History, Description Of The Region, Staff, Board of Directors, Partners, Financial Support
History
Background
In 1970 the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education recommended establishment
of Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) as a national strategy to address
the shortage of primary care physicians and the maldistribution of health
professionals. The national AHEC program was established in 1972 to improve
the supply, distribution, retention, quality, utilization, and efficiency
of health professionals to provide primary care services in medically underserved
areas.
State AHEC Program
The Pennsylvania AHEC program was established by the Pennsylvania State University
College of Medicine in 1994. Pennsylvania has seven AHEC regions.
The Southeast PA Area Health Education Center (SE PA AHEC) was incorporated
as a 501(c)(3) in 1996. Each Pennsylvania AHEC region has a cooperating medical
school which works with the region. Temple University School of Medicine is
the cooperating medical school for the Southeast region. Stephen Permut, M.D.,
Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Assistant
Dean for Academic Affiliations, serves as the Medical School liaison.
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Description Of The Region
Geography And Demographics
The five county southeast Pennsylvania region is home to almost one third
of the state’s population. Only 8.7% of the region’s 3,706,022
residents are rural. All counties in the region are classified as urban, although
38.6 % of Chester County residents live in rural areas. The population per
square mile ranges from a low of 551 in Chester County to a high of 10,751
in Philadelphia County. Almost one-third of the region’s population
lives in the city of Philadelphia.
The region comprises a very diverse population, and includes the largest representation
of minorities in Pennsylvania ranging from 7.7% in Bucks County to 54.1% in
Philadelphia County. In Philadelphia County, 23.8% of the population has income
below the poverty level. One fifth of the children in Philadelphia County
live in poverty. Although the southeast region has higher incomes than any
other region in the state it also contains higher rates of poverty and larger
numbers of persons receiving medical assistance payments than the remainder
of the Commonwealth.
Rates for health status indicators vary across the five counties. The rate
of AIDS ranges from 2.8 per 100,000 population to 62.4 per 100,000; the percentage
of pregnant women receiving no prenatal care in the first trimester ranges
from 8.2 to 28 percent. The leading cause of death among Philadelphians age
5 to 24 years is assault (homicide).
In the five county southeast region there are six major health systems including:
Crozer Keystone, Jefferson, Mercy, North Philadelphia, Temple, Tenet, and
University of Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia County there are over 30 hospitals.
Health Choices is the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare managed care Medicaid
program.
Scenic Attractions
Each of the five counties has its own character and collectively they offer
a rangeof lifestyles within the rural areas of Bucks and Chester counties,
the suburban areas of Montgomery and Delaware counties, and the “manageable”
city of Philadelphia. Tourist attractions abound with a multitude of museums,
the Philadelphia Orchestra and historical sites in Philadelphia, the James
Michener Museum in Bucks County, the Barnes Museum in Montgomery County, the
Brandywine River Museum and Valley Forge Park in Chester County, and Ridley
Park State Park in Delaware County.
The region boasts exceptional eateries in all counties. Enthusiastic fans
support many sports teams which have recently participated in national playoff
events. The public transportation system is well developed. Access within
two hours is possible to the Pocono mountains, New Jersey beaches, New York
City and Washington D.C. In summary, the region centers around a “college
town” with multiple health systems recognized for excellence, outstanding
arts and entertainment centers, and geographic regions which offer a wide
range of environments and lifestyles.
Executive
Director – Kathleen Kennedy, Ph.D., R.N.
Dr. Kennedy has worked in the fields of nursing, community health, geriatrics,
and behavioral health and has taught at the university and high school levels.
Dr. Kennedy has served as an associate vice president in medical affairs for
a Medicaid managed care organization and was the research director for a National
Institutes of Health (NIH) grant.
Program Manager / Health Educator – Stephanie Grier, MPH,
CHES
Health Program Developer and Specialist – Susan DiGiorgio-Poll,
M.S.Ed.
Office Manager and Program Assistant – Susan Renehan, B.A.
Consultants:
Financial Manager – Katherine Van Gorder B.S., E.A.
Data Manager – Josette Bines, M.S.
