The National AHEC Organization represents a network of more than 300 AHEC program offices and centers that serve over 85% of United States counties. The NAO mission is to help its members achieve the AHEC mission through advocacy, education, and research. The AHEC mission is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals via strategic partnerships with academic programs, communities, and professional organizations.

The Louisiana AHEC system began operation in 1989 through the efforts of the LSU School of Medicine-New Orleans which petitioned the federal government for funding. Four centers across the state were opened on a staggered basis with Southeast Louisiana beginning in 1989, followed by Southwest Louisiana AHEC in 1991.

Participating AHECs

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Southeast Louisiana AHEC

Southeast Louisiana AHEC program activities include:

  • Serve as a bridge between Schools of Health Professions, health providers, and communities.

  • Conduct “needs assessments” to determine health care manpower needs and help communities fill those through a “grow your own approach”.

  • Organize linkages with others to provide clinical training sites for students in medicine, nursing, allied health, and dentistry.

  • Facilitate 10% of medical students education outside of the four walls of the medical school.

  • Recruit and retain health care professionals in rural and under served areas.

  • Educate and attract students, especially those under-represented, to careers in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and allied health fields.

  • Sponsor adult and student health career fairs, summer health career camps, and elementary school health education programs.

  • Support the Louisiana Health Careers Handbook and www.lahealthcareers.com web site a statewide resource, which describes health care occupations and educational requirements within the state.

  • Establish and maintain Learning Resource Centers for electronic access to worldwide medical databases and information retrieval via Library holdings.

  • Present affordable, high quality educational seminars and community education on health care issues for professionals and the public.

  • Prepare and manage grants related to health and well-being of Louisiana citizens.

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Southwest Louisiana AHEC

The mission of the Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center (SWLAHEC) is to improve health status through access to information, education and health services. SWLAHEC seeks to improve health through numerous programs focusing on two main areas:

  1. recruiting and educating health professionals and

  2. educating the public on how to live healthier lives.

The vision of Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center is to be a premier community-based agency made up of diverse, knowledgeable and accountable employees and volunteers working together to achieve a common mission by providing creative solutions to health challenges.

SWLAHEC has a 29-year history of administering numerous grants and contracts to coordinate, implement, and evaluate community-based health and education programs for targeted populations. Forty eight different public health initiatives fall within our six program departments:  Career and Professional Education, Health Interventions, Community Health, Community Resource, Public Health Support, and our newest COVID Response.