[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 25, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1610-S1611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NATIONAL AHEC WEEK

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize this week as 
National AHEC--Area Health Education Centers--Week.
  The AHEC program was originally authorized in 1971 and worked in 
conjunction with other Health Resources and Services Administration 
programs to provide health professionals to staff brick-and-mortar 
community health centers across the country. Today, 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.
  AHEC clinical training placements put health professions students in 
a variety of real-world settings, such as urban and rural community 
health clinics and health departments that provide healthcare to 
traditionally hard-to-reach populations. Students, in particular those 
working through their AHECs, are more likely to remain in the 
communities where they trained, making it critically important to 
establish training opportunities in rural and underserved areas.
  The need to strengthen the healthcare workforce continues. According 
to data from the 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 healthcare needs and to 
replace retiring nurses. AHECs have continued to work towards 
addressing workforce shortage areas, especially in rural and 
underserved communities. Just in the past 5 years, the AHEC program has 
trained 2 million healthcare professionals.
  I have had the opportunity to work closely with the New Hampshire 
AHEC and have witnessed the amazing work they do. The mission of the 
New Hampshire AHEC is to support workforce development activities for 
current and future healthcare workers in the Granite State. In 2025, 
the New Hampshire AHEC offered continuing education to over 4,500 
healthcare workers, improving treatment options for patients suffering 
from diseases such as diabetes and substance use disorder. In addition 
to working with providers, they also offer trainings on chronic 
disease, chronic pain, and diabetes self-management to patients in the 
community. More than 3,000 individuals have participated in these 
programs since 2010.
  The New Hampshire AHEC team were pioneers in identifying the need for 
a workforce that bridges healthcare and community. Over the past 28 
years, New Hampshire AHEC has focused on building the healthcare 
workforce by offering both day and residential programs for high school 
students, while also providing didactics and community-based 
experiences for health professions students across the State. It cannot 
be understated how important the New Hampshire AHEC is for our

[[Page S1611]]

communities and how important it is that the program continues to 
receive support from Congress. AHECs not only address current 
healthcare gaps and challenges, but they recruit, train and, bolster 
our future health workforce. On behalf of my constituents at the New 
Hampshire AHEC program and the national AHEC program more broadly, I 
call on my colleagues to join me in recognizing March 23 to March 27 as 
National AHEC Week.

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