National AHEC Organization



The National Area Health Education Center Organization - (NAO) is the national organization that supports and advances the Area Health Education Center (AHEC)/Health Education Training Center (HETC) network in improving the health of individuals and communities by transforming health care through education. Click on the link above for more information and upcoming national AHEC events.

WWAMI AHEC Programs

The University of Washington assumed sponsorship of the regional AHEC program in 1985 when deterioration of the rural economy and health care system was increasingly apparent.

Besides their educational activities, AHECs in the WWAMI region are one of the key focal points for advocacy for rural and urban underserved health systems. Communities in the region can turn to the AHECs for help with health professional recruiting, community development, community assessments, and strategic planning. Since 1985, the WWAMI AHECs have worked directly with over 100 communities in the region to help them strengthen and expand their health systems.

Today, the regional AHEC network includes six centers, four of which are statewide. The administrative headquarters for these centers are Laramie, Wyoming; Anchorage, Alaska; Bozeman, Montana and Boise, Idaho. Washington, geographically divided by the Cascade Mountains, has centers serving the eastern area from Spokane and the western area from Seattle. The AHECs are incorporated as non-profit organizations and have locally representative boards of directors or advisory committees. The centers meet as a group from time to time, convened by the AHEC program office in the UW Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine.

The WWAMI centers are among some 150 AHECs across the United States that comprise a national network which is in place to address emerging health care concerns, ranging from the need for a primary care workforce to the need for expanded training in bioterrorism defense.

Alaska AHEC

Eastern Washington AHEC

Idaho AHEC

Montana AHEC

Western Washington AHEC

Wyoming AHEC

Other State AHEC Programs

North Carolina AHEC

Oregon AHEC