Alaska Primary Care Association

South Central Area Health Education Center (SC AHEC) Overview

Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) are administered by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) which supports communities nationwide to improve access to quality, primary health care in underserved areas.

The Alaska AHEC program office is located within the UAA Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce. In Alaska, there are six centers, one per region, hosted by community partners across the state. The APCA hosts the South Central Alaska Area Health Education Center (SC AHEC) which serves the region from Talkeetna to Kodiak, inclusive of the Municipality of Anchorage, Matanuska Susitna Valley, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Valdez, Cordova, and Kodiak. The SC AHEC provides healthcare workforce development through academic and community partnerships that address healthcare workforce issues and provide programs to prepare Alaskans to enter the healthcare workforce.

SC AHEC introduces Alaskans to healthcare training and career opportunities, provides continuing education programs for healthcare professionals, and evaluates the needs of underserved communities in South Central Alaska.

Alaska Area Health Education Centers

The AHEC addresses its mission by working in the following areas:

  • Engaging Alaskans into health careers to evolve the future health workforce
  • Training students in rural communities or with underserved populations who are interested in health professions via the AHEC Scholars Program
  • Retaining Alaska’s health workforce by increasing access to and providing CE/CME opportunities statewide

Learn more here about how AHECs develop and train America’s healthcare workforce.