NC AHEC 2018-19 Year in Review

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CONTENTS OUR MISSION

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From our Director’s Desk

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RECRUIT Health Careers & Workforce Diversity

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TRAIN Student & Preceptor Services Graduate Medical Education

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RETAIN Continuing Professional Development Practice Support Library & Information Services

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LOOKING AHEAD

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AHEC Regional Directory

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OUR MISSION FOR THE FIRST TIME in our nearly 50-year history, all North Carolina Area Health Education Centers are operating under the same mission, vision, and values. Developed collaboratively with each of our nine regional centers (p. 18), these statements set our sights on the future and situate our network to achieve common goals across the state.

Our mission is to provide and support 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.

Our vision is a state where every North Carolinian is healthy and supported by a well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

Our programming reaches all 100 counties in our state. This 2018-19 year-in-review demonstrates how NC AHEC supports health care professionals across disciplines through every step in their medical training and professional career.

The Pathways to Health Careers summer camp hosted by the DUKE AHEC PROGRAM introduces students to health professions with hands-on activities led by providers.

OUR STORY Legislation and federal support has made the implementation of AHEC programs possible since the early 1970s. This national focus coincided with a growing effort in North Carolina to establish statewide training for health professionals and reverse a trend toward shortages of primary care physicians in rural areas.

Our program began in 1972 with three AHEC regions under a federal contract with the UNC School of Medicine.

In 1974, the NC General Assembly approved a plan to create a statewide network of nine AHEC regions. The state also provided funds to establish educational facilities in each region. By 1975, all nine AHECs were operational.

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FROM OUR DIRECTOR’S DESK

HUGH TILSON commemorated one year as Director of the NC AHEC Program in October 2019.

THIS YEAR, WE CELEBRATED the successes of the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, and more importantly, the achievements of the providers, communities, and partners that we serve. This year-in-review highlights our collective progress as we work to recruit, train, and retain the health workforce statewide.

To determine our outcomes, we organized a statewide health workforce needs assessment in which AHECs will meet with local health leaders to better understand their workforce needs to serve as the basis for future AHEC work. Concurrently, we are assessing our service lines to ensure we are deploying the resources available to us as efficiently as possible.

In 2019, we onboarded six new team members in the Program Office to form a full staff. Among them, we welcomed Beckie Knight as Senior Director of Operations, Jill Forcina as Associate Director of IPE, CPD, and Nursing, and Chris Weathington as the Director for Practice Support.

In these pages, you’ll discover stories from all corners of our state that demonstrate the impact of the programs we provide. I’m so excited about the future our work is shaping, and I invite you to read on to learn more about how the NC AHEC Program is creating a healthy North Carolina.

We also rolled out a three-year strategic plan (p. 18-19) to prioritize our outcomes, alignment, and operational effectiveness. To drive alignment, we adopted new mission, vision, and value statements developed with input from all AHECs.

Hugh Tilson Director, NC AHEC Program

“In these pages, you’ll discover stories from all corners of our state that demonstrate the impact of the programs we provide. I’m so excited about the future our work is shaping, and I invite you to read on to learn more about how the NC AHEC Program is creating a healthy North Carolina.”

OUR 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.

Visit ncahec.net for more information.

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QUESTIONS?

RECRUIT

JACQUELINE WYNN

Health Careers & Workforce Diversity While underrepresented minorities compose nearly 35% of the population in North Carolina, only 11% of our physicians identified as such in 2017. That’s why our Health Careers & Workforce Diversity service line delivers over 160 pathway programs to support high school and college students from underrepresented minorities and rural regions in their pursuit of health professions. Our goal is to secure a multidisciplinary workforce for the future that reflects the communities it serves.

In 2018-19, over 3,000 unique participants attended health careers programming across the state. Read on for a snapshot of our recent initiatives.

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MAHEC hosted the first Project PROMISE Health Careers Summer Camp for 20 high school students from rural western counties. Medical residents led activities to introduce students to meaningful and fulfilling professions that address pressing health needs in their own communities.

