Virginia faces an unprecedented health workforce crisis in attracting healthcare professionals.
In response, the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority is realigning the eight Area Health Education Centers to provide community-based clinical training to current health professions students in the Commonwealth.
The AHEC program, a federally funded initiative designed to recruit and retain Virginia’s healthcare workforce, is administered by VHWDA through regional hubs. The primary selection criteria for host sites were their existing organizational missions to educate and train health professions students while caring for medically underserved patients.
“Research tells us that there are multiple factors contributing to the shortage of healthcare workers throughout Virginia, but one key component toward improving the situation is to attract and train more qualified professionals across the healthcare field – from nurses and nurse practitioners to behavioral health workers, physicians and dentists,” said Harrison Hayes, VHWDA executive director. “These Area Health Education Centers serve on the front lines in strategic locations across the Commonwealth, helping educate potential healthcare workers about the available resources to help them launch their healthcare careers.”
Of Virginia’s 133 cities and counties, more than 100 are federally designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Healthcare workforce shortages in the Commonwealth, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities, are predicted to increase in the coming years, particularly for nurses, primary care providers and behavioral healthcare workers.
Sites will host the AHEC Scholars program, designed to give students hands-on experience to healthcare careers in rural and urban settings. AHEC Scholars work with center directors to fulfill clinical requirements and connect to service providers. The program also provides participants with supplemental education in areas that enhance their knowledge and understanding of providing healthcare to the community.
The goal of the AHEC program is to retain health professional students in rural and medically underserved regions where they were trained. Among AHEC’s annual goals is to enroll 120 AHEC Scholars in didactic and clinical training programs, implement health career awareness activities for 900 high school students, coordinate community-based clinical training for 1,000 health professions students and provide education and training for 80 Community Health Workers.
The new AHEC sites are:
- Blue Ridge Region: Augusta Health, Fishersville
- Central Region: Mary Washington Healthcare, Fredericksburg
- Eastern Virginia Region: ODU Community Care, Norfolk
- Northern Virginia Region: Claude Moore Opportunities, Fairfax
- Rappahannock Region: Northern Neck Free Health Clinic, Kilmarnock
- South Central Region: Free Clinic of Central Virginia, Lynchburg
- Southside Region: PATHS in Southside (Piedmont Access to Health Services), South Boston
- Southwest Region: Bradley Free Clinic, Roanoke
The Virginia AHEC Program’s mission is to recruit, train and retain health professionals, improve access to primary care for medically underserved, rural populations and transform practice throughout the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA) plays a crucial role in ensuring that the Commonwealth of Virginia has a skilled and robust healthcare workforce. The VHWDA conducts research to identify gaps and needs in the workforce, collaborates with educational institutions to create programs tailored to these needs, and partners with various stakeholders to implement solutions. By fostering strategic collaborations and implementing solution-focused initiatives, VHWDA aims to ensure Virginians receive quality healthcare through a stable healthcare workforce.
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Rebecca Barnabi
