Connecting students to careers, professionals to communities, & communities to better health.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Who We Are
For over 20 years, High Sierra Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a designated 501c3 nonprofit and longstanding member of the National AHEC Organization, has been steadfast in addressing Nevada’s health care workforce shortages through recruiting, training, and retaining health professionals committed to increasing access to primary care in underserved urban and rural communities. High Sierra AHEC works in affiliation with the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine and the Office of Statewide Initiatives to serve the following counties: Carson, Churchill, Douglas, Lyon, Storey, and Washoe.
.jpg)
What We Do
The purpose of High Sierra AHEC is to serve as a critical convener between academic and employer based partners to ensure workforce distribution and diversity. Through a variety of valuable partnerships, we develop and place future leaders within health care practice settings starting as early as 5th grade. Our intention is to inspire young students to pursue a career in health care, providing them with a paved and equitable pathway to their continued success. Upon the completion of our pathway, our students are highly trained, highly skilled, and employable assets to our partners.
Objectives
-
Develop a culturally compassionate pathway of diverse health care workers through innovative and intentional workforce initiatives.
-
Actualize and deliver education, training, and resources within organizations and institutions at a local, regional, state, and national level.
-
Identify and respond to current and emergent public health issues to ensure best practices.
-
Advocate for health equity to reduce disparities and expand access to quality health care services in our communities.
Values
-
Inspire, engage, and support future healthcare workers in Northern Nevada to ensure they are equipped to provide quality and comprehensive health care services; meeting the diverse needs of their communities.
-
Build strong, representative partnerships in our community to facilitate understanding and cohesion towards addressing community needs
-
Respond to current and emerging health care issues through data surveillance, interprofessional and cross sector collaboration, and forward-thinking initiatives.
-
Commitment to deliver innovative education that prioritizes health equity for minority communities and advocates for conscientious care delivery by professionals
Program Competencies
-
Behavioral Health Integration
-
Current/Emergent Public Health Issues
-
DE&I / Cultural Competency
-
Inter-Professional Education
-
Practice Transformation
-
Public Health Response
-
Social Determinants of Health
High Sierra AHEC's Commitment
At High Sierra AHEC, we are unwaveringly committed to an inclusive, representative culture and environment in all that we do. Through listening to and lifting the voices of those around us, we build perspective and set out to foster strong cohesion that recognizes our diverse populations. Our team believes in respect and celebration of our community’s varied groups and cultures. Through these ideals and cognizance of intersectionality, our organization serves Nevada’s vulnerable, rural, minority, and disadvantaged populations. In the community and internally, we advocate for these groups with a willingness to learn about and share perspectives and skills. Additionally, our organization is ever-vigilant to improve health inequities and access to opportunity; prioritizing forward-thinking endeavors towards equity across our initiatives. We strive to connect students to careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better health. Above all, High Sierra AHEC prioritizes justice, empathy, support for our community, and healthy workplace culture to realize these goals.
-Your High Sierra AHEC Staff