AHEC review

              AHEC

Review North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program

c r e a t i n g a b e t t e r s t a t e o f h e a l t h

Spring 2009

Touched by an AHEC:

Stories from Across the State

page 4

North Carolina Dentist Supply Down

Race’s Role in Health Care

Pharmacy Vote and Vaccination

page 3

page 6

page 7

W e are living and working in challenging times. Each day we are faced with the

news of additional job cuts, rising unemployment and a serious erosion in local,

state and federal revenues. Here in North Carolina, Governor Perdue and the General

Assembly are grappling with filling a $ 2-$ 3 billion budget hole, and all state programs

have received substantial reductions in funding.

As a result of this challenging financial situation, programs are having to be

postponed or cut back, we are having to raise fees for some ser vices, and we are looking

at every way possible to maximize our efficiencies as a state AHEC program. As I have

been visiting AHECs the last several months, however,

I have been impressed with the spirit of our staff, their

continued commitment to our mission and programs,

and the very creative ways they are managing to maintain

high quality services in the midst of reduced resources.

In this issue we unveil a new tagline for the state

AHEC Program: “ Creating a Better State of Health.”

It is important in difficult times such as these that we

stay focused on the message of this new tagline, so that

we wisely use our resources most effectively to develop

programs and services that will ultimately lead to a better

state of health for the people of North Carolina. When

all is said and done, what the AHEC Program is about

is educating students, residents and health professionals

in order to improve access to high quality health care for

North Carolinians. In this issue we also unveil a new Web

site called Touched by an AHEC: Stories from Across the State.

Touched by an AHEC gives us an opportunity to highlight

some of the stories of students and health practitioners who

have been touched by AHEC programs and services and who

are now contributing to a better state of health in their own communities. We invite

you to go to that Web site ( www. ncahec. net/ stories) and see some of the stories that

have been collected by the AHECs.

As we work through this challenging time, we welcome your ideas and suggestions

about how we can most effectively meet the health workforce needs of North Carolina.

I know I speak for all of the faculty and staff across the AHEC system in saying that

we remain committed to getting through this tough time with even stronger programs

designed to meet the health workforce needs of the communities of the state.

Thomas J. Bacon, DrPH

Director, NC AHEC Program

Director’s Message

NC AHEC Program

CB 7165, 145 N. Medical Drive

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27599- 7165

Tel. 919.966.2461 Fax. 919.966.5830

e- mail: ncahec@ med. unc. edu

http:// www. ncahec. net

NC AHEC Senior Staff

Thomas J. Bacon, DrPH, Director

Alan Brown, MSW, Associate Director

A. J. “ Tony” Kane, MS, Associate Director

Nadine O’Malley, MBA, Associate Director

Karen Stallings, RN, MEd, Associate Director

Jacqueline Rollins Wynn, MPH, Associate Director

Editor & Designer: Andy Berner

Writer: Carol Douglas

Contributors: Lex Alexander, David Etchison, Erin

Fraher, Katie Gaul

1,900 copies of this public document were

printed at a cost of $ 1,156, or $ 0.61 per copy.

AHEC Review is published by the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers ( AHEC) Program in the UNC- Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

3

A fter four years of moderate increases,

the state’s supply of dentists per capita

took a downward turn this past year,

according to recently released data from

the North Carolina Health Professions

Data System at UNC- Chapel Hill. The

report, entitled “ The North Carolina

Health Professions 2007 Data Book” is

part of an annual review of the state’s

supply of health professionals.

According to the report, between 2003-

2004, the dentist workforce grew by 4.8%,

but from 2006- 2007,

it increased by only

1.6%. Adjusted for

population, these

increases translate

into a 3.9% increase

between 2003- 2004

and a 0.7% decrease

between 2006- 2007.

North Carolina

had 4.3 dentists per

10,000 population in

2007 compared

to the US ratio of

6.1. Four counties

in eastern North

Carolina – Camden,

Gates, Hyde, and

Tyrrell – did not have an active dentist in

2007, and Camden and Tyrrell haven’t had

a dentist since data collection began 1979.

