Affecting health personnel distribution through AHECs

The United States Government has had a long and enduring interest in the health of its citizens and in the training of health care providers. It was not, however, until 1963 that federal funds were specifically appropriated for health professions education. Almost ten years after the first legislation which authorized funding of health personnel training, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education assessed the health care of the nation and concluded that in spite of sizeable appropriations to educational programs, health care providers were still in short supply in the inner city and in rural areas of the country. The Carnegie Commission's report triggered congressional interest in the maldistribution problem and led to funding of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program in 1972. Since the funding of the initial 11 AHECs in 1972, the Bureau of Health Manpower (renamed the Bureau of Health Professions) has funded more than 20 AHECs. In reviewing the annals of health personnel and projecting the future needs of this nation, it is encouraging to note that many of the Carnegie Commission's goals for better health care are being met through AHECs.