The Maine Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Network housed within the Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) represented UNE at the 2021 National AHEC Organization’s (NAO) Annual Meeting Biennial Conference held virtually from June 29th through July 2nd. AHEC is a federally funded program that focuses on health profession workforce development with a focus on rural and underserved populations. The Maine AHEC Network includes the Program Office at CEPH and three regional centers located in eastern (Northern Light), western (Franklin Healthcare), and northern (Northern Maine Community College).
A presentation and virtual Q&A session on Maine AHEC’s Rural Health Immersions, a program where UNE graduate health professions students are hosted in rural and underserved communities throughout Maine, was well attended. CEPH staff also presented on cross-state collaborative data collection efforts to spotlight the impact AHECs make nationally.
- Ian Imbert, AHEC CUP Scholar Program Manager, led a team of AHEC Program and Center staff in a presentation and discussion titled “Creating Immersive Rural Health Experiences for Future Health Providers.” Maine AHEC Network Director Jennifer Gunderman, AHEC Evaluator Kira Rodriguez, and Northern Maine AHEC Center Director Leah Buck also shared their experiences planning, implementing and evaluating these unique immersive, rural experiences for health professions students. To address the unique healthcare workforce needs of Maine, University of New England (UNE) faculty and staff developed the Rural Health Immersion (RHI) in 2016. The program was first piloted in Spring of 2016 in Aroostook County, Maine’s northernmost County. The RHI was created to increase student interest in rural health and expand clinical learning opportunities in rural communities with healthcare provider shortages. Since inception, over 200 students from UNE’s Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, and other Health Professions have participated in the RHI program, including over 100 AHEC Scholars. This presentation provided an opportunity for Maine AHEC Staff to share more about this unique program, how it is implemented, and what students have told us about how their experiences will influence future practice. Additionally, adaptations made during the COVID-19 pandemic were shared.
- Kira Rodriguez, Senior Research Associate at CEPH, led a presentation and panel discussion titled “Showing our Impact with One Voice: NAO CORE Annual Data Collection & Reporting” with colleagues from Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts AHECs. This presentation was a collaborative effort from members of the NAO Committee on Outcome, Research and Evaluation (CORE). Committee members presented information on the background, content and methodology used to create the 2020 NAO National Data Flyer and used interactive technology to gather participant feedback on the Flyer. Examples of how Programs and Centers around the country have used the NAO data flyer template to create their own flyers will be shared, as well as suggestions for sharing your Center/Program/State’s Scholars evaluation tool results and reporting to HRSA. This session will provide information relevant for your evaluation report due to HRSA on Aug. 31, 2021 and will illustrate the importance of local, regional and national data collection efforts.
For more information on the Maine AHEC Network, contact Jen Gunderman at jgundermanking@une.edu or (207) 221-4620.