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Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is part of a nationwide system created to improve the distribution, diversity, quality, and supply of health care workers in rural and under-resourced areas.
Oregon AHEC has education programs across five regional centers, a central program office, and community partnerships which help leverage resources.
Programs are designed to engage aspiring health care professionals at each step of their journey, which starts with career exploration in their youth, follows them through their education, and continues after they obtain their credentials.
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NEOAHEC has been reliably offering health education resources and programming to eastern Oregonians since 1991, and our health career exploration camp, MedQuest, just completed its 30th year. To celebrate the longevity of this program, NEOAHEC has made this video. Please watch it and share with your friends, and if you see yourself in this video, come find us on Facebook or Instagram and comment the time that you saw yourself.
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Ahnica Shoemaker:
Seizing Every Opportunity
For OHSU School of Nursing student Ahnica Shoemaker, being homeschooled didn’t mean that she and her siblings spent all their time at home. Her family has worked diligently to complement homeschool education with diverse hands-on experiences. These include traveling the country to visit educational and historical locations and collaborating with their community to attend local events, such as NEOAHEC’s MedQuest camp.
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Ahnica has worked hard to make the most of every opportunity that she’s found along her health career pathway, and is now working as a CNA, PRN, and EMT while pursuing a career in nursing. She was a participant at Rural MedQuest in 2019 and Virtual MedQuest in 2020. In 2024, she returned to NEOAHEC as a MedQuest camp counselor, and she looks forward to being a counselor again next year.
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Since the start of the year, NEOAHEC has onboarded one new staff and eight new board members! We are so excited to have each of these people involved in NEOAHEC, and can’t wait to see how the organization transforms as a result of their efforts. | |
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"Growing up in a big family amongst the scenic landscapes of rural Oregon, I developed a deep love for the outdoors and a strong connection to the community. Inspired by a lifelong desire to contribute to healthcare, I pursued academic studies at Eastern Oregon University, earning degrees in Art and Business. Although initially unsure of how to turn this passion into a career in a rural area, I discovered a true calling in healthcare and, more specifically, healthcare simulation.
"With experience at the OHSU School of Nursing, I became a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist, blending technical expertise and creativity with a commitment to improving healthcare education. This role allowed me to combine a diverse skill set with a dedication to supporting the next generation of rural healthcare professionals.
"Now, as part of Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center and OHSU Campus for Rural Health, I am excited and proud to bring this experience and enthusiasm to the local healthcare community. By focusing on simulation, education, and program management, I aim to empower healthcare workers at all stages of their careers in northeast Oregon, ensuring they have the tools and training necessary to provide exceptional care. In this role, I hope to also inspire and educate the young people of our rural communities and help provide experiences and pathways to their healthcare career aspirations."
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New Board Members
As of September 30, the following board members will end their term on the NEOAHEC Board of Directors: Patty Barfield, Chair; Mike Hetrick, Vice-Chair & Interim Treasurer; Liz Sieders, Secretary; and Lynn Carpenter, Member-at-Large. These four board members, who make up our executive committee, have been amazing additions to this organization, and we will miss their energy and insight. Thank you for your dedication to NEOAHEC!
While it’s impossible to replace these valuable members of our team, we have officially added on these eight new board members.
Welcome to NEOAHEC!
Raff Betza, MD
Physician, Grande Ronde Hospital & Elgin/Union Clinics and Urgent Care
Union County
Meghan Chancey, MPH
Director, Baker County
Health Department
Baker County
Robin Claudson, MSN, RN
Assistant Program Director, Simulation Coordinator, Oregon Health Sciences University
Union County
Seth Deister
Human Resources Specialist, One Community Health
Wasco County
Julie Hernandez, MBA
Admissions Counselor,
Eastern Oregon University
Union County
Kyler Malone, BSN, RN
Psych NP Student, Oregon Health & Science University
Union County
Torrina McLeod, BSN, RN, CMSRN
Nursing Faculty, Treasure
Valley Community College
Malheur County
David Melville, M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D. (ABD)
Executive Director, Eastern Oregon University - Greater Oregon STEM Hub
Baker, Morrow, Umatilla, Wallowa, Union, Grant, & Harney Counties
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2024 NEOAHEC Staff & Board | |
Front Row: Caitlin Russell, Robin Claudson, Carissa Cummings, Torrina McLeod, Meghan Chancey, Julie Hernandez, Liz Siders, Yessenia Garcia-Sanchez. Back Row: David Melville, Mike Hetrick, Meredith Lair, Eric Wiser, Patty Barfield, Kyler Malone, Adam Sieders, Meredith Halling. Not Pictured: Raff Betza, Dennis Burke, Lynn Carpenter, Seth Deister, Dani Patton, Andrea Flores-Reyna, Nick West. | | |
The AHEC program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Healthcare Workforce (BHW) to support the following goals: 1) Diversity: preparing a diverse, culturally competent primary care workforce representative of the communities we serve; 2) Distribution: improving workforce distribution throughout the state, particularly among rural and underserved areas and populations; and 3) Practice Transformation: developing and maintaining a health care workforce that is prepared to deliver high quality care in a transforming health care delivery system with an emphasis on rural and underserved areas and communities. |
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