AHEC awarded $2 million in federal funding for ‘simulation labs’

AHEC awarded $2 million in federal funding for ‘simulation labs’

Dec. 28, 2020

The FY 2021 federal budget passed by Congress and signed by the president includes $43.25 million in federal funding for Area Health Education Centers, a $2 million increase from the FY2020 budget.

The additional funding will be used for new competitive grants to expand experiential learning opportunities through simulation labs designed to educate and train healthcare professionals serving rural, medically underserved communities. The funding legislation directs the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which administers AHEC, to consider and prioritize projects from AHEC recipients with a history of successfully graduating and placing graduates in rural, medically underserved communities.

AHEC funding was a tiny part of Congress’s comprehensive $1.4 trillion budget that includes 12 annual Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations bills as well as more than $900 billion in economic stimulus and emergency supplemental funding to further support the COVID-19 public health response.

AHEC funding occurs in the appropriation bill for the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS). The bill included $1.22 billion for HRSA health workforce programs, an increase of $29.5 million over FY 2020. AHEC’s increase was an exception, as many programs were level-funded with FY 2020. Here is a breakdown:

• $43.25 million for Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), an increase of $2 million over FY 2020
•  $120 million for the National Health Service Corps, level funded with FY 2020
• $91.37 million for Training for Diversity, level funded with FY 2020
•  $23.71 million for Centers of Excellence (COE), level funded with FY 2020
• $15 million for Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), level funded with FY 2020
• $51.47 million for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS), level funded with FY 2020
• $1.19 million for Faculty Loan Repayment, level funded with FY 2020
•  $48.92 million for Training in Primary Care Medicine, level funded with FY 2020
• $40.67 million for Oral Health Training, level funded with FY 2020
• $235.90 million for Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages, an increase of $15 million over FY 2020

"Thank you to the entire NAO network, AHEC partners, students and alumni for your advocacy efforts,” said Gloria Burnett, NAO president and director of the Alaska AHEC program, “as well as your tenacity and dedication to supporting our mission in the midst of a pandemic and extremely challenging times. Here's to a bright and promising year ahead!"

Area Health Education Centers were created by Congress in 1970 to enhance access to quality health care by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals. The National AHEC Organization represents a network of more than 300 AHEC program offices and centers that serve over 85% of United States counties.

For more information, visit www.nationalahec.org, or email Dwain Harris, CEO, at dwharris@nationalahec.org.