Michigan AHEC Intern Makes Her Way to Washington, DC

Diane Nielsen and Antoinette Silva at a Michigan HOSA Conference.

In January of 2016, Michigan AHEC's Northern Lower Regional Center (NLRC) welcomed Antoinette Silva as their new intern. Silva, a community health student from Central Michigan University, sought out the internship after returning from teaching English in South Korea for the National Institute for International Education. "I was interested in AHEC because they believe in higher education and working with the new generation," said Silva. "I saw myself working with AHEC in the future."

Diane Nielsen, the NLRC Program Coordinator, managed Silva's internship and arranged for her to work at both the NLRC and in Michigan AHEC's Mid-Central Regional Center.  Because the two regional centers are located relatively close to each other, they often cooperate on programs and Silva's internship was a natural extension of that collaborative relationship. During her AHEC internship, Silva gathered data for health care needs assessment in the region and helped support pipeline programs that increase awareness of health career opportunities in rural Michigan.

While working at the NLRC, Silva learned of another internship opportunity at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) in Washington, DC. The NLRC's host partner, MidMichigan Community Health Services, just happened to be preparing for an annual visit to DC at the same time the NACHC was hosting a forum there. The health center director agreed to send Silva as a representative to the NACHC conference.  After the conference, Silva interviewed with representatives from the NACHC and was subsequently selected for their summer internship program. In May 2016, Silva completed her NLRC internship, graduated with a B.S. in Community Health Education from Central Michigan University and moved to Washington, DC to begin her NACHC internship.

This summer, NLRC and Mid-Central Regional Center AHEC staff got a chance to meet up with Silva in Washington while attending the National AHEC Organization (NAO) Conference in Washington, DC. Silva shared her NACHC experience with AHEC staff and talked about how she is currently comparing state Medicaid expansion plans and preparing the annual NACHC Primary Care Association policy survey. "Antoinette impressed us all with the experience she gained during her internships with AHEC and NACHC," said Nielsen. "It was clear to us Antoinette is very educated and well-rounded about healthcare and the issues facing our rural communities." During the NAO conference, Antoinette also got an opportunity to join in Michigan AHEC's Upper Peninsula Regional Center's meeting with Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow.

Upon completion of her NACHC internship, Silva plans to work for a national or state agency involved with promoting access to healthcare and sees herself developing programs and conducting policy research that supports underserved population. She feels grateful for the experience her internships provided her. "Both my internships provided me the tools necessary for understanding outreach, enrollment, project development and evaluation design for healthcare system delivery and recruitment programs for medical students and primary care providers."  No matter what the future brings, Diane Nielsen and all the staff at Michigan AHEC agree that Antoinette Silva has a promising future ahead.