Find out more about the Rural Health Immersion (RHI) hosted at our Eastern AHEC Center!
The Eastern Maine AHEC recently hosted a Rural Health Immersion in Washington County for three AHEC Scholars, including dental and medical students. The immersion included visits to a variety of healthcare and community partner sites in the towns of Lubec, Machias, and Milbridge.
Students participated in a “Rainbow 101” training with the Downeast Rainbow Alliance to learn about terminology and discuss best practices for serving LGBTQ2IA+ community members in Downeast Maine; toured Downeast Community Hospital in Machias; met with Maine CDC Public Health Nurses and the Downeast District Public Health Liaison; visited the Downeast Recovery Support Center in Machias where they received a naloxone training; toured Safe Harbor, a recovery home for women and children; toured Prevention is Key, an independent dental hygiene practice in Milbridge; and met with Maine Mobile Health and Mano en Mano to learn about the services those organizations provide to immigrant and seasonal farmworker communities.
Students also spent a half-day at the Lubec Regional Medical Center, where they met with providers and staff, toured the facility, and were able to spend time job shadowing providers. A highlight of the trip to Lubec was visiting Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Students also enjoyed getting their hands dirty volunteering at the Downeast Restorative Harvest Garden in Machias, a collaborative project of Healthy Acadia, Washington County Jail, Department of Corrections, and other community partners. The volunteer afternoon was capped off by joining community members at the Machias Area Community Supper, where students helped clean up.
Interested in learning more about our Eastern AHEC Center? Click Here