Youth Health Services Corps (YHSC) curriculums— sponsored by WAKE AHEC, SEAHEC, EASTERN AHEC, and SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC—enable high school students to acquire real-life health care experiences under the guidance of professional role models. Students participate in workshops and summits covering leadership skills, cultural competency, and CPR certification, among others.

NORTHWEST AHEC hosted 23 week-long Camp Meds programs in all 17 counties in its region, allowing students in grades 9-12 to interact with health professionals to explore a variety of health professions.

Director of Health Careers, Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion jacqueline_wynn@ncahec.net 919-996-0816

The NC AHEC SCHOLARS PROGRAM launched in 2018 continues to recruit college students pursuing degrees in the health sciences to improve the diversity and distribution of health professionals in our state. Selected applicants participate in a twoyear program including 40 hours of didactics and 40 hours of clinical work covering interprofessional education, social determinants of health, practical clinical skills, health disparities, and more.

NC AHEC participants belong to a national network of AHEC Scholars. Visit ncahecscholars.net for more information.

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QUESTIONS WITH AN NC AHEC SCHOLAR

When VANNI LABI and her family relocated to western North Carolina from the Philippines, she had already acquired a knowledge of the unique health challenges faced by rural communities. The daughter of two nurses, Vanni decided to help address those hurdles by pursuing a career in family medicine. After interning with the Minority Medical Mentoring Program, Vanni joined the inaugural class of NC AHEC Scholars with MAHEC while pursuing a degree in public health.

What did you take away from the Minority Medical Mentoring Program?

I got to shadow a lot of different health professionals and realized that the role of a physician is the one I admired the most and could see myself doing.

Vanni (center) and her peers in the AHEC Scholars program in western North Carolina pose with their director, Jacquelyn Hallum (bottom right).

MAHEC helped me realize it was not out of my reach. I was assigned a mentor who helped me become confident in the fact that I could do this.

Why did you apply to the NC AHEC Scholars Program?

It gave me an opportunity to reconnect with MAHEC. Even while I was studying at Appalachian State, I would drive two hours to attend health care symposiums and conferences there. I really like learning about how to address barriers in our communities and how to recognize our own biases so they don’t affect patient care.

What’s next for you?

I have a deep appreciation for the concept of opportunity and realized early on that I wanted to live a life of service to help people. I worked in

Vanni participated in the Minority Medical Mentoring Program at MAHEC before becoming an NC AHEC Scholar while attending UNC Gillings’ School of Global Public Health Master of Public Health Program in Asheville.

Haywood County and really fell in love with the rural communities there. I feel like a lot of who I am has been cultivated by the people in these places.

MAHEC solidified my dream to become a family physician. My goal has always been to begin medical school in Chapel Hill and spend my last two years in Asheville. I love the Appalachian region and want to spend my life giving back in this way.

“If you work in a rural community, you have to earn people’s trust, but once you do, you can make a huge difference. Part of why I wanted to come back to western North Carolina is because I realized that not every community has an AHEC.”

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Housing Locations

TRAIN

Each house represents a location where one or more AHEC-supported student rotations occured, illustrating how far-reaching community-based education extends across our state.

Student & Preceptor Services

For our affilitated academic partners, the current rate is $7 per night. These schools are invoiced twice yearly for their students’ use of housing. Students from all other schools are charged up to $25 per night, and local AHECs collect fees directly from these students.

Since the 1970s, our program has provided short-term lodging for health science students who are completing community-based rotations in North Carolina. Our goal is to make communitybased education at clinical sites more accessible.

The NC AHEC Program operates housing in 50 counties and approximately 60 towns and cities across the state. The majority of AHEC housing is provided through apartments and AHEC-owned lodging, but private residences are also utilized, especially in rural areas.

Our affiliated academic partners:

In 2018-19, we provided over 54,000 nights of housing and served 1,564 students. Our services supported 4,956 rotations in all nine AHEC regions.

