AHEC Region Va at The Ohio State University serves 12 Central Ohio Counties and collaborates with Region Vb located at Ohio University in serving an additional 8 counties. OSU-AHEC, part of the
Ohio Statewide AHEC Program, receives funding from the Ohio Legislature to increase the availability of health care professionals and improve access to quality health care in Ohio. The mission is accomplished through academic and community collaboration, by emphasizing primary care, and focusing on underserved areas.
While working collaboratively on many state-wide initiatives, each AHEC Region in Ohio, given local needs and resources, has developed some unique programs to carry out the mission of improving health care in the communities served. Featured on this website are descriptions of the major Region Va initiatives: Clear Health Communication, Community-Based Teaching, and the AHEC Grant program.
Clear Health Communication
Since 2001 Ohio State has been the locus of programs designed to increase awareness of the issue of health literacy. Dr. Sandy Cornett, Director of the OSU Health Literacy Program has given several workshops on the subject around Ohio as well as in other states. Colleagues at the other Ohio AHEC regions have attended her train-the-trainer programs. Audiences have been health educators, physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. Dr. Cornett continues to conduct workshops and has now added web-based instruction as an efficient means of providing broader access to her expertise in health literacy. A series of teaching modules has been added to the OSU-AHEC website.
Community Based Teaching
An important element in efforts to improve healthcare in underserved communities is the creation of an infrastructure that facilitates community based medical student rotations. OSU-AHEC, like its counterparts throughout Ohio, works with clinical departments to recruit, develop, and retain volunteer community preceptors. On this website, OSU preceptors as well as those elsewhere in Ohio and beyond can access a number of useful pages. Through the website the College of Medicine has another avenue to provide support, recognition, and faculty development for our community preceptors.
AHEC Grant Program
Established in the Spring of 2005 for grant awards in the 2005-2006 academic year, the AHEC Grant Program reviews funding proposals for projects throughout Ohio State’s Health Sciences colleges, schools, and departments. Projects that include both community outreach and educational components are targeted. Further, the reviewers look to fund programs that focus on healthcare services for the underserved and vulnerable populations in Franklin County and surrounding areas.
Six projects received funding in 2007-2008. Principal investigators and project titles are listed in the grant web pages.