Background
The Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program was developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train, and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations. An AHEC is a network of regional centers that are coordinated through a central program office. There are approximately 55 AHEC programs with more than 300 centers, operating in almost every state.
Indiana AHEC Network was launched in 2001 by the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. WCI-AHEC, became the first regional center in Indiana in 2001, hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Our network has since grown to nine centers encompassing the entire state. Each regional center works to continually assess and meet the unique needs of communities within their region. Regional AHECs work together with partners in their region to help to connect students, healthcare organizations, and healthcare professionals with programming and clinical placements.