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Campbell University Duke University East Carolina University UNC-Chapel Hill UNC-Charlotte

Any health science student may apply for housing through our online portal at my.ncahec.net. Once an application is received, the student will receive further instructions from a regional AHEC. 8 |

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UNC-Greensboro UNC-Wilmington Wake Forest University Western Carolina University Winston-Salem State University

QUESTIONS? ALAN BROWN Associate Director of Student Services alan_brown@ncahec.net 919-966-0814

WHAT IS THE CCEP? The CONSORTIUM FOR CLINICAL EDUCATION AND PRACTICE (CCEP) is a coalition of 96 academic partners, 29 health systems, and over 60 health facilities organized to identify, prioritize, and address clinical placement issues for health science students across all nine AHEC regions. The CCEP meets regularly to address clinical capacity issues, facilitate the placement of students in a given region, and standardize processes related to preceptorship and clinical education. Facilitated by Kathy Clark at WAKE AHEC, the CCEP focuses their efforts on three key areas.

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Standardize clinical faculty and student credentialing

The process of credentialing students for clinical placements (including background checks and drug and immunization screenings) can vary by health agency throughout the state. The CCEP successfully standardized this process by raising requirements to the highest level for its health system partners in 2018.

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Develop a common orientation for students and faculty

Preparing students and preceptors before beginning a clinical placement helps ensure their success in the field. The CCEP introduced a core orientation for 2019-2020 that includes information on HIPAA, infection control, patient safety, standards of behavior, and cultural diversity. Participants receive a certificate upon completion.

Members of the CCEP pose at a conference session exhibiting the coalition’s initiatives and outcomes.

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Streamline the clinical placement process

Schools and sites statewide have different procedures and timelines for requesting and confirming clinical placements. CCEP has researched various online vendors to help standardize dates and deadlines for placements.

Duke University Health System and WakeMed Health & Hospitals adopted a system based on this research that was implemented in Fall 2019.

QUESTIONS? KATHY CLARK CCEP Coordinator kgclark@wakeahec.org 919-350-0481

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QUESTIONS?

TRAIN

SAM CYKERT Director of Graduate Medical Education sam_cykert@ncahec.net 919-843-4832

Graduate Medical Education

Residency teaching programs are central to the reason why the NC AHEC Program was established—to create an infrastructure to expand the number, diversity, and training of primary care physicians statewide.

Today, we support 19 community residency programs in family medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology across all nine AHEC regions.

An NC AHEC residency is just the right size—large enough to feel like part of a team, but small enough to receive tailored one-on-one training. Appointed faculty continuously improve their training methods, including those at GREENSBORO AHEC, which expanded its faculty development offerings in 2019 to include interprofessional education, mindsets and well-being, and more.

Clinical rotations offer diverse learning experiences by facilitating opportunities to work with community preceptors, regional health departments, outreach clinics, and other community partnerships. In 2018, residents at SEAHEC participated in the inaugural Wilmington MedFest for Special Olympic athletes and provided physicals to over 100 special needs athletes from all five counties in the region.

Whether in a university or hospital-based program, NC AHEC residencies support continuity of practice by providing care to the same patients over the

DID YOU KNOW? Medical residencies can last three to seven years, depending on a physician’s chosen specialty.

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length of a program, especially in vulnerable populations. Residents and faculty at CHARLOTTE AHEC, for example, made over 55,000 outpatient visits to Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients in 2018-19.

Teaching faculty design responsive curriculums that encourage residents to explore their interests in specialties while developing a firm foundation to provide excellent patient care, no matter the circumstances. To prepare its residents for different scenarios, MAHEC opened its Simulation Center in July 2018 to create hands-on experiences in providing care in health emergencies.

Learning to integrate the latest innovative technology is at the forefront of every AHEC resident’s experience. In 2019, SEAHEC hosted a program for NC AHEC residents on point-of-care ultrasound techniques that can lend clinicians a diagnostic edge and produce better medical outcomes.

