Sioux Falls, SD—U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today brought together health care officials and students to discuss the impact South Dakota’s Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is having on the next generation of the state’s health care workforce. Health care reform, which Johnson strongly supported, increased investments in AHECs nationally, including efforts at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

“In order to continue to have a great health care system in South Dakota, we need to recruit and train a strong workforce, especially in rural areas of the state,” said Johnson, a member of the Rural Health Care Caucus. “One of the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act is the increased investment to ensure we will have enough professionals to meet our country’s growing health care demands.”

The South Dakota AHEC has branches in Yankton and Aberdeen with a program office in Sioux Falls. The AHEC has hosted hands-on health career camps for high school students all across the state. Additionally, the AHEC developed and distributed thousands of guides to health careers in South Dakota. Since their creation, the South Dakota AHEC has reached out to more than 3,000 students.

AHECs are academic and community partnerships that provide health career educational activities for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students interested in careers in health care.  AHEC focuses on increasing the primary care workforce in rural and other underserved areas. The South Dakota AHEC has received $372,000 in FY2010, $1.1 million FY2011 and an additional $1.1 million in FY2012 in federal funding.

Johnson was joined at the event by Dr. Bruce Vogt, Director, AHEC; Amy Jacobson, Deputy Director, AHEC; Rachel Haigh Blume, Director, Northeast AHEC; Kassy Youmans, Rural Experiences for Health Professions Students Coordinator, Yankton Rural AHEC; Josh Ryan, USD Medical Student and Len Wonnenberg, USD Physician Assistant Student.

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