The rural and medically underserved community continues to be challenged in efforts to recruit and retain the health professional. Piney Woods AHEC gathers information on community needs and looks for opportunities to match those needs with individuals in the east Texas region looking for employment. Piney Woods AHEC also shares their knowledge of neighboring community people resources who might provide additional services. To assist in the retention of the healthcare professional, AHEC provides information on CNE, CME, and CEU opportunities, provides professional updates on the newest medical advances, organizes and coordinates multidisciplinary conferences, and offers support for professional communication and networking.
For more information about any of the Practice Entry and Support Programs contact: Mark Scott at (936) 468-6941 or e-mail mscott@pwahec.org
Practice Entry and Support Programs
Texas Health Match is an online software jobs tool that matches candidates with job listings. AHEC staff provide added value to the software generated matches by following up with employers and seekers on details related to completing placement into employment.
AHEC Professional Corps (APC): The AHEC Professional Corps is composed of licensed/certified health care personnel providing their professional services in selected health care delivery sites, where they use their skills and training to help people with the greatest need. The APC program has been developed within the family of the AmeriCorps programs to respond to currently unmet health care needs in chronically underserved areas. www.americorps.gov
American Heart Association Training Center: provides Basic Life Support courses to health care professionals and community members and Advanced Cardiac Life Support courses to health care professionals. View upcoming courses on Continuing Education calendar.
Practice Management Technical Assistance Program: The goal of the program is to retain primary care practices in Rural East Texas by helping them stay in business. The program offers practice management consulting to primary care practices in the region.
The "Nurse-Friendly" Program: an initiative for Small/Rural Hospitals is an initiative to enhance patient care and retention of nurses in small and rural Texas hospitals. The Piney Woods AHEC provides technical assistance to local hospitals in their pursuit of incorporating all 12 Nurse-Friendly Hospital criteria into their policies and procedures and in preparing their application for designation as a "Nurse-Friendly Hospital" by the Texas Nurses Association.
East Texas Geriatric Education Center: provides educational opportunities and continuing education in geriatrics to clinical health professionals and faculty who teach in health professions programs, and to students in health professions in East Texas. For more information please visit ETGEC.
Rural County Health Workforce Economic Impact Analysis: The Piney Woods AHEC (Area Health Education Center) provides a wide range of community-based activities designed to improve community and individual health. We conduct programs that 1) focus on community health systems analysis and planning; 2) support health workforce recruitment and retention; and 3) provide health literacy information for a variety of community audiences. Piney Woods AHEC has developed an extensive network of community healthcare sectors and other partners, worked with a variety of community and state organizations and agencies, and has directly impacted tens of thousands of individuals through its outreach programming.
One such partnership effort is the Rural County Health Workforce Economic Impact Analysis (RCHWEIA), one of an ongoing series of analyses prepared with collaboration and funding support from the Texas State Office of Rural Health, a division of the Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA).
This project is important for several reasons. The report:
- Informs community leaders of local healthcare sector factors.
- Promotes an economic impact perspective when considering local healthcare.
- Stimulates community action supporting the local healthcare sector
- Serves as the basis for additional health workforce planning and development activities
The report contains the following information:
- Demand, Supply, and Future Need for Additional Primary Care Practitioners in specific counties
- Economic Impact of a Rural Primary Care Physician on the Economy of specific counties
- Cost and Revenue to establish a Solo Rural Primary Care Physician Practice in Texas
- Texas Loan Repayment Programs
- Texas Physician Workforce Facts
- National Health Trends
- Health Professional Shortages Areas and Physician Scarcity Areas: A Brief Overview
- Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Clinics: A Brief Overview
- National Health Service Corps: A Brief Overview
For more information on the RCHWEIA project, contact Mark Scott at 936-468-6941 or mscott@pwahec.org . You can also visit reports for community engagement counties at the AHEC Recruitment and Retention Community Model website at: http://www.texasruralcountyhealth.org
