Wabash General Hospital Becomes New Site for Southeast Area Health Education Center

Mount Carmel, Illinois. – Wabash General Hospital is the site of the Southeast Area Health Education Center, which was previously located in Fairfield, Illinois.

Part of a statewide network of Illinois Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, the Southeast AHEC has programs focusing on giving young people a head start toward a health profession and assisting working healthcare professionals in advancing their careers.

WGH President & CEO, Karissa Turner states, “We are excited to be offered the opportunity to partner with the Illinois AHEC Program. Wabash General Hospital has so many great opportunities for students wanting to learn more about healthcare; therefore, when I was approached about WGH hosting AHEC for Southeastern Illinois, it just made complete sense. We have outstanding mentors and programs within our network that we look forward to expanding into the 19 counties represented.”

The Illinois AHEC Program is comprised of regional centers in Carthage, Dixon, Gibson City, Mt. Carmel, Normal, and Pinckneyville and three centers in the Chicago metropolitan area with program offices at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford and University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health in Chicago. The Southeast Area includes Alexander, Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Lawrence, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Wabash Wayne, White, and Williamson counties.

Heather Greenwood, MBA, is the new director of Southeast AHEC at Wabash General Hospital. She was born and raised in Noble, Illinois and currently lives in Flora, Illinois with her husband and two children. She graduated from West Richland High School and attended Olney Central College to become a radiologic technologist. Later in her career, she completed both her Bachelors and Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management. She is eager to take on her new role as the AHEC Director for the Southeast Illinois Region where she can share her knowledge and passion of the healthcare world with incoming and existing students.

AHEC was established in 1972 to improve the supply, distribution, retention and quality of primary care and other health practitioners in medically underserved areas. AHEC works to improve health care for the underserved by enriching learning environments for current health professions students, increasing access to learning, providing professional development opportunities for health professionals, and promoting health careers to students. Our regional centers partner with educational and healthcare organizations, encouraging collaboration and promoting local solutions to healthcare problems. These activities support our overall goal of achieving an equitable distribution of health professionals and services throughout all Illinois communities and regions. AHEC is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

For more information on the Southeast Area Health Education Center, contact Heather Greenwood at (618) 240-5965 or hgreenwood@wabashgeneral.com.