DR. STERLING RIDDLEY is a 2019 graduate of the Southern Regional AHEC Family Medicine residency program in Fayetteville.

When considering where to pursue his residency, Dr. Sterling Riddley was drawn to practice medicine in his adopted hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he graduated from high school and has family connections.

He felt that the reputation of SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC and the chance to return to familiar surroundings would help him develop as a well-rounded physician.

“I have always considered Fayetteville my home,” Dr. Riddley shared. “The opportunity to return there to complete my medical training and serve my community was ideal.”

MEET AN AHEC RESIDENT

After graduating in June 2018, the boardcertified physician was accepted as Southern Regional’s first Diabetes Fellow. Dr. Riddley worked closely with diabetic patients in the Family Medicine Center on an interprofessional team to become an expert diabetologist.

One year later, Dr. Riddley is now practicing medicine with the same faculty physicians who served as his mentors. “I learned key lessons during my time as a resident and fellow that taught me to look at the big picture when solving problems and treating patients,” he said.

a well-rounded family physician in multiple settings is stressed.”

Having found his niche teaching new residents, Dr. Riddley tells medical students pursuing family medicine that they should consider NC AHEC residencies. “This program prepares physicians for outpatient, inpatient, urgent care or academic work,” he said. “It’s a great place to train where the importance of being

In 2017, 53% of physicians who participated in an AHEC residency between since 1997 were still practicing in North Carolina. This retention rate is higher than other non-AHEC residency programs

“The residency program at Southern Regional AHEC helped me understand the importance of being adaptable. The program prepares well-rounded physicians to provide care in multiple settings, which helped me during my time as a clinician and now as a faculty mentor.”

Speaking of his own personal highlights during his residency, Dr. Riddley believes that the success of Southern Regional’s program is largely due to its supportive and encouraging atmosphere. “The diversity and stability found within this community are the main reasons why I would recommend this program.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

in the state. The Family Medicine Residency program at MAHEC is particularly successful, retaining 74% of its graduates from 2008 to 2011 to support a high concentration of family physicians in Western NC.

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QUESTIONS?

RETAIN

JILL FORCINA

Continuing Professional Development

Our continuing professional development (CPD) programming provides health care professionals with the training and continuing education they need to meet state licensure, specialty certifications, and to stay abreast of new research, emerging technologies, and the latest innovations and advancements in their fields.

Our live, remote, and blended-learning courses and events include workshops, conferences, certificate programs, skill development, information sharing, grand rounds, and more. In 2018-19, we served over 66,000 professionals with approximately 10,000 programs in our nine AHEC regions.

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In 2019, CPD programming turned its attention to trauma-informed and resilience-focused training for all health disciplines. AREA L AHEC hosted four events to educate professionals on the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma on emotional and physical health, including its connection to the opioid epidemic. Participants were introduced to tactics and strategies to identify when traumatic stress requires clinical treatment and tactics for fostering resilience in their communities.

Health disparities found in LGBTQ communities was another priority of CPD programming this year. NORTHWEST AHEC—alongside Wake Forest School of Medicine, Equality NC, and other partners—hosted the Southern Trans Health and Wellness Conference to highlight clinical best practices, innovative research, and community partnerships that support the health and wellness of transgender people.

Associate Director of IPE, CPD, and Nursing jill_forcina@ncahec.net 919-966-0815

The need for events and courses in behavorial health continues to grow in North Carolina. In 2019, 43% of our participants for CPD offerings in behavorial health were new to NC AHEC programming. The DUKE AHEC PROGRAM works closely with SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC to provide some of these programs. Together, they provide learning opportunities in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to educate providers on evidence-based behavioral health practices.

DID YOU KNOW? Our online course offerings reach health care professionals across North Carolina. In 2019, our programming participants hailed from all 100 counties.

OPIOID EDUCATION INITIATIVES The NC AHEC Program supports educational programming to providers across all disciplines to develop statewide solutions to the opioid epidemic.

