South Central AHEC

Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #41038
Bowling Green, KY  42101-1038
Phone: (270) 745-3325
Fax: (270) 745-5928

Staff

Lucy Juett, Center Director

Email Lucy Juett at: Lucy.Juett@wku.edu

Mission Statement

The mission of the South Central AHEC is to promote healthy communities through innovative partnerships.  This is accomplished by providing:

• Educational support services to health profession students and health care providers
• Community health education, and
• Programs that encourage health professions as a career choice

One of the strengths of the AHEC program is that all AHECs provide programs in the categories listed above but each AHEC has the flexibility to develop programs that meet the local and regional needs of their respective service areas.  The South Central AHEC is proud of the following unique programs.

Child Passenger Safety

Did you know 90% of car seat users are using them incorrectly?  The South Central AHEC has been involved in Child Passenger Safety (CPS) programs for the past 8 years.  At one time we had 4 staff who were certified as CPS Technicians and 2 staff who were also certified as trainers for the CPS Technician Training program.  Today we only have one staff person who is both a CPS Technician and Instructor.  Statewide there are less than 20 CPS Instructors.  The need has not diminished but funding for these programs has decreased. The South Central AHEC offers at least one CPS Technician class per year for nursing students at Western Kentucky University and we participate in more than 20 CPS check up events annually.

Institute in Health Careers

All AHECs are involved in various programs designed to encourage health professions as a career choice.  The South Central AHEC developed an annual Institute in Health Careers for teachers as a way to reach more students with limited staff and limited funding.

The curriculum manual examining health careers provides 25 lesson plans with goals, and objectives, innovative worksheets, transparency masters, lecture material and unique learning experiences that can be adapted to meet core content/academic expectations.

It is designed with teacher flexibility in mind – lessons can be lengthened or shortened, used in single or sequential units, and with beginning to advanced level classes.

Participants also shadow health professionals for two days and interview them about knowledge and skill requirements, personality traits, education needed, as well as their roles and responsibilities.

The last major component is an alignment summary which shows the relationship between chosen activities and Academic Expectations, Program of Studies, Core Content and the teacher’s school curriculum topic.

Language Access Program

The South Central AHEC has partnered with T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow, KY to develop a model language access program.  This program includes new tools for data collection and processing, documentation of languages spoken by every limited English proficient patient, qualified and trained contract interpreters available 24/7 at no cost to patients, translation of all critical forms into languages spoken, and new signage in the most frequently spoken languages throughout the hospital.

One major component of the language access program is providing qualified and trained interpreters.  The South Central AHEC has an agreement with the Cross Cultural Health Care Program in Seattle, Washington to offer their Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training.  One member of the South Central AHEC staff has completed the train the trainer program for Bridging the Gap and the 40 hour program is offered at least once a year to people working in health care settings as interpreters in the South Central AHEC 22 county service area.

For more information, visit the South Central AHEC website.