“ The fact that our dentist supply is not

keeping pace with population growth

is of concern and a trend worth further

monitoring,” said Erin Fraher, director

of the Health Professions Data System.

“ North Carolina already lags behind the

nation in dentist supply and we have an

aging dentist workforce with nearly one

in three dentists aged 55 and over. As this

cohort begins to retire, it is likely that

supply will contract at an even faster rate

and some counties, particularly rural ones

where dentists are an average three years

older, may be left without a dentist in

practice,” noted Fraher.

Although the legislature approved

a new dental school at East Carolina

University and an increase in enrollments

at the dental school at UNC- Chapel

Hill, these additional graduates will not

enter the workforce until 2015 and 2016

respectively.

After adjusting for population growth,

NC’s supply of physicians, nurses, and

pharmacists increased while the supply of

physicians in primary

care specialties declined

slightly in the same

period. Physician

assistants ( PAs) and

nurse practitioners

( NPs) grew at the

fastest rate relative to

population, increasing

by 8.1% and 11.1%

respectively.

The North Carolina

Health Professions

2007 Data Book

contains county- level

data for 19 health

professions. For 30

years, the Health

Professions Data System at the Cecil G.

Sheps Center for Health Services Research

has produced an annual report on the

supply of licensed health care professionals

in North Carolina. Monitoring of the

state’s health professional supply is

supported by the NC AHEC Program

and the UNC Office of the Provost. Data

for the report are provided by the health

professions licensing boards.

Data are available in electronic format at

the Sheps Center’s Health Professions Data

System website ( http:// www. shepscenter.

unc. edu/ hp). To order the 2007 edition

contact nchp@ unc. edu or ( 919) 966- 7112.

