The Michigan Area Health Education Center was recently awarded $741,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The funding will be used to continue to strengthen MI-AHEC’s statewide network of five regional centers and provide an unprecedented number of health care career preparation initiatives, clinical experiences and continuing education programs for health care professionals in communities throughout the state.
“The continued support by HRSA is a testament to the high-quality services provided by AHEC for improving the future of health care in Michigan,” said Tsveti Markova, M.D., co-principal Investigator of
Michigan AHEC and senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, and professor and chair fo the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences for the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
“This award reinforces HRSA’s commitment to the interprofessional and innovative nature of Michigan AHEC," said Ramona Benkert, Ph.D., co-principal investigator and interim dean and professor of the Wayne State University College of Nursing.
HRSA has awarded consecutive yearly grants to Michigan AHEC since 2010. Michigan AHEC is funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant # U77HP26582) and Wayne State University. Michigan AHEC is also supported by the following host partners: Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center and MidMichigan Community Health Services.
The Michigan Area Health Education Center was established in 2010 to improve access to primary care for all Michigan residents, many of whom live in areas that have too few health professionals. Through recruitment and retention initiatives, as well as special clinical education programs, MI-AHEC seeks to expose disadvantaged students to health care opportunities, expand the number of underrepresented minorities in the health professions, and encourage students and health professionals to work in areas that need greater access to primary care providers. The national AHEC program was created by Congress in 1971.