Federal grants support programs working to improve access to health care

Posted 10/25/00

The New Hampshire Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a consortium of academic and community programs working to improve access to health care and headquartered at Dartmouth Medical School, has been awarded two federal grants to help continue and enhance its work.

Established in 1997 to help increase access to health care by enhancing the distribution, quality and diversity of the health care work force, AHEC was a awarded $3.9 million in continuation support over the next three years by the Health Services Resources Administration (HRSA) in October.

"Dartmouth is gratified that we can serve the people of New Hampshire as a health care resource, and especially pleased to continue our productive collaboration in health education with partners throughout the state," said Dr. John C. Baldwin, Dean of the Dartmouth Medical School. "We are honored to be deeply involved in the provision of health care, in the discovery of better health care practices and in the education of the citizens, patients, students and physicians of New Hampshire."

New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg stated, "This grant renewal brings us closer to meeting the health care needs of the people of New Hampshire. Providing information and educational materials about health care will help improve the delivery of health care services in our state. I am pleased to have played a role in helping secure this renewal and look forward to its continued success."

Two centers - the Southern New Hampshire AHEC in Raymond and the Northern New Hampshire AHEC in Littleton - provide continuing education, library services, practice improvement opportunities, health careers recruitment programs for high school students, training sites for health professions students and more. The southern site, at Lamprey Health Care, serves Strafford, Merrimack, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Rockingham and Sullivan counties. The northern site, at the North Country Health Consortium, serves Carroll, Coos, Belknap and Grafton counties.

According to AHEC Program Director Rosemary Orgren, "This support will allow the AHEC to make a significant investment in development of the health care work force in New Hampshire over the next three years and to be an active partner in meeting the objectives of Healthy New Hampshire 2010."

AHEC also received a "Distance Learning and Telemedicine" grant of almost $237,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase interactive videoconferencing equipment for nine sites in rural New Hampshire.

Statewide partners in the AHEC include academic institutions, community health centers, health and human service agencies and associations, and libraries.

For additional information call Dr. Rosemary Orgren at (603) 650-1817, Paula Smith at (603) 895-1514 or Martha McLeod at (603) 444-4461.