NC Dentist supply down

NC Area Health

Education Centers

Area L AHEC

David Webb, EdD, President & Director

P. O. Drawer 7368

1631 S. Wesleyan Boulevard

Rocky Mount, NC 27804- 0368

Tel. 252.972.6958 Fax. 252.972.0419

www. arealahec. org

Charlotte AHEC

Mary N. Hall, MD, Director

P. O. Box 32861

Carolinas HealthCare System

4400 Golf Acres Drive / Bldg J

Charlotte, NC 28208

Tel. 704.512.6523 Fax. 704.512.6568

www. charlotteahec. org

Eastern AHEC

Stephen Willis, MD, Executive Director

P. O. Drawer 7224, 2000 Venture Tower Drive

Greenville, NC 27835- 7224

Tel. 252.744.8214 Fax. 252.744.8596

eahec. ecu. edu

Greensboro AHEC

Rebecca Knight, MSN, MBA

Executive Director

Moses Cone Health System

1200 North Elm Street

Greensboro, NC 27401- 1020

Tel. 336.832.8025 Fax. 336.832.2851

www. gahec. org

Mountain AHEC

Teck Penland, PhD, President & CEO

501 Biltmore Avenue

Asheville, NC 28801- 4686

Tel. 828.257.4400 Fax. 828.257.4768

www. mahec. net

Northwest AHEC

Michael P. Lischke, MPH, EdD, Director

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Medical Center Boulevard

Winston- Salem, NC 27157- 1060

Tel. 336.713.7700 Fax. 336.713.7701

northwestahec. org

South East AHEC

Mark Darrow, MD, President & CEO

P. O. Box 9025, 2131 S. 17th Street

Wilmington, NC 28402- 9025

Tel. 910.343.0161 Fax. 910.762.9203

www. seahec. net

Southern Regional AHEC

Deborah J. Teasley, PhD, FACHE

President/ CEO

1601 Owen Drive

Fayetteville, NC 28304

Tel. 910.678.7230 Fax. 910.678.7279

www. southernregionalahec. org

Duke AHEC Program

Marvin Swartz, MD, Director

Duke University Medical Center

Department of Psychiatry, Box 3173

Durham, NC 27710

Tel. 919.684.8676 Fax. 919.681.7504

dukeahec. mc. duke. edu

Wake AHEC

John Perry, MD, Executive Director

3261 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 212

Raleigh, NC 27604- 1657

Tel. 919.350.8547 Fax. 919.350.0498

www. wakeahec. org

www. ncahec. net

www. ncahec. net

Touched by an AHEC

For more than 35 years, the North Carolina AHEC

Program has worked to create a better state of health

for North Carolinians in all 100 counties of the state. Out of

the thousands who have been touched by a program or

person connected with AHEC, we have begun gathering

stories that we hope will help describe our efforts.

Touched by an AHEC: Stories from Across the State is

a new Web publication ( www. ncahec. net/ stories) that

features the inspiring people, places, and programs that

have been directly affected by the nine AHECs serving

the 100 counties of North Carolina. The following excerpts

are a glimpse of the growing collection of accounts that

are featured on our Web site – visit the site to see the full

story and more. If you have been touched by an AHEC

and would like to share your story, please e- mail us at

ncahec@ med. unc. edu.

Joel Miller, MD, Ob/ Gyn at Catawba Women’s

Center, Hickory, Catawba County, Northwest AHEC

“ I have certainly been more than touched

by an AHEC. For me it’s not just having

been tou ched; m y wh ole pro fe ssi on al

ca r ee r as it h as de veloped over the past 30

years is because of AHEC.

“ In 1977 I was the first Ob/ Gyn

resident from NC Baptist Hospital/

Bo w ma n Gray Sch oo l of Me dicine to

come t o C at aw ba Memo r i al Hospit al

( n ow Cata wba Valle y Me dica l Cen ter )

i n Hic kory for a ne w A HE C- s po n so r ed

residency program. Starting then, third year

re sidents e ach came to Hi cko r y fo r ab out

2 1⁄ 2 month s. It was a w onde rfu l ro t ati on

w i th lo ts o f e x per ienc e and tra in in g in a

co mmunity s etti ng ou tside the ‘ i vory t owe r’

medical center.

“ The reaso n AHEC h as m ore than ‘ to uch ed’ my c areer

is t hat w h i l e I w as d oing m y r ot ati on in Hic k ory, I me t the

p hysic ia n s from the g r ou p w i th whic h I have pra cticed fo r

th e last 30 y ear s , Catawba Wom en’s Center. A ft er m y r ot ation

the y offered me a positio n i n thei r pra ctic e. Ha vi ng w orked

w i th the m ga v e m e a t remen do us ad vant age wh en c hoosing

m y fu t ure pra ctic e an d medic al co m munit y. It’s all wo rked out

ve r y we l l and h ere I a m 30 years l ate r still bei ng t o uc h ed by

our AHEC facility in Hickory...”

Suz anne Collins, RN, MS , CWOCN

at Carolinas Medical Center – RN

R e fresher P rog ra m , Mecklenbur g

County, Charlotte AHEC

“ Emergencies happen. The fastest

wa y I coul d r es pon d was to get back

to work throug h t he AHEC Nurse

Refresher Program, a well- organized and

structured re- e nt r y into b as ic nursing

pr act ic e. I wi l l n eve r f o rg e t the support

and respect ful optimi sm p rovid ed by

Nancy Fiedler, the staff at AHEC, and

all whom I met as preceptors on my

Medical Unit.

“ I thank God for nursin g. And for t he

Nurse Refresher Program at AHEC...”

Kathy Waters, director of school/

commu nity p ar t ner s h ip s ( ret i r e d );

advocate for rural, underserved area,

Washington County, Eastern AHEC

“ In Spring 2008, I retired after a l ong c a re e r

with Washington County Schools. One of the

mo s t positive exp eri en c es in m y ro l e

with t he d i s tric t

was the many

wonderful people I

had an opportunity

to wo rk wit h i n

p art n ers h i p w i t h

t he s c ho ols ove r the

years.

