Northeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center

The Northeast AHEC Summer Health Internship Program recently hosted the SHIP Presentation Luncheon and Banquet where student participants and host sites presented on the projects and experiences that occurred during the internships. The Summer Health Internship Program (SHIP) is a 6-week paid internship program that provides undergraduate health professions students the opportunity to intern at local health-focused organizations in the hope of increasing the likelihood student participants will return and ultimately work in the region. SHIP students work alongside their internship host sites to work on projects that are centered around promoting the host site and their local community needs. This year Northeast AHEC welcomed 8 SHIP participants and 8 host sites into the program. We want to extend a special Thank You to all SHIP host sites in 2024 for their willingness to accept students participating in this program: Morgan County ARH, Clark County Health Department, Greenup County Health Department, Montgomery County Health Department, St. Claire Pediatric Therapy, UK-King’s Daughters Medical Center, Pathways' Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD), and Gateway Children’s Advocacy Center. Without the continued support and collaboration of our service region’s host sites the SHIP program would not be possible.

On Friday, June 28th, the Northeast AHEC hosted their annual Rural Health Scholars Program Celebratory Banquet! High school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates were recognized for their participation in the program. Students and their guests also got the opportunity to hear from Dr. Lucy Mays, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC who shared with them her journey to health care and her passion for serving rural Kentucky.

Yesterday we held our third installment of the Careers in Health Advanced Summer Experience (CHASE) at Robertson County School in conjunction with Primary Plus. Students had the opportunity of making DNA necklaces, learning about blood typing, practicing suturing, engaging with Primary Plus staff and dissecting a cow eyeball. Additionally, students heard from Eugonda Fryman, APRN, CDCES and the Primary Plus pharmacy team. We cannot thank Primary Plus and their amazing staff enough for partnering with us on CHASE this summer! We look forward to partnering with them again in the future!

Yesterday we kicked off the second day of our Careers in Health Advanced Summer Experience (CHASE) at St Joseph Mount Sterling. Students participated in a Stop-the-Bleed training, learned how to perform hands-only CPR, explored an emergency helicopter, and learned about maternal health. Students heard from numerous guest speakers, which included the Chief Nursing Officer of St Joseph Mount Sterling, Berea, and London Andrea Holecek MSN, MBA, Ed.D.; the President of St Joseph Mount Sterling, Berea, and London John Yanes, MBA, M.H.Sc., FACHE, CPPS; Karen Hunt, RN; and Karin De La Peña, MSN, RN, CFRN, NREMT. We cannot thank these amazing faculty and staff of St Joseph Mount Sterling enough for partnering with us on CHASE this year!

Yesterday the Northeast AHEC kicked off our partnership with St. Joseph Mount Sterling for our Careers in Health Advanced Summer Experience (CHASE). Each summer, Northeast AHEC works to host these Health Career Day camps at local medical facilities around our region. Students learned how to suture, match blood types, perform TB Skin tests, take patient history and dissect fetal pigs. Students heard from numerous guest speakers, which included Melanie Jackson, RN, Kayla Isaacs, and John Welch, RN. Today, students will be participating in medical stimulation and learning more about various healthcare occupations!

The Northeast KY AHEC hosted day two of the Rural Health Scholars Summer Camp for the new class of 2026! Nineteen high school students from various counties within the northeast region gathered to hear from multiple health providers/educators and to participate in health-related activities. Scholars heard from Morehead State University’s Nursing Department who led them in a CPR demonstration and an ACLS simulation. Scholars also participated in a suturing workshop followed by a fetal pig dissection led by UKCOM RPLP student, Bradley Firchow. Lastly, students finished the day with a simulation workshop including laparoscopy, venipuncture, and a TB skin test simulation.

The Northeast KY AHEC hosted day one of our Rural Health Scholars Summer Camp for the new class of 2026! Twenty high school students from various counties within the northeast region gathered to hear from multiple health care providers and participate in a range of activities. Scholars heard from Sam Claxon, RN (Base Clinical Lead at AirEvac), which included a tour of their helicopter! Scholars also heard from Dr. Brett McKinney, PharmD, along with two other Resident Pharmacists at St. Claire HealthCare who led a pharmaceutical compounding activity. Students ended the day with a tour of St. Claire Regional Medical Center led by Melissa McKinney, Director of Professional Development.

Register now for the next installment of our cannabis education series! Wendy Fletcher, DNP, APRN, FAANP, will be presenting "Medicinal Cannabis in KY: Qualifying Conditions" on June 27th from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM via Zoom. This course fulfills two of the required six hours of CE for becoming a certified cannabis provider. Free CME, CME, and CPE credit will be available. Register here now: https://lnkd.in/g-KMyd7Y

Happy National Nursing Assistants Week! 🌟🌟 Join the NE AHEC in recognizing the incredible dedication and compassion of CNAs. Your hard work makes a world of difference. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care! #NationalNursingAssistantsWeek

We are pleased to announce that St. Claire HealthCare/Northeast Kentucky AHEC and the Northeast Kentucky Substance Use Response Coalition have received a one-year federal grant to assess regional suicide risk and potential interventions. The $100,000 Rural Health Network Development Planning grant will enable eight partner organizations to administer surveys and conduct focus groups targeted toward clinics, hospitals, schools/universities, and recovery centers. The project will target Bath, Carter, Clark, Mason, Montgomery, and Rowan counties. To read more about this project, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/ecgrDM_v