The Texas House of Representatives recently recognized the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) network of Texas, including the Health Science Center’s South Texas AHEC. The network was recognized “for its dedication to improving the health of residents of communities across the state through a variety of important efforts.”
The resolution, HR 377, adopted Feb. 15, noted that the regional health networks play a vital role in improving health care in underserved areas. They do this by:
• Recruiting students from these communities to participate in career training.
• Fostering community health education programs.
• Assisting communities in evaluating and refining their local health care system to meet regional needs.
The Health Science Center’s roleThe Health Science Center became involved in the AHEC program 16 years ago in response to the need for improved health care in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The Health Science Center received a three-year grant in 1990 to establish the AHEC program office at the main campus in San Antonio and a center in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Under the leadership of the late Richard A. Garcia, the program expanded to include additional centers in Laredo, Del Rio, Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and incorporated 38 counties south and west of San Antonio down to the Texas-Mexico border under the Health Science Center’s AHEC program office.
“Health care needs are different in each of the regions, so each center works with local community leaders to determine their needs and priorities, and then develops programs that meet those needs,” explained Tina Fields, Ph.D., M.P.H., interim director for the Center for South Texas Programs.
As a result of the involvement of the South Texas AHEC, there are three major initiatives in South Texas.
• The Laredo Campus Extension provides nursing, allied health and dental education opportunities, as well as an environmental health research program.
• The Medical Educational Division in Harlingen offers third- and fourth-year medical students the opportunity for rotations in the South Texas area.
• The Medical Research Division in Edinburg features a state-of-the-art research facility devoted to the study of chronic and infectious diseases prevalent to the South Texas border region.
In addition, South Texas AHEC continues to provide an infrastructure that connects the Health Science Center training and teaching with communities. With greater emphasis on translational research, South Texas AHEC will continue to serve as the link between research occurring at the Health Science Center and the communities of South Texas that will benefit from the research.
For more information about the South Texas AHEC programs and activities, contact Sherry Snider, program director, at 210-567-7813.