“ Ea ste r n AH EC is

th e pe r fe ct e x am ple

of this. I cannot

r em em be r any tim e

or situ atio n w h en I

c on t ac t ed a me mb er o f

the EAHEC team for

a variety of assistance

tha t th ey did n ot

respond in a timely and

e xtrem el y pro fe ssio n al m a nne r. I ha v e a l wa y s

seen AHEC as synonymous with proficiency and

professionalism...”

D e br a C . Allen a nd Pet e r G al, A s thma

Clinic, Rockingham County, Greensboro

AHEC

Debra Allen, ANP/ GNP, is the nurse practitioner

for the Rockingh am Cou nty H ealth D epa r tm ent

loca ted i n Wentwo r th, N C. On e of the specia lt y

clinic s offe red to p atie nts of Roc ki ngham Count y

i s the A sth ma Cl i n i c w here Pete r G al, P harmD ,

BCPS, FCCP, FASHP, director of pharmacy research and

education services for Greensboro AHEC, collaborates

wit h Allen a nd o the r practitio ners to p r ov id e care t o

asthma patients. For the past eleven years, Gal has

provided his clinical services to the Asthma Clinic.

“ Since starting the Asthma Clinic, Peter has provided

e x per t , one on one c are to a sth ma p at ie nts in ne ed of

a com preh ens ive ca re plan,” said Allen. “ B ef ore Pe ter

bega n provi ding his clinic al ser vic es, patien ts did n ot

ha v e acce ss to suc h exp ertise or t hey h ad t o tra vel o ut

of town to r ece i v e su ch care. All refe rre d pati ent s have

access to this clinic regardless of their ability to pay.

T he As thma C linic co n tinue s to g r ow wi th inc rea sed

r ef erra l s from myself and the oth er pr act iti oners du e to

its p osit iv e outc om es . Pete r i s able to di agno s e q u i ck l y

and pi npo i n t treat me nts sp ec ifi c f or e ach patient.

A l s o, pa tien ts are comfort able i n shar in g impo r tan t

inf orm ation, suc h as smokin g ha bits, wi th Peter beca u se

he is a pproac hab l e an d non - j udgment al...”

www. ncahec. net

5 Vala rie Farnum, paren t, t e a c her, an d club

adviser for after- school program, Columbus

County, South East AHEC

As a parent, a teacher and an adviser for an after-scho

ol program , Valarie Farn um h as been t ou che d by

So uth E a s t AHEC ( SE AHEC) in a n um ber of way s .

“ Presently, I’m involved wit h AHEC m ore as a n

adviser for East Columbus High School ROCAME

Club ( Region “ O” Council for the Advancement

o f Minoritie s in Engine ering),” sh e said . “ Som e of

our club members attended AHEC’s 2008 Future

Leaders in Healthcare Conference at East Carolina

Un i v ersit y, a nd ROCAM E C l ub m em be r s w ere in

att end ance for this s ummer’s SAT w orkshop wi th

Dr. Aicher.

“ O ne o f th e m any bene fits of our c lu b

involvement with AHEC is the opportunity for

st ude nts t o conne ct with like m i n ds f rom ou tside

the ir own communit y. Mee ting new f r iends as

a re sult of multi- cou nty f ield trip s pr ovi de s

another layer of exposure for students. They

begin to see a much more global sense of the

ne ed t o work toget her a nd th at p eo ple c an

come together...”

I m p r o v i ng Ca re for Person s w i th D e v e l o p m e n tal

D i s abilit i e s , B u nco m be, Pit t, G u i l f o r d , Macon an d B u rk e

Counties, Mountain AHEC

Wh en MA HE C i n i tiat ed

a thr ee - y ea r pro j ec t

on Im proving Prim ary

Car e f or Perso ns

with Developmental

Disa bili tie s in t he fall

of 20 0 4, litt l e did

anyone know the w a ve

of w ork the pro j ec t

w ou l d cre at e… or

th e l i v es t ha t would

be touched. Funded

by t he NC C ou n cil

o n De velo pm en t al

D i s ab i lit ie s, w i t h in- k i nd a n d ca sh

contributions from MAHEC, the initiative began as most do, with

a p erio d o f re s ea r ch a nd inf ormat i v e i nte r v i ew s. Very q u i ck l y it

b ec a me ap p are nt t o t h e o r i g in al pro j ec t l ea de r s , R ob ert We ave r

a n d Ire ne Jurc zyk , tha t th e m ost u nde r se r v ed a mo ng th ose wit h

developmental disabilities are adults.

