Stepping Up

During the week of June 9-14, 2019, 24 students from 9 counites in Southeast Alabama will gather for Discovery MedCamp 2019 at Camp Chandler in Wetumpka, AL. The purpose of the camp is to expose 10th-12th graders to the multiple disciplines of health care - in order to help them make better informed career choices.

For five years, the Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center (SEAAHEC) has hosted a summer enrichment program as part of a pipeline program designed to build the primary care workforce in the region. This year, students will be exposed to more than 14 different disciplines from family medicine to respiratory therapy. Under the tutelage of the finest minds in medicine, campers will work alongside current providers and faculty and health professions students in a series of hands-on activities – giving each student a rare opportunity to work with cutting edge equipment and techniques,

Discovery MedCamp is one of several core programs designed by the SEAAHEC to address the shortage of primary care providers in Southeast Alabama. In fact, out of 67 counties in Alabama, currently, 62 are designated as health professional shortage areas.

Stepping up to help address the problem, four regional groups partnered with the SEAAHEC to provide funding assistance and 7 full scholarships: the Alfa Foundation, the Baptist Health System, the Montgomery Baptist Association, and the Bullock County Economic Development Authority and County Commission. This funding assistance opens doors for capable students to attend and learn as future health-care providers.

For more information on Discovery MedCamp and the other health-career related programs of SEAAHEC, call 334.676.4180, email info@seaahec.org, or visit www.seaahec.org. The SEAAHEC is open Monday-Friday from 8am-4:30pm.