Eastern Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

Healthy Acadia has served as Maine’s Eastern Area Health Education Center (AHEC) since 2023. Our service area includes Washington, Hancock, Waldo, and Knox counties.

Maine AHEC Network's mission is to prepare and support Maine's healthcare workforce by creating healthcare learning opportunities for youth, students, and professionals to foster healthier communities and expand access to care across Maine.

We fulfill our mission by:

  • Encouraging and supporting Maine youth to pursue careers in the health professions.

  • Providing didactic and community-based education to health professions students to prepare them to provide care for rural and medically underserved communities in Maine.

  • Offering continuing education programs to practicing health professionals.

Maine AHECs provide community-based clinical training experiences to health professions students; encourage Maine youth to pursue careers in the health professions; offer training and continuing education programs to practicing health professionals; and develop public health approaches to address current and emerging community needs.

Additional AHECs are located in Northern Maine, Western Maine, and at University of New England’s Maine Program Office. The Maine AHEC Network is supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), UNE, the Finance Authority of Maine, and other grants, donations, and sources.

About the AHEC Program

The purpose of the AHEC Program is to develop and enhance education and training networks within communities, academic institutions, and community-based organizations through team and community based experiential education and strategic partnerships. 

Through the program, Healthy Acadia works with partners across eastern Maine to offer community-based learning experiences for middle, high school, and collegiate students and health professionals. In turn, these networks seek to increase the number of health professionals, broaden the distribution of the health workforce, enhance health care quality, and improve health care delivery to rural and medically underserved areas and populations.

AHEC partners work together to:

  • Create rural health immersion opportunities for health professions students to learn more about rural and medically underserved communities, including:

    • Rural Health Immersions for CUP (Care for the Underserved Pathways) AHEC Scholars.

  • Community-based experiential learning for non-CUP scholars.

  • Create pathways for middle and high school students and displaced workers to experience health careers while encouraging them to pursue post-secondary education in healthcare fields.

  • Support graduate-level health professions students to gain the leadership skills to succeed in their future healthcare fields, with a rural emphasis.

  • Collaborate with healthcare partners to provide continuing education programs for current health professionals.

  • Support four-week enhanced Clerkship Rotations.

For more information about AHEC opportunities and programs, contact Maria Donahue by email at maria@healthyacadia.org or by phone at (207) 667-7171.