Our health workforce development activities have many partners in our communities – and they also give back to those communities in meaningful ways. The work of Illinois AHEC brings many direct and indirect benefits to the communities we serve. If you want to learn more, or are interested in expanding the programs in your area, reach out directly to your regional AHEC center.

Health Fairs and Expos – These health-themed celebrations are similar to block parties – but healthier! Our AHEC participants practice their skills such as taking blood pressure and offering nutritional and healthy-habits advice, and helping families and area residents have fun and find ways to be healthier in the process. For example, the three-hour community-oriented event that concludes the Rural Health Preceptorship is an event that the whole community looks forward to every year. The Young Doctors host a health fair every spring. The health fair gives them an opportunity to assist their medical student partners to perform basic health screenings. The Young Doctors also present scientific posters at the health fair, thereby practicing their presentation skills and sharing the knowledge they have gained.

Opioid Crisis Resources – The opioid epidemic has affected rural and urban communities across Illinois. The events we organize – some of them in association with Project OPEN (the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network) – help families and friends understand the epidemic and learn how to respond. Our popular, potentially life-saving trainings teach both first responders and bystanders how to administer Narcan (naloxone) in an emergency. The traveling exhibit Hidden in Plain Sight is a “real bedroom” that shows a parent or friend how to spot signs of drug use in a seemingly ordinary room. And, the nationally recognized Mental Health First Aid course, which offers certification to successful completers, assists family members, school personnel, health professionals and community members understand how to assist a person experiencing problems or facing an acute crises. Mental Health First Aid includes a module that directly addresses addiction.

Summer Camps – All camps take youngsters off their parents’ hands for a few hours or days, but AHEC camps also give back something extra – they can be a young person’s the first glimpse of what can develop into lifelong dedication to a health care profession. These typically 3- to 5-day experiences feature hands-on activities and provide young people with access to healthcare professionals that they may not have directly experienced.

Volunteering – Illinois AHEC maintains contact information for volunteer programs across the breadth of the state’s 200+ hospitals, and encourages AHEC participants to explore volunteering as a way to deepen their understanding of hospital procedures and practices. For healthcare facilities in small towns as well as in underserved metropolitan communities, volunteers are part of the lifeblood of a hospital, performing many vital tasks and functions that are otherwise not provided for. Browse the interactive map

Recruitment and Placement – Hospitals and clinics in rural and underserved urban areas struggle to fill positions with qualified, caring staff. This can undermine the fabric of a community and increase heath disparities. Illinois AHEC works hard with local health systems and graduating health professionals to enhance recruitment efforts and place clinicians in underserved areas. We encourage graduating students to consider coming back to their childhood communities or explore other communities experiencing shortages. We work closely with health providers and local employers to help make a successful match.

Health Workforce Data – The Illinois AHEC program office brings together health professions workforce data and assembles it on a county basis (and in Chicago, by community area) in an easy to use format. While much if not all of this data is already publicly available, pulling it together can be a cumbersome process. Providing convenient access to data on health professions and areas of need can help health systems, local leaders and planning agencies to better plan for their community’s health and growth.

Community Promotion – We do more than promote healthcare for a community – we promote the community itself. We showcase the overlooked aspects of the communities we are proud of. Where the press and public perception may be that your town or neighborhood is less than desirable, we promote the features that can make it a good place to live, to raise a family, and to reap life’s rewards as you embark on a life of service in a health profession.

(Shown above, 1st Street in Dixon, Illinois. Photo by Illinois-based photographer Cragin Spring, Flickr.)