These efforts include three main initiatives to deliver comprehensive training to the health care workforce.

1

Educate providers on pain and prescription management

Decreasing opioid use starts with introducing alternative pain therapies to patients who need them. In May 2018, SEAHEC launched the Reframe Pain campaign to support practices in implementing opioid prescription guidelines and to foster conversations between providers and patients to consider multi-modal treatments for pain management.

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Organize community-level interventions

Our system of regional offices is uniquely positioned to build effective partnerships with key players in preventing substance abuse. In 2018, AREA L AHEC established a group of stakeholders—including peer support specialists, first responders, and health departments, among others—to host monthly meetings to decrease overdose rates in Halifax County.

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Extend training opportunities to providers in rural areas

Community health workers are on the front lines of treating patients with substance abuse disorders in regions with less access to resources.

That’s why GREENSBORO AHEC launched four online learning modules to address misinformation around substance abuse. The courses are available at no cost to heath providers and community members, and over 1,000 unique participants have enrolled as of December 2019.

OLIVIA HERNDON is the Associate Director of Continuing Education at SEAHEC and was recognized as a Health Care Hero by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal in 2017.

“While we must educate our providers on safe prescribing, it’s also crucial that we better develop our health workforce to more appropriately manage pain through various complimentary therapies. We need to move our focus from the absence of pain to improvement in overall function.”

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QUESTIONS?

RETAIN

CHRIS WEATHINGTON Director of Practice Support practicesupport@ncahec.net 919-445-3508

Practice Support

Medical practices need to position themselves to incorporate new payment models, incentive programs, and other health care reforms into their workflow while focusing on patient-centered care.

Our Practice Support coaches are here to empower providers to improve the quality of care they deliver.

To date, our coaches have helped more than 6,000 providers at 1,400 practices move toward promoting interoperability of their electronic health records, nearly 600 practices with the transition to NC Medicaid Managed Care, over 500 practices improve office systems for better care, and more than 300 practices achieve patient-centered medical home recognition.

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NEW PARTNERSHIPS IN 2019 NC MEDICAID, in partnership with the NC AHEC Program, will be providing education, outreach, and practice-level technical assistance to essential practices on transition processes and quality initiatives.

This partnership includes the development of webinars, online resources, meet-and-greet

The NC AHEC Program has partnered with the NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE AUTHORITY (NC HIEA) to deliver virtual and on-site training programs to educate providers about the features available in NC HealthConnex, the state-designated health information exchange.

events with health plans across the state, virtual office hours, and region-focused training events. This support will also focus on rural and independent practices, including on-site coaching and technical assistance. Details will be made available through the Provider Playbook on the NC Medicaid website.

NC HealthConnex facilitates conversations between health care providers by allowing them to access and share health-related information statewide. The platform enables participants to more effectively manage population health and clinical outcomes and improve coordination across all levels of care.

This high-level interaction is intended to help providers successfully transition to Managed Medicaid Care, and will continue despite the suspension of implementation in 2019.

NC HIEA and NC AHEC will provide ongoing education opportunities to participants of NC HealthConnex through approved funding by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

THE COACHES BEHIND PRACTICE SUPPORT When Angel Moore first joined EASTERN AHEC as a practice support coach in 2011, her team had their hands full supporting practices in migrating patient records to electronic health systems (EHRs). Today, the scope of her work has expanded to assist providers with new payment models, incentive programs, and other initiatives, including the transition to NC Medicaid Managed Care.

From 2018-2019, Eastern AHEC served over 600 providers across 23 counties, each with its own set of obstacles. Every practice they work with requires its own tailored plan for quality improvement.

As a practice support coach for the Northwest AHEC region, TAMMY YOUNT belongs to a staff of over 30 coaches statewide.

“I used to write an agenda about what I needed the practice to achieve,” Angel shared. “but they had challenges that needed to be addressed first. I learned to walk into a practice and listen to the issues that were of highest priority to them. It’s not about me and it’s not about what I need to check off. It’s about what is most important to them.”

