Guiding the youth of Southwest Oregon to be the future rural healthcare workforce for Oregon.
The Area Health Education Center for Southwest Oregon (AHECSW) was established in 1994 to help rural and medically under-served communities in SW Oregon to develop programs and sustainable plans for communities to build their local provider supply and increase access to healthcare. We accomplish this through helping communities develop a pipeline for local youth to explore healthcare careers and be immersed in their community's healthcare culture locally.
AHECSW accomplishes this through connecting students to local healthcare education opportunities, professional mentorships, and giving student community leadership opportunities to help impact the health of their community. Students are given the opportunity to learn about their options and as students decide to move forward AHECSW offers them support in connecting to mentors and local leaders that will guide them and help them to build their professional skills through hands-on experiences and health related projects. AHECSW has found that when students become invested in their community through youth lead projects and are able to have positive experiences with adult mentors in their desired career field, the chances of them returning to serve in their own community in the future is increased.
