Colorado AHEC Program

The Colorado AHEC Program office partners with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Regional AHEC Centers to build statewide network capacity and strengthen academic-community linkages in four core mission areas. The four core mission areas of the Colorado AHEC Program are:  Health Careers and Workforce Diversity, Health Professions Student Education, Health Professions Continuing Education and Public Health and Community Education.

The State of Colorado is divided into six regions (Centennial, Central, San Luis Valley, Southeastern Colorado, Southwestern Colorado and Western Colorado) with an Area Health Education Center in each region. The six regional AHECs partner with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, as well as the Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant programs to meet the goals of the Model grant.

Our Mission

The mission of the Colorado AHEC Program is to improve the quality and accessibility of education for health care professionals in Colorado in order to enhance the delivery of health care services throughout the state, with special emphasis on frontier, rural, urban communities and underrepresented groups.

Goals

• Increase the potential for minority/disadvantaged students in elementary and secondary schools from rural and medically underserved areas to pursue career pathways in the health professions;

• Increase the potential for health professions students enrolled in degree programs in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and allied health to practice in rural and urban medically underserved areas in Colorado AHEC Program regions upon graduation;

• Increase access to evidenced-based health information and accredited, high-quality continuing education programs for health professionals serving in rural and urban medically underserved areas; and,

• Increase access to health education for community residents in rural and urban medically underserved areas in Colorado AHEC regions.

Jack Westfall, MD
Director, Colorado AHEC Program
Associate Dean for Rural Health, School of Medicine
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
www.ucdenver.edu/coahec