[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS (AHEC) WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 16, 2011

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to our 
nation's Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) as we commemorate 
National AHEC week.
  As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have strongly 
supported the expansion of the AHEC program, which was created by 
Congress in 1971 to recruit, train and retain a health professions 
workforce. Today, there are 56 AHEC programs with more than 235 centers 
that operate in almost every state and the District of Columbia.
  The first Florida AHEC program was started in 1985 at NOVA 
Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Florida now 
has 5 program offices with 10 area health centers working in all 67 of 
the state's counties. These centers house 600 full-time healthcare 
professionals and provide more than 1.2 million hours of care to the 
people of Florida. They also work with over 2,000 medical, dental, 
nursing, and other health professions students.
  The AHEC program addresses the imbalances in our healthcare system 
and inequities in access to and quality of healthcare. Nearly 8,000 
AHEC community based training sites are located in underserved areas, 
including 3,500 in designated health professions shortage areas, 
training a workforce committed to serving underserved populations. This 
is accomplished by forming academic and community partnerships that 
link the resources of academic health centers with the needs of the 
communities.
  AHEC has continually exceeded the Health Resources Services 
Administration's performance measure targets in terms of the percentage 
of program participants who are underrepresented minorities and from 
disadvantaged backgrounds; the proportion of participants that train in 
medically underserved communities; and the percentage of health 
professionals entering practice in underserved areas.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that our colleagues will join us in 
celebrating the goals and ideals of the AHEC program as well as its 
immeasurable contributions to the advancement of healthcare in our most 
underserved communities. Thank you to all the AHEC professionals for a 
job well done.

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