The informed interviews and research included a ( perhaps first-t

i me eve r ) l i v e te l ec on fer enc e o f sixt y - s o me a dult s , mo st with mi l d

t o m od era te c ognit i v e disa bili ties . W h at d i d the y hav e to s ay a bo u t

the level of care they were receiving? It was a powerful event which

t ook p l ac e sim u l ta n eo usly i n Fr a nk l in , She l by a n d Ash evill e. An d

what was learned was that they wanted to be heard...

Ch risti n a Pow e r s , DD S, pedia tric d e nt i s t a t

F i r s tH e a l th D e ntal Care C e nt e r s , serving

underserved populations, Moore and

Hoke Counties, Southern Regional AHEC

After two AHEC rotations as a dental student with

Dr. Sharon Nicholson Harrell’s dentistry practice

a t Fir s tHealt h Denta l Ca r e C ente rs, Ch r i s tina

Powers, DDS, recently joined the practice.

“ I am a pe d i at r ic den t i st now be cau s e o f

m y a sso ciat i on wi th A HE C. I am work i n g a t

Fir s tHealt h no w b ec aus e I ha d s uc h a po sitive

e x pe r i enc e du r i n g r ot atio n s th ere as a d ent al

s tud ent . I wo uld lo ve t o he l p o the r de n tal st ude n ts

in the future and continue to support AHEC...”

... more stories on back cover

News Briefs

C omparing the way people of different

races and incomes get prescriptions

may sound like an obscure bit of research.

But in Greensboro, that study has been

a pilot program for a National Institutes of

Health research project that will distribute

tens of millions of dollars nationwide.

That larger study seeks to identify how

factors such as race, sex, income, insurance

status and language may interfere with

people getting the health care they need.

Such factors are thought to contribute to

higher disease and death rates among some

minority groups.

The agency wants researchers to find

ways to improve communication with

patients and spread those methods quickly,

said Dr. Sam Cykert , chief of the internal

medicine teaching program at Moses Cone

Hospital.

“ Our physicians are doing their best

to provide quality care to an increasingly

diverse population, under tight time and

resource constraints, in an increasingly

complex health care environment,” said

Deborah Young , clinical coordinator with

the UNC- Chapel Hill Translational and

Clinical Sciences Institute .

The research, she said, will highlight

ways to better serve and treat that diverse

population.

In addition to Cone and the UNC- CH

medical school, the Greensboro Health

Disparities Collaborative is taking part in

the program. That group is researching

why minorities with health conditions,

insurance status, age and income similar

to those of white people still often are less

healthy.

The Greensboro study, called the

Respectful Prescribing Study, is a first step

toward understanding whether and how

communication with a patient is a factor,

Young said.

Between September and May, the

researchers convened six focus groups

totaling about 70 patients of different races,

genders and insurance status.

“ We wanted to know what was

important to patients about getting

prescriptions,” Young said. “ We asked if

they felt they were treated differently based

on insurance, race and gender.”

Gina Hansen of Greensboro , a patient

at the Moses Cone Family Practice Center ,

participated in a focus group in April.

She said participants were asked general

questions about how

well they thought

they communicated

with their doctors

and more specific

questions about

whether they

thought they were

being fully informed

and given options

with regard to

prescriptions.

“( The moderator

asked) ‘ Did certain

medications make

you feel ill? Did

they work? If they

didn’t work, how

( quick) were you in

getting back to your doctor? Did you get

the proper dose? How often did you stop

taking your medications, and did you tell

your doctor?’” Hansen recalled.

