancement activities to attract high school students from underserved areas into health careers.