Mississippi AHEC Program Office

Planning for the development and implementation of a Mississippi Statewide Area Health Education Centers Program (MS AHEC) began in 1996 as leaders within the community and academic arena joined in an effort to improve the health care education and training for pre-clinical, graduate, and practicing health care professionals throughout Mississippi. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) made a commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of Mississippi through its initial funding of the MS AHEC program in 1998 and its continuing support through an approved grant cycle to 2010.

When the AHEC program was developed here in Mississippi in 1998, Dr. D.M. Phillips, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, was the Principal Investigator, and Dr. Edgar Smith was Director. Currently the MS AHEC is under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Silberman with Dr. Diane Beebe as Chair of the Department of Family Medicine.

AHEC was established by the federal government in the late 1970's as programs designed to address health manpower distribution through community based initiatives. AHECs link the resources of university health science centers with local planning, educational and clinical resources. This network of health-related institutions provides multidisciplinary educational services to students, faculty and local practitioners, ultimately improving health care delivery in medically underserved areas. AHECs are academic-community partnerships that train health care providers in sites and programs that are responsive to state and local needs. Health career enhancement and recruitment programs for K-12 students are emphasized. The AHEC program is a long-term initiative, requiring major changes both in the traditional method of training medical and other health professions students and in the relationship between university health science centers and community health service delivery systems.

The national mission of the AHEC Program contains elements which directly address the needs of Mississippi. The four project goals address the Bureau of Health Professions National Workforce Goals through the implementation of programs that address distribution, diversity, and quality of the health care workforce.

AHEC PROGRAM GOALS

Goal 1: Regionalize and decentralize professional health care training in Mississippi.
Goal 2: Improve the quality and availability of health care in medically underserved areas.
Goal 3: Establish a population-based rural health database and telehealth network for Mississippi.
Goal 4: Provide a health profession training program for former welfare recipients in the target areas.

For more information, please contact:

Mississippi Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office
Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center
350 West Woodrow Wilson Drive
Third Floor, Suite 3512
Jackson, MS 39213
Phone • 601.815.5381
Fax • 601.815.5388

Web Site • http://msahec.umc.edu

Stephen L. Silberman, DMD, MPH, DrPH • Director

ssilberman@familymed.umsmed.edu

Stephanie Young • Assistant Director
syoung2@familymed.umsmed.edu

Jennifer Alsup • Program Administrator
jalsup@familymed.umsmed.edu

Deirdre Folkes • Office Manager
dfolkes@familymed.umsmed.edu

Excerpts taken from: "New Mississippi AHECs: A Permanent Presence of Learning", by Mary Ellen Powell, The National AHEC Bulletin, Winter/Spring 1998/1999.