News & Events

St.Vincent Health chosen to sponsor health care professional recruitment program for central Indiana youth

Program designed to recruit, train and retain workforce committed to underserved populations

INDIANAPOLIS May 10, 2007 - St.Vincent Health has been selected to sponsor the Metropolitan Indianapolis-Central Indiana Area Health Education Center (MICI-AHEC). 

Developed by Congress in 1971, the AHEC program is designed to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations through community/academic educational partnerships.  Today, 50 AHEC programs with more than 200 centers operate in almost every state and the District of Columbia.

Approximately 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and allied health schools work collaboratively with AHECs to improve health for underserved and under-represented populations.  Indiana now has five established regional AHECs including: Fort Wayne (affiliated with IPFW); Terre Haute (affiliated with Indiana State University); Bedford (affiliated with Hoosier Uplands); Gary (affiliated with Purdue Calumet); and now Indianapolis.  St.Vincent Health is the only provider-based AHEC sponsor in Indiana, and will operate in Marion and the contiguous eight counties.

“Distortions in our health care system result in marked inequities in access to and quality of health care services, which are reflected in unacceptable racial and ethnic disparities in health status and the under-representation of minority and disadvantaged individuals in the health workforce,” explained St.Vincent Health Chief Medical Officer Jon Rahman, M.D.

Kimberly McElroy Jones, PhD, (ABD) has been chosen as the executive director of MICI-AHEC. Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue University in 2001 and a master’s degree in adult education from Indiana University-Indianapolis in 2004. She is currently in the dissertation phase of her Doctoral Degree in organization and management through Capella University. Prior to joining the MICI-AHEC, she was employed by Clarian Health as a clinical education specialist for the Pharmacy Technician Program.

 “My plan is to develop and implement outreach and educational programs that focus on the key areas of recruitment, training and retention of our workforce,” Jones said. “Through the implementation of these programs, the MICI-AHEC will help address the quality of and access to health care for the underserved and underrepresented populations in this region. In addition, the MICI-AHEC is committed to preparing a workforce that will be poised to meet the needs of our community.”

 “St.Vincent Health has at the core of its mission the desire to forge strong partnership with communities, physicians, associates and others who share compatible values,” Dr. Rahman added. “We intend for our partnerships to be known for having increased participation in leadership and decision-making that results in improved outcomes of those served. Furthermore, our partnerships with associates will be based on our investments in professional, personal and spiritual development to create a committed and effective work force. This program seeks to meet all of these mission objectives.”

About MICI-AHEC
Sponsored by St.Vincent Health, the Metropolitan Indianapolis-Central Indiana (MICI) Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is one of five regional centers affiliated with the Indiana AHEC Program Office. MICI-AHEC seeks to provide communities with health care professionals prepared to meet their needs. The MICI-AHEC serves Marion and the surrounding eight counties including: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Madison, Marion, Johnson and Shelby.

About St.Vincent Health
St.Vincent Health is a healthcare system of 17 hospitals serving 45 counties in central Indiana and is among the largest employers in the state with 11,500 associates and 2,500 physicians. A member of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic health system, St.Vincent Health is committed to providing “Healthcare That Is Safe,” “Healthcare That Works,” and Healthcare That Leaves No One Behind.”