UK HealthCare

Governor Proclaims AHEC Week in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 5, 2010) – Kentucky Gov. Steve. Beshear has proclaimed April 5-9 as Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Week in Kentucky.

"We are pleased that Gov. Beshear has recognized our University of Kentucky AHEC," said James Ballard, UK AHEC associate program administrator. "We are proud of our students, faculty and staff involved in the program."

AHEC is a community-driven, nonprofit organization whose goal is to improve access to health care in rural and medically underserved areas through academic and community partnerships that link the resources of academic health centers with the needs of the communities.

The University of Kentucky AHEC program, established in the 1980s, is a collaborative effort with UK, the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, and eight regional centers which strive to affect positively the distribution of health professionals throughout the Commonwealth. The centers, or AHECs, affiliated with UK are located at Morehead Park Hills (Northeast AHEC), Mt. Vernon (Southern AHEC), Hazard (Southeast AHEC), and (North Central). Each AHEC is directed by an advisory board composed of community leaders and health care practitioners representative of the area.

"Annually, the UK regional centers in the eastern half of the Kentucky facilitate more than 1,800 clinical rotations for health professions students from UK, UofL, the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine and other programs," said Ballard. The centers also provides health education programming to children and adults as well as library services to practicing health professionals and health professions students.

"I have a special appreciation for my AHEC experience because it was during my AHEC rotation that I found what area of medicine I had passion for," said Shilpan Patel, UK College of Medicine fourth year student. "Hometown rural medicine is great."

The sentiments of the students validate the passion everyone involved has for the program and the students served, Ballard said. "I, for one, am truly thankful for AHEC," said Susan Pell, a UK physician assistant student. "Not only have I made lifelong friends through my host families and experienced practicing medicine in multiple locations with varied populations, but I have also, with 98 percent certainty, gained employment. I would strongly encourage any student to maximize the blessings that AHEC offers." 

For more information about AHEC, contact Ballard at jaball0@email.uky.edu or at (859) 323-8018 or go to www.mc.uky.edu/ahec/.