Our History
In our 25th year, GSAHEC would like to celebrate its history of promoting community health through partnerships and education. The AHEC program was developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations. As the AHEC system has grown, it is ever changing to meet the needs of the communities it serves; however, one thing has never changed—the focus on medically underserved populations.

Throughout the years, GSAHEC has partnered with many organizations to inspire youth to commit to a health career, provide continuing education for providers working with those most in need, and coordinate clinical training opportunities for health professions students with the goal of firming up their commitment to work with medically underserved populations. We have also worked on many community health projects, including osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease prevention, cancer awareness, opioid education, health literacy, community health worker training, language access programs, and tobacco cessation and training programs.

The latter programs are stronger than ever and we are so proud to be a part of the Tobacco Free Florida AHEC Cessation Program. We are also proud to carry on the history of providing medical interpreting training, occupational/ medical Spanish and cultural competency training.

Check out the article below and help us celebrate! Thank you for reading!
GSAHEC Receives National Award
On July 14th, Gulfcoast South AHEC was recognized by the National AHEC Organization (NAO) with the Dr. Andy Nichol's Social Justice Award. GSAHEC's Advanced Cultural Competence Education & Support Services (ACCESS) Program aligns with Dr. Nichols' vision of social justice and health for all by striving for social justice through overcoming the cultural and linguistic barriers that promote health disparities in healthcare and community settings. As nearly 30% of Florida's population speaks a language other than English, addressing social justice in Florida's healthcare systems is a need that GSAHEC continues to address through the ACCESS Program.

The ACCESS Program provides Occupational Spanish, Cultural Competency, and Medical Interpreting training to healthcare, human service and public safety professionals, and those seeking to enter these fields. All three trainings are committed to the social justice of Florida's population by reducing the liability risks and health disparities associated with language and cultural barriers that are common in many healthcare, public safety and community settings. As expressed by Liliana Irwin, ACCESS Program Director, upon acceptance of the award, "It is our honest hope that through the ACCESS Program we can contribute to the education of healthcare providers and community members about the need and benefits of language access and cultural competency for all."

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