The Area Health Education Centers Program is a partnership between OHSU and Oregon communities. Its purpose is to improve the education, training and distribution of health care professionals in Oregon. There are four regional AHECs statewide, each dedicated to working with local health care facilities and providers, community leaders, schools and citizens to identify and meet local needs. All five AHECs have programs to encourage young people, before they leave home, to consider a health career.

For those who choose a health profession, the AHEC program gives students a taste of rural practice with the hope they eventually settle there. For health care professionals who enter rural practice, the program helps them keep their skills up-to-date through continuing education opportunities. Working with telecommunications technologies, the program links rural providers with training and education resources. The AHEC program offers support to several OHSU education programs, including its residency programs, and its medical, nursing and allied health degree programs.

The mission of the Statewide AHEC Program is to:

• Improve the availability, continuity and quality of health care for communities and populations in need through education.
• Develop distance learning capabilities to serve health professions students and resident physicians, local health care providers and community residents.
• Maintain a statewide system of five AHECs that link OHSU to communities, health care facilities and health care professionals.