Tammy Yount understands the need to meet providers where they are. “Much like the relationship between a patient and provider, I engage practices in shared decision-making,” Tammy said. “I let them direct me on what is important to them and I try to align that with what they need to do to be successful.”

Having served as a practice support coach in the NORTHWEST AHEC region since 2012, Tammy has worked with the same practices for nearly seven years. In a single day, Tammy can help a provider troubleshoot a number of processes to improve their daily workflow, reviewing hierarchal condition category (HCC) coding and Quality Payment Plan (QPP) scores.

“When I first began working with providers my priority was to establish a trusting relationship,” she shared. “Then, I am able to set about helping them find solutions that work with their unique situation.”

ANGEL MOORE has served as the Director of Practice Support at Eastern AHEC since 2014.

“Providing practice support is about more than just helping providers store patient information in an electronic health record. It’s about moving them toward systems that will allow them to extract data and run reports to effectively improve health outcomes in their communities.”

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QUESTIONS?

RETAIN

MONIQUE MACKEY Director of Library Services monique.mackey@arealahec.org 252-972-6958

Library and Information Services

The AHEC Digital Library (ADL) provides high-quality health information to students and professionals across the state. Whether you are a rural family physician in the mountains, a nursing student near the coast, or a mental health professional in the Piedmont, NC AHEC librarians can support your clinical, educational, or research activities.

Our librarians at CHARLOTTE AHEC now house and support EchoPixel, an interactive mixed reality software platform for improved surgical imaging that facilitates more precise and personalized surgical planning.

In March 2018, GREENSBORO AHEC conducted a three-month pilot program with pediatric residents to make a clinical librarian available to respond to requests for information at the pointof-need.

Our library services include literature reviews, one-on-one support with

Tutorials are now available on the NC AHEC Program YouTube channel to provide users with an introduction to navigating resources available in the AHEC Digital Library.

biomedical databases, assistance with the presentation or publication of research results, and more. In 2018-19, our librarians responded to over 300,000 requests from ADL users statewide.

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DID YOU KNOW? Any health provider or member of the general public can access our non-restricted content for nonmembers. Check your eligibility for ADL membership by requesting an account at library.ncahec.net.

These walkthroughs are tailored for health professionals, patients, and ADL members, and can also be accessed on the NC AHEC website.

LIBRARY SERVICES SHAPE STUDENT LEARNING

The health literacy curriculum for residents in the SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC Family Medicine residency program was designed by LISA KILBURN, Director of Information and Library Services, and RUSSET ROGERS, Vice President of Regional Education & Information Services. In 2019, residents began to learn about health literacy through assigned readings and reflections in their rotation in integrated care.

In a resident’s first year, the curriculum takes a broad view of health literacy, focusing on patient outcomes and clinician communication skills. In their second year, residents look more closely at patient education and how to evaluate and using the tools available to them. In year three,

LISA KILBURN (right) works with a resident in the Family Medicine program.

the curriculum introduces a systems-based approach to treating patients with low health literacy.

In addition to the classroom instruction, residents are also precepted twice during their rotation by the health literacy instructors. The Family Medicine clinic has exams room with cameras so the preceptor can observe a patient visit. Instructors give feedback to the residents RUSSET ROGERS is the Vice President of Regional Education &

on their use of plain language, using the teachback technique, and generally explaining health information and the treatment plan clearly to the patient.

Anecdotally, residents report successes and challenges using these techniques. Their evaluations reflect a struggle with the time constraints of the office visit. Patients with low health literacy are perceived as needing more time than average for the clinician to adequately explain and confirm the treatment plan.

Information Services at Southern Regional AHEC.

“Library services are integrated throughout the residency program, providing health literacy training, delivering the evidence based medicine curriculum, aiding residents with information at the point-of-care through clinical rounding, in addition to supporting their lifelong learning.”

