SC AHEC training program is nation's
best
by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
The South Carolina Area Health Education
Consortium (AHEC) recently received special recognition from among the
nation’s
46 other AHEC programs for its excellence and collaborative educational
partnerships with statewide institutions, health care professionals,
and
underserved communities all designed to improve health care for South Carolina’s residents.
David Garr, M.D., the executive director
of the South Carolina AHEC, along with others from South Carolina, accepted the prestigious
Eugene S. Mayer Award at the National AHEC meeting held June 11-14 in Omaha, Neb. The award, which is presented
every two years to a model statewide AHEC system, is named in the
memory of Dr.
Eugene S. Mayer, founder of North Carolina AHEC which, along with South Carolina, was among the first 11
states in 1972 to receive federal funding to establish an AHEC program.
“I accept this award on behalf of many
individuals – our predecessors as well as the current team who have
worked so
effectively and with such commitment during the past 34 years to
accomplish all
that we have in our state,” said Garr. “This award recognizes the
excellent
work that has gone on in the past in South Carolina and which continues at the
present time.”
The South Carolina AHEC was created to
address South
Carolina’s
significant health care
workforce needs by providing recruitment, retention, and educational
programs
for present and future health care professionals.
Garr, who assumed the leadership role in
January 2003, helps coordinate the work of the Program Office in Charleston and the four AHEC Centers
located in Greenville, Lancaster, Florence, and Varnville. As Director,
Garr works closely with AHEC’s leadership councils and with the four
AHEC
Center Directors. He reports to the MUSC Provost and to the MUSC Board
of
Trustees.
“The AHEC councils and the AHEC Center
Directors are a valuable resource,” Garr said. “We
work well as a team to guide our statewide program and
to maximize
its effectiveness.”
Under the
South Carolina AHEC, partnerships with the University of South Carolina, MUSC, Clemson University, and other institutions have
thrived and produced innovative programs for health care professionals
and
students. For example, the Family Medicine Rural Clerkship has
introduced USC
and MUSC medical students to rural health care and the value and
gratification
that comes from providing care to South Carolina’s underserved populations. Another
program , the South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program of
Training
(SCRIPT), a national model for interdisciplinary education, has
provided more
than 700 students during the past 13 years with a chance to live,
experience,
and deliver health care in clinical sites throughout the state.
“MUSC and USC train the majority of
physicians and other health care providers who ultimately practice in South Carolina,” said John Raymond, M.D.,
vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost. “AHEC provides a
critical link
between our institutions and rural sites where much of the health care
is
delivered in our state. Without AHEC, our ability to effectively
deliver health
care across the state would be severely impaired.”
An important element of the AHEC mission
is to identify young people who want to work in the health care field. The South Carolina AHEC Student Development
and Diversity Program encourages and provides guidance to these
students. For example, each summer for the
past several
years the South Carolina AHEC has sponsored an intensive program for
under-represented minority and disadvantaged students interested in
considering
health care careers . Held each June, students are exposed to a wide
range of
health professions disciplines and receive special preparation in areas
that
will help them be successful in their pursuit of advanced studies in
the health
professions.
In June 2006, the South Carolina
AHEC received word that it was awarded a
three-year, $900,000 Duke Endowment grant designed to help establish
coalitions
in each of the four AHEC regions. These coalitions will develop
regional
initiatives and programs to promote health care careers among middle
and high
school students. The premise for the program is to build a
collaborative
working relationship between schools, area businesses, health care,
faith
communities, civic organizations, and other groups to encourage and
support
youth who want to pursue careers in health care.
Other AHEC services include the provision
of educational programs for health care professionals.
In 2005, the South Carolina AHEC provided
more than 35,000 health care professionals with continuing education
and
training programs throughout the state. The
South Carolina AHEC’s Information Service provides
health care
providers, students, and preceptors working in communities with access
to the
online MUSC Library resources.
Looking to the future, Garr and the South
Carolina AHEC team plan to continue to address the health care
workforce needs
in South
Carolina.
The team wants to maintain
its present focus on youth, health professions students, and frontline
health
care professionals throughout the state. Garr would also like to expand
the
focus on interprofessional education, preparing teams of health care
workers to
practice together to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the
state’s
health care delivery system.
“We need to make sure we’re doing
everything possible to help grow and sustain our workforce and provide
them
with what they need to be successful in their current jobs and
professions,”
Garr said. “The future is very bright for AHEC as an organization as we
work to
help address the health care needs of South Carolinians. We have an excellent group
of people in this organization and positive working relationships with
organizations and groups throughout the state. No single program can
succeed by
itself. AHEC has been successful as a result of the partnerships that
have been
built and maintained for more than three decades.”
“Under the leadership of Dr. Garr, the
South Carolina AHEC system has taken on a national leadership role in
using
innovative methods to promote interdisciplinary rural health care and
wellness
education, to address health care disparities, and to inspire the next
generation of health care trainees to consider careers dedicated to
service in
geographically and economically underserved areas. This award is a mark
of
distinction for Dr. Garr and for his outstanding team of remarkable and
dedicated AHEC Center Directors, staff, teachers and health care
providers. We
are fortunate to have such an outstanding organization in South Carolina, where our needs are so
great,” Raymond said.
For information about the South Carolina
AHEC, visit http://www.scahec.net.
Friday, July 7, 2006
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