Our mission: to improve health in Southern Kentucky

The Southern Kentucky AHEC uses education to improve health in our 15-county region. It is our singular mission and it drives all that we do. Though our presence in healthcare isn’t obvious to everyone, our contributions quietly account for much.

Take for example your last visit to the doctor’s office. You probably did not personally encounter any of our staff, but we were there from the moment you walked in the door.

The nurse who took your temperature might well have been drawn to her profession through one of our Health Careers programs, which have the vital purpose of recruiting bright local students into the healthcare professions.

The physician who treated you probably took part in AHEC Student Rotations during his medical education. We have arranged and supported those rotations, which link students with practicing professionals, in our region for 30 years. Many doctors and other health professionals have decided to stay in our area after their AHEC experience.

Nearly every professional in the clinic probably attended a Continuing Education course not long before your visit. The Southern Ky. AHEC facilitates about 100 of those courses each year, bringing valuable, up-to-date information to the professionals treating you.

Some of the knowledge about healthcare that you took with you to that clinic might have been delivered by AHEC. Our Health Education programs send the message of awareness and prevention throughout the communities we serve. We at the Southern Ky. AHEC are proud of the work we do, and we are also proud to have as partners two institutions who share our passion.

We are administered through the University of Kentucky and hosted by Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Center, in Mt. Vernon, Ky. For more information about our services, phone (606) 256-0950.