Palmer and Anderson Chosen for Washington, D.C. Advocacy Fly-In

June 19, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dedicated to ‘improving healthcare access and outcomes for all,” Palmer and Anderson Chosen for Washington, D.C. Advocacy Fly-In

This July 22-24, the National AHEC Organization (NAO) will send Chelsey Palmer and Mike Anderson to Washington, D.C. for advocacy training and Capitol Hill visits to promote the AHEC mission.

Palmer and Anderson were chosen because of their experiences supporting Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) as well as their interest in public policy and advocacy at a national level.

Chelsey Palmer, RN, BSN, LSN started her AHEC journey with the AHEC Scholars program at Kent State University-Trumbull and was named Eastern Ohio AHEC Scholar of the Year in 2021. After completing the Scholars program, she returned to Eastern Ohio AHEC as a Scholar mentor and joined the Board of Directors as Vice President.

Chelsey currently works as a registered nurse employed with the McDonald local school district in McDonald, OH. In this role, she has worked to increase health literacy within her school community though education and the provision of resources.

For example, she coordinated the first health and wellness fair in the community. She also partnered with Vision to Learn to supply free eye exams and prescription eyeglasses to her students and worked with ONE Health Ohio’s mobile clinic to provide dental care for students within the school setting.

With advocacy training, she hopes “to continue to educate those around her on healthcare disparities and inequities and work towards finding long-term solutions” for systemic problems.

“I will use this opportunity to better serve my community as I continue to fight alongside my colleagues and NAO for lasting resolutions to healthcare inequities and disparities, particularly those that exist in rural and underserved populations,” Palmer said.

Joining Palmer on the D.C. Fly-In is AHEC Scholar Mike Anderson. Mike is a medical student at University of Alabama-Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine.

As an AHEC Scholar, Anderson has demonstrated a passion for medical leadership and a dedication to dismantling health inequalities through grassroots initiatives.

For example, he played a crucial role in partnering with Alabama state AHEC o_ices to organize COVID-19 vaccinations to underserved remote areas of Alabama, showcasing his dedication to improving public health in vulnerable communities. In addition, he co-founded Equal Access Alabama, an organization that strives to increase medical access in the Black Belt of Alabama.

“The work AHEC does is indispensable in bridging the gaps in our state and national healthcare programs and addresses the unique needs of underserved communities. By elevating the importance of AHECs at higher levels of government, I believe we can make significant strides in improving healthcare access and outcomes for all,” Anderson said.

Palmer and Anderson were selected for this advocacy trip from a pool of AHEC Alumni/Advocate member candidates. The Alumni/Advocate membership community is for individuals who have been served by an AHEC in the past and wish to continue to serve and strengthen the AHEC mission through advocacy and continued outreach.

“Chelsey and Mike personify a dedication to the AHEC mission that exists in so many who have taken part in AHEC programming,” said Dwain Harris, NAO CEO. “Many highly qualified and passionate advocates were nominated for the Fly-In, and they stood apart from the rest.”

Congress established the AHEC program in 1971 to strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce in rural and medically underserved communities. Today, the 300 AHECs in the United States serve 44 states and six U.S. territories.

Visit nationalahec.org or email info@nationalahec.org to learn more about AHEC