Welcome to Area L AHEC
OUR MISSION
The NC AHEC Program provides and supports educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in rural communities and those with less access to resources to recruit, train, and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina. Located in Rocky Mount, Area L AHEC is one of nine centers in the NC AHEC Program and serves Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Wilson counties.
OUR VISION
Every North Carolinian is healthy and supported by an appropriate and well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.
OUR CORE VALUES
EXCELLENCE We deliver quality activities and services that our customers and partners value. DIVERSITY We promote equity and inclusivity. INTEGRITY We act with fairness, transparency, and the highest level of ethics. COLLABORATION We value partnerships and support interprofessional approaches. IMPROVEMENT We continuously innovate and improve our work.OUR HISTORY
North Carolina was the first AHEC Program in the United States. The North Carolina AHEC Program evolved from national and state concerns with the supply, distribution, retention and quality of health professionals. In 1970, a report from the Carnegie Commission recommended the development of a nationwide system of Area Health Education Centers. The AHEC program was developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train, and retain a health professions workforce committed to under-served populations. The North Carolina program began in 1972 with three AHEC regions under a federal AHEC contract with The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Area L AHEC in Rocky Mount, North Carolina was one of the original three. By 1975, a total of nine AHECs were operational in North Carolina.
OUR ORGANIZATION
Area L AHEC is governed by a fifteen-member Board of Trustees representing the area consortium hospitals and counties. The president of Area L AHEC serves as the Board’s management leader and chief executive officer. Area leaders serve on a regional advisory committee and meet with the AHEC Board and president to address healthcare issues. The regional education bases for Area L AHEC are ECU Health North Hospital in Roanoke Rapids, ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital in Tarboro, UNC Health Nash in Rocky Mount, and Wilson Medical Center in Wilson.