The California AHEC Program, a thirty year old organization of partnerships, brings together community and academic interests to improve access to health care and decrease health disparities. Each AHEC develops, with its partners, a population-based approach to health professions education with a special emphasis on community-based training. Supported by HRSA grant #5U77HP3015-10-00 and the state of California, the AHEC Program accomplishes its mission through a network of ten California AHEC centers, each located in an underserved area and affiliated with, but separate from a health professions school. Each AHEC is an independent organization located in the community and serves a specific region, each run by a community board of directors. Most centers have developed programs and resources in addition to the state and HRSA support provided by the AHEC Program.

 

The goals of the California AHEC are to improve access to health care services by:

 

• Increasing community based training of health professions students in California
  
• Increasing health workforce diversity
  
• Linking AHEC to community academic and other partners
  
• Expanding California AHEC to areas not presently served.