About Us

In 1971, the AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) program was developed by the U.S. Congress to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations.

Western Washington Area Health Education Center continues to respond to the needs of our constituents to live a healthy life. Imbalances in the U.S. health care system result in people experiencing difficulty accessing health care services and receiving lower quality care. These inequalities perpetuate poor health and the under-representation of minority and disadvantaged people in the health care workforce. AHEC programs across the country play a key role in correcting these inequities and strengthening the nation’s health care safety net.

WWAHEC’s focus areas include workforce development, health professions education, continuing education for health professionals, community assessment and development of health systems, health promotion/disease prevention/health education, and advocacy for rural and underserved populations through public policy development.