Researchers found that all the

focus- group participants wanted more

information about the reason for a

prescription, possible side effects and costs

versus benefits.

But researchers also found:

* Caucasian patients were more likely

to want to share decision- making and

negotiate treatment with their doctors.

* African Americans wanted more attention

to basic elements such as physical exams

and patient histories. They also wanted

to ensure the patient understood the

doctor and that the doctor understood any

barriers a patient might face in following a

course of treatment.

* African Americans were more likely to

think that doctors were “ overprescribing.”

* African Americans were more likely to

perceive generic drugs as inferior to brand

names. As a result, Young said, African

American patients are more likely to stop

taking their medications because they aren’t

sure the drugs will work well.

Cykert said addressing these problems

will mean doctors will

have to take more time

with patients. But

he thinks they’ll be

willing to do so once

they’re informed about

the issues.

The researchers

will ask focus- group

members for their

ideas for workable

solutions.

Ultimately, Cykert

said, the larger

National Institutes of

Health program will

seek ways to streamline

communication and

interaction among

basic scientists, clinical researchers and

community physicians so that findings are

shared more quickly among them.

It also will find ways to allow

communities to tell researchers what

research is most important to them, Cykert

said.

For Hansen, the experience

accomplished a bit of what researchers

hope the whole project will accomplish.

“ I’m kind of feeling a little bit better

about expressing myself in the medical

community, standing up for myself where

medical issues are concerned, being a little

more inquisitive about medications,” she

said.

“ I felt like this is something very

important for people to know ... that

somebody hears you, you know?”

Race may play role in health care experience

by Lex Alexander, staff writer, Greensboro News & Record

www. ncahec. net

Sam Cykert, MD, Greensboro AHEC

UNC pharmacists, students offer flu shots to Charlotte voters

were seen, and people were already going

to be there to vote anyway,” said Joan

Settlemyer, director of pharmacy education

at the Charlotte AHEC and a clinical

assistant professor at the School.

The students, in their fourth year in the

doctor of pharmacy program at UNC,

are completing their clerkships at the

Charlotte AHEC. Barbour, Settlemyer, and

Jesse Pike, the owner of Pike’s Pharmacy,

oversaw one of the Vote & Vax sites.

Vote & Vax was organized by the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation and Sickness

Prevention Achieved through Regional

Collaboration.

“ I think Vote & Vax is a very creative

idea,” says Steve Caiola, chair of the

School’s Division of Pharmacy Practice

and Experiential Education. “ And the

collaboration between our faculty, a couple

of great practitioners and preceptors, and

our mutual students is a model we would

like to propagate everywhere across the

state. There are advantages to all parties,

including, most importantly, the North

Carolinians whose health will benefit from

such collaborative provision of a needed

service.”

According to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, approximately

36,000 people die from influenza each

year in the United States. The CDCP

recommends flu vaccinations for people 50

years of age and older, children between six

months and 19 years old, pregnant women,

people with certain chronic medical

conditions, people who live in nursing

homes and other long- term care facilities,

and people who live with or care for those

at high risk for complications from flu.

O n November 4, 2008, voters at three

polling sites in Charlotte rolled up

their sleeves for a flu shot after casting their

ballot thanks to students and faculty of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill and a local pharmacy.

The clinics were provided as part of Vote

& Vax, a nationwide project that provided

influenza vaccinations at hundreds polling

sites across the country.

Each site was staffed by students from

the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as

well as experienced pharmacists from Pike’s

Pharmacy and the Charlotte Area Health

Education Center, who administered the

injections.

The flu vaccines were administered after

voters had cast their ballots so as not to

interfere with the voting process.

