Central Illinois Area Health Education Center

04/30/2026

We're so proud of our Illinois AHEC Scholars graduating from the Department of Health Sciences at Illinois State and Mennonite College Of Nursing this spring! Congrats on all your accomplishments! We can't wait to see what the future holds for you all ☺️

04/09/2026

We're hiring two camp counselors positions for our Healthcare Career Camp at Springfield Memorial Hospital this summer, June 15-17! We're looking for undergraduate or graduate students with experience working with high school students.

For application and more information, see link in comments.

03/23/2026

Thank you to Warner Hospital and Health Services for hosting two of Illinois AHEC's RHE students this month!

Rural Health Experience at Warner Hospital & Health Services RHE

12/18/2025

Introducing one of our second year AHEC Scholars, Jesenia Gonzalez, a public health student who will be pursuing her MPH after graduating from Illinois State University this spring!

Get to know Jesenia Gonzalez, a second year AHEC Scholar studying Public Health at Illinois State University.

06/12/2025

That's a wrap on our second annual Healthcare Careers Camp with Springfield Memorial Hospital! We had a wonderful group of high schoolers excited to learn about tons of different healthcare careers over the past three days. Thanks so much to our partners at Memorial, SIU Medicine, Lincoln Land Community College, ISU's Mennonite School of Nursing, and UIC's Nursing Program for another successful year! 🥳

03/25/2025

Happy National AHEC Week! 🥳

National Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Week 2025 is here!

To celebrate, we’ll be sharing inspiring stories and notable achievements from AHECs across the country.

AHECs play a vital role in training the next generation of healthcare professionals and improving care in rural and underserved areas, working to make healthcare more accessible and equitable for everyone.

How?

AHECs recruit, train, and support a diverse healthcare workforce to address national shortages and meet the needs of at-risk communities.

Here are some facts about the AHEC impact from 2023-2024:

270,088 students participated in AHEC health career pipeline/pathway programming.

30,947 clinical rotations were facilitated through AHEC, with 85% of those rotations taking place in disadvantaged communities.

7,738 health professions students completed the AHEC Scholars program, an interprofessional cohort designed to prepare Scholars with the leadership skills necessary to better serve vulnerable populations.

376,322 health professionals participated in continuing education programming to improve the quality of care for those living in medically underserved communities.

“When communities’ healthcare needs are met, our society is stronger and more resilient,” said Wanda Thomas, M.D., National AHEC Organization President and LSU Health Shreveport AHEC program director. “AHEC training, recruitment, and retention of a culturally competent healthcare workforce make us an impactful organization throughout the country.”

🔗 To learn about the AHEC impact, visit:
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nationalahec.org/resource/resmgr/core_data_flyers/nao_annual_data_flyer_2024fi.pdf

03/20/2025

We are hiring two camp counselors for our summer Healthcare Careers Camp in Springfield, IL! The camp is June 9-11 at Memorial Health in Springfield. Check out the job posting for more details or feel free to message us with questions.

Search Illinois State job listings and apply for open positions that match your skills and career goals.

03/11/2025

Are you a high school or college student exploring careers? Learn all about rural pharmacy careers at one of the Rural Pharmacy Camps being offered around the state!

Here is a link to learn more and to register: https://pharmacy.uic.edu/events/rural-pharmacy-camps/

Details are also in the attached picture. For questions, email [email protected] or call 815-395-5775.

11/21/2024

Congrats to ISU MPH student, Anysse Evans, for presenting her research with Central IL AHEC at the Illinois Public Health Association Conference in Springfield, IL this past Tuesday! Her research involved assessing health professions' students perceptions about their readiness to enter the healthcare workforce and providing recommendations for closing workforce readiness gaps. Great work, Anysse! 🎉

10/23/2024

🌟 Exciting Opportunity for Health Scholars! 🌟

Are you passionate about healthcare? Join the Illinois AHEC Scholars program! This unique opportunity allows students in health professions the chance to gain valuable hands-on experience while serving underserved communities across Illinois.

10/21/2024

Are you or someone you know caring for a person with Stage 3 or Stage 4 cancer? The Cancer Caregiver Virtual Learning Community is a free virtual program geared toward increasing caregiver practical skills and knowledge, raising awareness of caregiver resources, and building a network of support for caregivers across rural Illinois.

Participation in free, but registration is required. For more information, visit: https://redcap.link/carelearn