The District of Columbia AHEC Program evolved from local concerns about the city’s disproportionate number of health professional shortage areas and future pipeline of primary care providers.  The supply, distribution, retention and quality of health professionals has long been viewed as one of the critical components of building a stable and sustainable system of primary care for the medically vulnerable.  As early as 1970, these issues were recognized at the national level in a report from the Carnegie Commission which recommended the development of a nationwide system of Area Health Education Centers.  Federal support has continued since the early 1970s and made the implementation of AHEC programs possible in many states.

The DC AHEC Program began in 1999 with one AHEC center office under a federal grant (HRSA funded) with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.  The AHEC Program office at GWU represents the interests of the partner schools (Catholic, Howard, and Georgetown Universities) in facilitating clinical placement opportunities at local safety net clinics.  In addition, the Program office

1. administers the federal grant
2. is the repository for all data that is reported to HRSA
3. monitors the objectives and deliverables that were outlined in the federal grant.

Federal guidelines require that the AHEC center office be administered through a subcontract by the host medical school (GWU).  The Center office is responsible for operationalizing the grant objectives and must be geographically distinct from the Program office.  The Center office is generally hosted by a non-profit community entity or can be established as a stand-alone non-profit community based organization.  In 1999, the AHEC Program Office Steering Committee recommended that the first DC AHEC Center office be hosted by the DC Primary Care Association under the leadership of its Executive Director, Sharon Baskerville. 

In 2004, the DC AHEC Center Office established itself as an independent non-profit community organization and relocated from the DC Primary Care Association to Greater Southeast Community Hospital.  In 2005, the DC City Council’s Committee on Health approved and funded a plan to support the DC AHEC center office which allowed the AHEC Program Office to receive continued federal funding to open a second center office. This entity commenced operations as the “Medical Homes AHEC” in October 2005 and is again located at the DC Primary Care Association. 

The two AHEC center offices provide critical support to the core mission of the DC AHEC program.  The activities at each center are separate and distinct from one another.  The first DC AHEC Center Office, now an independent 501c-3 non-profit community based organization, is under the leadership of Ms. Kim Bell, who serves as the Executive Director.  The office works closely with the DC Department of Health to provide community-based health education to vulnerable populations. 

The Medical Homes AHEC provides placement support through the “AHEC Clearinghouse” for all health professional students who desire clinical experiences at the city’s local community health centers and safety net clinics.  In addition, the Medical Homes AHEC is currently exploring the development of a community health worker program as one approach that will expand the city’s health workforce initiatives.