[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 55 (Monday, March 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING MARCH 27TH TO MARCH 31ST AS NATIONAL AREA HEALTH EDUCATION 
                          CENTERS (AHEC) WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SUSIE LEE

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 27, 2023

  Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize March 27th to 
March 31st as National Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Week.
  The AHEC program was originally authorized in 1971 to enhance the 
workforce of health professionals who staff brick-and-mortar Community 
Health Centers. Today, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) offer 
hands-on and innovative health career curriculums for pre-college level 
students, and are committed to continuing education, clinical training 
of health professionals and responding to community health needs. The 
nation's 300 AHECs are in nearly every state and in multiple U.S. 
territories. Administered by the HRSA, AHECs are federally funded, and 
many are also supported by state governments, foundations, or other 
partners.
  AHEC clinical training placements put health professional students in 
a variety of real-world settings, such as migrant, urban, and rural 
community health clinics and health departments that provide healthcare 
to rural and underserved populations, Connecting students to community 
populations helps facilitate future engagement and help build network 
alliances for health career students who wish to remain in their 
clinical practice regions and continue providing more sustainable 
healthcare in rural and underserved areas following their training.
  AHECs are also responsive to community priorities. They are dedicated 
to collaboratively developing community health education curriculums, 
for both online and face-to-face training programs, through unique 
partnerships that meet the broader range of public health needs of 
diverse and severely rural and underserved populations.
  The need to strengthen the healthcare workforce, particularly for 
underserved communities, has become far more acute over the past 
several years. According to new Association of American Medical 
Colleges, the U.S. could see a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 
2034, and the American Hospital Association says more than 200,000 new 
registered nurses are needed each year to meet increasing health care 
needs and to replace nurses entering retirement. AHECs continue to be 
committed to addressing shortage areas and expanding the healthcare 
workforce, while maximizing diversity and facilitating distribution, 
especially in rural and underserved communities.
  In the past 5 years, the AHEC program has trained 2 million 
healthcare professionals, who are prepared to deliver culturally 
appropriate, high-quality, team-based care, with an emphasis on primary 
care for rural and underserved populations.
  I have developed a close relationship with and am proud to support 
the Nevada AHEC program. I have previously led efforts to increase 
funding for the national AHEC program in recent fiscal years. As 
highlighted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Nevada's health workforce 
needs to be prepared to meet their communities' needs now more than 
ever. The Nevada AHEC program is one way we will be able to continue to 
make a significant and sustainable impact in improving healthcare 
services for the rural and most underserved areas of our state. By 
having programs that are responsive to local and community needs, and 
by connecting health students and professionals early on in their 
careers to the most vulnerable communities, the Nevada AHEC program 
continues to create a culturally and structurally competent health 
workforce to tackle the unique challenges our state faces.
  On behalf of my constituents, the Nevada AHEC program and the 
national AHEC program more broadly, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing March 27th to March 31st as National AHEC Week.

                          ____________________