In 1970 a report from the Carnegie Commission recommended the development of a nationwide system of Area Health Education Centers. Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) were begun by the federal government in the late 1970’s as programs designed to address health staffing distribution and the quality of primary care through community-based initiatives. The program is designed to encourage universities and educators to look beyond institutions to partnerships that promote solutions which meet community health needs Currently, only four states do not have an AHEC program.  http://www.nationalahec.org

National AHEC Organization Program Overview

National AHEC Annual Report

AHEC’s are administered by a University-based School of Medicine, which houses the Program Office, and subcontracts with area centers that are remote from the University and designed to cover a geographic part of the state. Each Center must be a 501C3 entity, governed by a Board of Directors that represents community leaders and health care practitioners from the region in which the Center is located.
A program office may receive a maximum of 12 years of federal seed funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); the Centers are eligible for six years of funding. The Program Office administers a multidisciplinary academic consortium that includes one or more nursing schools and schools of other health professions, such as social work and physical therapy.

The federal government awards seed money through competitive grants to establish AHEC programs and centers. The intent is to create an infrastructure and to build a case for state support when the activities and accomplishments are of value to the communities served by the AHEC.

Communities are the heart of AHEC. The Centers are governed by a community Board of Directors who live in and represent the region served. These community boards identify the needs and priorities for health care professionals in their region within the scope of the broad AHEC objectives. The AHEC employees live in the Center’s region and are employees of the Board of Directors rather than of the academic partner. A minimum of 75% of all federal dollars awarded must be subcontracted directly to the Centers, with the remaining financial oversight used to develop institutional support and linkages needed by the committee.

The University of Vermont's College of Medicine AHEC Program was established in 1996 and now includes the Program Office at the University of Vrmont in Burlington; Northeastern Vermont AHEC started in 1997 and located in St. Johnsbury, VT; Champlain Valley AHEC, launched in 1998 in St. Albans; and Southern Vermont AHEC located in Springfield, VT.