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LOOKING AHEAD Strategic Plan for 2020-2022

Since 1972, the NC AHEC Program has been committed to supporting health care professionals in our state, and we’re eager to build upon our history while

Programming Excellence

•

Develop and implement comprehensive state health workforce planning process

•

Reimagine and innovate programs to address the state’s current and future workforce needs through

anticipating future workforce needs in

recruitment, training, and retention

the future. Our three-year strategic plan turns our focus to the outcomes of our service lines in all nine AHEC regions.

As we approach our celebration of 50 years spent serving North Carolinians in 2022, we’re taking a critical look at

AHEC System Alignment & Strategic Partnerships

•

Align regional AHECs and NC AHEC Program Office priorities

•

Review and strengthen affiliations with medical schools and health science programs

our operating model to reimagine our programming, improve our system alignment, strengthen our partnerships, and boost our sustainability for the next 50 years of AHEC programming. Take a look at what we’re working on.

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Sound Operations & Sustainability

•

Transform NC AHEC’s operation model into an agile, efficient, and effective network to implement aligned health workforce initiatives

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Leverage technology consistently across AHECs

BECKIE KNIGHT spent over 30 years at Greensboro AHEC before joining the Program Office as the Senior Director of Operations.

•

Monitor and evaluate program outcomes to ensure that the intended results are achieved

•

Strengthen

old

partnerships

and

form

new

partnerships with key drivers of the health workforce

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Effective communicate internally and externally

•

Secure funding from diverse sources

Produce outcomes to meet the state’s health workforce needs

Align AHEC System and partnerships to drive results

Operate efficiently & effectively to sustain success

Recruit, train, and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina

“This plan creates space for our program to re-evaluate what we’ve learned in nearly five decades of experience and lends structure for us to innovate and build upon our tried-andtrue methods to support the health care workforce.” | 19 17

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NC AHEC PROGRAM Hugh Tilson, JD, MPH, Director 145 N. Medical Drive, CB 7165 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7165 919-966-2461 | ncahec.net

AREA L AHEC Debby Futrell, PharmD, President & CEO PO Drawer 7368 Rocky Mount, NC 27804-0368 252-972-6958 | arealahec.org

EASTERN AHEC Lorrie Basnight, MD, Executive Director 2600 West Arlington Blvd.

Greenville, NC 27835-7224 252-744-5221 | easternahec.net

SOUTH EAST AHEC Joseph Pino, MD, Executive Director 2511 Delaney Ave. Wilmington, NC 28403-6003 910-343-0161 | seahec.net

GREENSBORO AHEC Dereck DeLeon, MD, Chief Academic Officer & Executive Director Moses Cone Health System 1200 N. Elm St. Greensboro, NC 27401-1020 336-832-8025 | gahec.org

SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC Sushma Kapoor, MD, President & CEO 1601 Owen Drive Fayetteville, NC 28304-3425 910-323-1152 | southernregionalahec.org

MOUNTAIN AHEC Jeffery Heck, MD, President & CEO 121 Hendersonville Rd. Asheville, NC 28803-2868 828-257-4400 | mahec.net

CHARLOTTE AHEC Michael Ruhlen, MD, Director

NORTHWEST AHEC Michael Lischke, EdD, MPH, Richard Janeway MD

Atrium Health PO Box 32861 Charlotte, NC 28232-2861 704-512-6523 | charlotteahec.org

Distinguished Director Wake Forest School of Medicine Medical Center Blvd.

Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1060 336-713-7700 | schooo.

WAKE AHEC John Perry III, MD, Executive Director 3024 New Bern Ave., Suite 301 Raleigh, NC 27610-1255 919-350-8547 | wakeahec.org

DUKE AHEC PROGRAM OFFICE Marvin Swartz, MD, Director Duke University Medical Center, Box 3173 Durham, NC 27710 919-684-8676 | dukeahec.mc.duke.edu

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145 N. Medical Drive, CB 7165 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7165 919-966-2461 | ncahec.net

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