“ By holding the clinics at the polling

sites, we definitely had a place where we

7

www. ncahec. net

On October 29, 2008, the NC AHEC Program and UNC

Medical Air Operations celebrated the 40th anniversary of

UNC Medical Air Operations and honored retiring Chief

Pilots Alan Fearing and Mike Benson for their combined

70 years of service to Medical Air. More than 150 guests

gathered for a reception at the James M. Johnston Center

for Undergraduate Education in Graham Memorial on the

campus of UNC- Chapel Hill. Participants included UNC-Chapel

Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp, UNC- Chapel Hill

School of Medicine Dean Bill Roper, and UNC President

Emeritus Bill Friday. Medical Air has flown almost 20

million passenger miles delivering clinical and educational

services throughout the state with no major incidents or

accidents on the ground or in the air. NC AHEC thanks

Fearing, Benson, and the entire Medical Air staff for their

dedication and commitment to the AHEC mission.

At left, Fearing and Benson display their service awards

and a plaque presented to Medical Air by the Raleigh-

Durham Air Traffic Controller Tower.

Serving the State since ‘ 68

Chief Pilots Alan Fearing and Mike Benson, Medical Air Operations

North Carolina AHEC Program

CB 7165, 145 N. Medical Drive

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27599- 7165

creating a better state of health

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT 177

CHAPEL HILL, NC

Dee Johnson, executive director, Carolina Family

Health Centers, Wilson County, Area L AHEC

Carolina Family Health Centers ( CFHC), headquartered in

Wil son, Nort h Ca rol ina , prov i des h igh qua l it y, affordab l e

medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services

for l ow- inc ome fam i lie s i n Nash C ou n ty at the Harvest

Family Health Center, Edgecombe County at the Freedom

Hill C om mu n i ty Health Cen ter, a nd W i ls on C ou n ty at

the W i ls on C ommu n i ty Healt h Ce n ter. Glowing st ude nt

e valuatio n s are evidence of the fa ct th at t he c l in ics o f

CFH C se r ve a s s uperb le arni n g sit es for AH EC n urse

prac titio ner, phys ici an as s i s tan t, me dica l , and p h arm ac y

st u d e nts. Th e tr ai ni ng and experi enc es p r ov id ed in t hese

clinics are of high value to the students who always have

nothing but praise for the staff and facilities.

Johnson is a former consultant for the Clinical Advisory

and Con sulta tion Networ k o f th e U. S. Dep artmen t of

Health and Human Services, Region V. “ Community

Heal t h Ce nte r s acr oss the cou ntr y face man y c h a l lenges ,”

s he s ai d . “ I have b ee n in volved in th e communit y h ea l th

c ent er m is s i on f or ove r 30 ye ars, witne ss to the stru ggle of

providing a wide range of despera te ly n eed e d h ealt h ca re

s er vice s to fa mili es whose reso urc es do no t ext end to c ov er

th e b asic c are that mo st o f us tak e f or gra n ted.

“ The mission of CFH C is to provide qua l it y hea l th c are

to the people of Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson Counties

wi th dign it y and r espect , regardless of financi al, medica l or

cult ural st atu s. Area L A HE C ha s ma de our m is si on t heir

mission. We are grateful every day for the ongoing support

of our friends at Area L...”

Rebekah Carroway, health careers

student, Wake County, Wake AHEC

“ I’m a tw elf th gra de

ho me s ch oo l er. Fo r

the last three years, I

h a ve h ad t h e p r i v ile g e

t o b e a p artic ip ant

in t he Wa ke A HE C

Health Careers

and Workforce

Diversity Program.

This o pportu n i ty

h as c h ange d m y

life. Through this

pro g r am , I s ele c te d

my major for

col l ege , a nd a career

f or m y fu t ure . Wa ke

A H EC ha s p ro v i ded

out s ta n di ng, ext r em ely o r g aniz ed r ole mo de ls fo r

me as well. The leadership is great!!

“ Through hands- on, one- on- one assistance, this

program ha s exp ose d m e to ma n y of the v ario u s

fields in the heath and medical professions.

In a dd it i on, t h e dive r si ty o f st ude n ts a l l owe d

me to meet different people and create new

relationships...”

Touched by an AHEC

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