PLEASE NOTE: Greensboro AHEC is now known as Piedmont AHEC. The organization’s name changed on February 1, 2023.

NC AHEC has granted funds to 14 nursing programs at community colleges and universities to support clinical site development. Since 1990, with special funding appropriation from the NC General Assembly, NC AHEC has assisted schools of nursing with the creation of more than 500 new clinical sites for the education of nursing students. 2019-20 grants were awarded to projects that will help expand clinical capacity, improve access to clinical education in rural and underserved communities, and provide experiences in areas of special need, such as interprofessional education, primary care, mental health, and public schools.

“This year’s grant applications strongly emphasized primary care, public health, public schools, and many of the acute care sites that are located in smaller rural communities and at critical access hospitals,” shared Mary Schuler, statewide AHEC nursing liaison and assistant professor at the UNC School of Nursing. “This reflects the mission of NC AHEC and also emphasizes how health care in North Carolina is transitioning from an illness-based model of care to a preventative model of care to better meet the health care needs of its residents.”

Nursing programs from North Carolina community colleges and public universities are eligible for grant funding. The new clinical sites may support any level of nursing education, from LPN through PhD and DNP. AHEC nurse educators in each of the nine NC AHEC regions provide important assistance to the schools of nursing throughout the annual process of proposal preparation, administration of grant funding, and evaluation of project outcomes.

Awards for July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020

AREA L AHEC

School of Nursing: Halifax Community College
Site: Roanoke Rapids High School (Public School)
City: Weldon

School of Nursing: Wilson Community College
Site: Wilson Medical Center Transitional Care Rotation (Public Health)
City: Wilson

CHARLOTTE AHEC

School of Nursing: Central Piedmont Community College
Site: Atrium Health’s Behavioral Health (Behavioral Health)
City: Charlotte

School of Nursing: Foothills Nursing Consortium at Isothermal Community College
Site: Rutherford Regional Health System (Acute Care)
City: Rutherfordton

School of Nursing: Gaston College
Site: Gaston Family Health Services (Primary Care)
City: Gastonia

School of Nursing: UNC Charlotte
Site: Niner University Elementary (Public School)
City: Charlotte

EASTERN AHEC

School of Nursing: East Carolina University College of Nursing
Site: Carolina Family health Centers, Inc. (Primary Care)
Cities: Wilson, Tarboro, Elm City

GREENSBORO AHEC

School of Nursing: UNC Chapel Hill
Site: Reality Ministries, Inc. (Public Health)
City: Durham

School of Nursing: UNC Greensboro
Site: Moss Street Partnership School (Public School)
City: Reidsville

NORTHWEST AHEC

School of Nursing: Appalachian State University
Site: Ashe Memorial Hospital (Acute Care)
City: Jefferson

School of Nursing: Mitchell Community College
Sites: Iredell Memorial Hospital and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center (Critical Care)
Cities: Statesville, Mooresville

SOUTHERN REGIONAL AHEC

School of Nursing: UNC Pembroke
Site: Glenflora {Long-term Care)
City: Lumberton

WAKE AHEC

School of Nursing: NC Central University Department of Nursing
Site: Forest Hill Heights (Public Health)
City: Durham

School of Nursing: Durham Technical Community College
Site: UNC Physician’s Network (Primary Care)
City: Morrisville