UNM Area Health Education Center

Our AHEC program is designed to:

• improve access to health care,
• recruit individuals from underserved communities and underrepresented minorities into health professional careers,
• provide continuing education opportunities to health professions residents and practitioners,
• and build infrastructure to recruit and retain health care providers

The need for health personnel is acute throughout NM, reaching crisis proportions in some counties for specific disciplines. Thirty-two of the 33 counties have at least one type of Health Professions Shortage Area (HPSA) classification. Specifically, primary care has 39 HPSAs (including 18 entire counties.) Dental care has 35 HPSAs (21 entire counties), and 29 counties are designated as mental health shortage areas. Shortages also exist for emergency medical personnel, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, behavioral health professionals, nurse practitioners, nurses, and many allied health professionals such as physical and occupational therapists. Rural, geographically remote Hispanic and Native communities in New Mexico are in areas with the most significant shortage of health professionals in the nation.