Medical School Liaison – Stephen Permut, M.D., J.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Temple University School of Medicine
Clinical Director - David Barclay, III, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Chair for Pre-Clinical Education and Associate Professor, Department
of Family and Community Medicine
Temple University School of Medicine
SE
PA AHEC Board of Directors
Mark C. Austerberry
Executive Director
Montgomery County Medical Society
Robert D. Bright, CPA
Shareholder
Lordi Consulting
Sheila Church, M.S.Ed., CAC
Director of Outreach Services
ChesPenn Health Services
Sally Fabian-Oresic, RN, MSN
Executive Director
Bucks County Health Improvement Project, Inc.
Michael A. Herbert
Manager, Provider Contracting
Bravo at Elder Health Pennsylvania HMO, Inc.
Tamara E.
Jackson, DDS Faculty
Department of Oral Medicine
Temple University
School of Dentistry
Mitchell A. Kaminski, MD, MBA
Chairman, Department of Family Medicine
Crozer-Chester Medical Center
Stephen Permut, MD
Chairman, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Temple University School of Medicine
Brenda Robles
Cooke, MBA
VP and COO, Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc.
Guy R. Schultz, MBA
Supervisor of Network Data Administration
Independence Blue Cross
Reverend
Susan L. Worrell, MS, CAC, LPC
Clergy and Licensed Professional Counselor
SE PA AHEC Partners
Past And Present:
Abbottsford Health Center
AIDS Care Group
Arcadia University Physical Therapy Program
Asociacion De Puertorriquenos En Marcha, Inc. (APM)
Bucks County Health Improvement Project, Inc.
ChesPenn Health Services
Chester County Health Department
Chester County Juvenile Detention Center
Chester Education Foundation
Children’s Services Inc. – Martha Washington Academics Plus School
Community Outreach Health Links
Community Volunteers in Medicine
Covenant House Health Services
Delaware County AIDS Network
Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc.
Domestic Abuse Partnership
Esperanza Health Center
Family Service Association of Bucks County
Fitler Academics Plus School
Free Clinic of Doylestown
Greater
Philadelphia Health Action
Gwynedd Mercy College Department of Nursing
Health Federation of Philadelphia
Jeff HOPE
Journey Home, Inc.
La Comunidad Hispana – Project Salud
LaSalle Neighborhood Nursing Center
MCP Hahnemann University School of Nursing
Montgomery County Community College Department of Nursing
Montgomery County Health Department
Neumann College Division of Nursing and Health Sciences
Nueva Esperanza
PA Midwifery Associates
Partners for Healthy Babies
Penn Nursing Network – The Health Corner
Penn State University – Chester City Health Education Project
Philadelphia Academies, Inc. – Overbrook High School Health Academy
Philadelphia Academies, Inc. – William Penn High School Health Academy
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia Community College, Department of Nursing
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND)
Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility
Philadelphia University
Project Home
Southwest Community Enrichment Center
Temple Health Connection
Temple University Department of Health Studies
Temple University School of Dentistry
Temple University School of Medicine
Temple University, College of Allied Health Professions, Department of Nursing
Temple University Physician Research Training Program (PRTP) (previously MARC
Program)
The Salvation Army Gateway Service Center
The School District of Philadelphia – University City Cluster
The Village of Arts and Humanities
Thomas Jefferson University, College of Health Professions
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Ventilator Assisted Children’s Home Program
West Chester Community Center
West Chester University, Department of Health
West Philadelphia Partnership
Widener University School of Nursing
Women of Hope
Women’s Community Revitalization Project
Funding for the Southeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center Program is provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Commonwealth’s Medical Community and Communities at Large provide additional support.
Grants Received
From Foundations And Corporations Include The Following:
Penn State Farmedic Program (1998) for the training of emergency
medical teams in rescue and recovery efforts involved with agricultural accidents.
K-Mart (2000) for a health career development program for Coatesville youth.
Penn State Farmedic Program (2001)
Connelly Foundation (2001) for the diabetes education of Latino migrant workers
.
Dollar General (2003) for the education of Southeast Asians adults in health
literacy.
Chester County Health Department (2003, 2004, 2005) for the education of Latinos
in smoking cessation and the hazards of tobacco use.
Brandywine Health and Wellness Foundation (2004, 2005) for an interdisciplinary
weight management program for middle school girls in Chester County.
Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation (2004) for the SE PA AHEC general fund.
PA Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) (2005) for the education of staff, faculty and parents of selected child care centers in Philadelphia about indoor air toxins and pesticides.
History, Description Of The Region, Staff, Board of Directors, Partners, Financial Support