Michigan Area Health Education Center Receives a $1 Million Grant from U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration for Fiscal Year 2019/2020 and Selects New Host Partner for its Upper Peninsula Regional Center

The Michigan Area Health Education Center has been awarded $1 million in grant funds from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funds will be used to continue to strengthen its statewide network of 5 regional centers and provide an unprecedented number of health care career preparation initiatives, clinical experiences and continuing education programs for health care professionals in communities throughout the state.

"The continued support by HRSA is a testament to the high quality services provided by AHEC for the health of Michigan," said Dr. Tsveti Markova, Co-Principal Investigator of Michigan AHEC, Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education in the Wayne State University School of Medicine. "The interprofessional nature of our Michigan AHEC has been lauded by HRSA nationwide as a forward thinking AHEC program" said Dr. Ramona Benkert, Co-Principal Investigator of the Michigan AHEC, Associate Dean of Academic and Clinical Affairs, and Associate Professor, Wayne State University College of Nursing. HRSA has awarded consecutive yearly grants to Michigan AHEC since 2010.

Michigan AHEC also announced the recent selection of Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center (UGL) as its new host partner for its Upper Peninsula Regional Center. Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that operates 9 service delivery locations serving Houghton, Iron, Marquette, Menominee and Ontonagon Counties. "Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center has a history of and maintains an ongoing commitment to the education and training of healthcare professionals in the region," said Donald Simila, CEO of the UGL. "We are very pleased with the opportunity to work with Wayne State University as a host site for the Upper Peninsula Region of AHEC. Residents of the region will benefit from initiatives focused on practice transformation, mentorship of new providers and supporting the interest in health professions for our communities."

As a Federally Qualified Health Center, they offer primary care, oral health care and behavioral health services, substance abuse counseling, enabling services, specialty care/services, education and comprehensive outreach to approximately 25,000 people per year.

Michigan AHEC is funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant # U77HP26582) and Wayne State University.