Northwest AHEC

NORTHWEST AHEC at a glance

Northwest AHEC provides accredited health education and training activities across the continuum of education—high school, post-secondary school, graduate/professional school, and continuing education to health professionals.

MISSION

The Northwest AHEC of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and part of the North Carolina AHEC Program provides and supports educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in rural communities and those with less access to resources to recruit, train, and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina.

Northwest AHEC's service area
Northwest AHEC’s service area includes 17 counties.
SERVICE AREA

Northwest AHEC’s service area encompasses 17 counties in Northwest North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin.

CORE SERVICES & DISTINCTIVE PROGRAMS

Northwest AHEC’s core services and distinctive programs include:

Health Careers and Workforce Diversity: Camp Med, AHEC Scholars, NC Talent Health Alliance
Student Services
Graduate Management Education and Patient Services: The Community Plunge, Share the Health Fair
Continuing Professional Development
Practice Support Services
Library Services
Instructional Technology Services

LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE

Northwest AHEC is formally part of and reports to the dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Northwest AHEC remains a formal public-private partnership between the deans of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Wake Forest University School of Medicine is part of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, which is governed by a full Board of Trustees.

Michael Lischke, EdD, MPH, Richard Janeway, MD, Distinguished Director, Northwest AHEC
Reed Burger, MBA, CHFP, Assistant Director, Finance and Administration
Nedra Edwards Hines, MHA, CDP, Assistant Director, Continuing Professional Development
Christopher Jones, DrPH, MHA, Assistant Director, Quality and Informatic

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mailing Address: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1060
Physical Address: Piedmont Plaza I, 1920 West 1st Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Phone: 336-713-7700
Email: ahecmktg@wakehealth.edu
Website: wakehealth.edu/northwest-ahec

FOLLOW NORTHWEST AHEC

Facebook: facebook.com/NWAHEC
X (formerly known as Twitter):  twitter.com/NorthwestAHEC | @NorthwestAHEC
Instagram: instagram.com/NorthwestAHEC| @NorthwestAHEC
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/Northwest-AHEC
YouTube

AHEC Locations by County

The nine regional North Carolina Area Health Education Centers collectively reach all 100 North Carolina counties.

Find your AHEC using the alphabetical county list below or view our map of AHEC locations.

Once you have identified the AHEC that serves your county, visit the Find Your AHEC page for contact information and useful links.

Alamance – Piedmont AHEC
Alexander – Northwest AHEC
Alleghany – Northwest AHEC
Anson – South Piedmont AHEC
Ashe – Northwest AHEC
Avery – Northwest AHEC
Beaufort – Eastern AHEC
Bertie – Eastern AHEC
Bladen – Southern Regional AHEC
Brunswick – South East AHEC
Buncombe – Mountain AHEC
Burke – Northwest AHEC
Cabarrus – South Piedmont AHEC
Caldwell – Northwest AHEC
Camden – Eastern AHEC
Carteret – Eastern AHEC
Caswell – Piedmont AHEC
Catawba – Northwest AHEC
Chatham – Piedmont AHEC
Cherokee – Mountain AHEC
Chowan – Eastern AHEC
Clay – Mountain AHEC
Cleveland – South Piedmont AHEC
Columbus – South East AHEC
Craven – Eastern AHEC
Cumberland – Southern Regional AHEC
Currituck – Eastern AHEC
Dare – Eastern AHEC
Davidson – Northwest AHEC
Davie – Northwest AHEC
Duplin – South East AHEC
Durham – Wake AHEC
Edgecombe – Area L AHEC
Forsyth – Northwest AHEC
Franklin – Wake AHEC
Gaston – South Piedmont AHEC
Gates – Eastern AHEC
Graham – Mountain AHEC
Granville – Wake AHEC
Greene – Eastern AHEC
Guilford – Piedmont AHEC
Halifax – Area L AHEC
Harnett – Southern Regional AHEC
Haywood – Mountain AHEC
Henderson – Mountain AHEC
Hertford – Eastern AHEC
Hoke – Southern Regional AHEC
Hyde – Eastern AHEC
Iredell – Northwest AHEC
Jackson – Mountain AHEC
Johnston – Wake AHEC
Jones – Eastern AHEC
Lee – Wake AHEC
Lenoir – Eastern AHEC
Lincoln – South Piedmont AHEC
McDowell – Mountain AHEC
Macon – Mountain AHEC
Madison – Mountain AHEC
Martin – Eastern AHEC
Mecklenburg – South Piedmont AHEC
Mitchell – Mountain AHEC
Montgomery – Piedmont AHEC
Moore – Southern Regional AHEC
Nash – Area L AHEC
New Hanover – South East AHEC
Northampton – Area L AHEC
Onslow – Eastern AHEC
Orange – Piedmont AHEC
Pamlico – Eastern AHEC
Pasquotank – Eastern AHEC
Pender – South East AHEC
Perquimans – Eastern AHEC
Person – Wake AHEC
Pitt – Eastern AHEC
Polk – Mountain AHEC
Randolph – Piedmont AHEC
Richmond – Southern Regional AHEC
Robeson – Southern Regional AHEC
Rockingham – Piedmont AHEC
Rowan – Northwest AHEC
Rutherford – Mountain AHEC
Sampson – Southern Regional AHEC
Scotland – Southern Regional AHEC
Stanly – South Piedmont AHEC
Stokes – Northwest AHEC
Surry – Northwest AHEC
Swain – Mountain AHEC
Transylvania – Mountain AHEC
Tyrrell – Eastern AHEC
Union – South Piedmont AHEC
Vance – Wake AHEC
Wake – Wake AHEC
Warren – Wake AHEC
Washington – Eastern AHEC
Watauga – Northwest AHEC
Wayne – Eastern AHEC
Wilkes – Northwest AHEC
Wilson – Area L AHEC
Yadkin – Northwest AHEC
Yancey – Mountain AHEC

Find Your AHEC

Find the North Carolina AHEC location that serves your region.

The NC AHEC program consists of the NC AHEC program office, based in Chapel Hill, a network of nine regional AHECs that collectively reach all 100 North Carolina counties, and the Duke AHEC program.

To find the AHEC that serves your region, view our map of AHEC locations or view AHEC locations by county, a list organized alphabetically by North Carolina county. Useful links and general information about each AHEC are provided below.


Area L AHEC

Counties Served: Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, Wilson
Mailing Address: 1631 S Wesleyan Blvd, Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Phone: 252-972-6958
Fax: 252-972-0419
Website: arealahec.org


South Piedmont AHEC

Formerly known as Charlotte AHEC

Counties Served: Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union
Mailing Address: 5039 Airport Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28208
Phone: 704-512-6523
Fax: 704-512-6568
Website: southpiedmontahec.org


Eastern AHEC

Counties Served: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne
Mailing Address: 2600 W Arlington Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: 252-744-5221
Fax: 252-744-5969
Website: easternahec.net


Piedmont AHEC

Formerly known as Greensboro AHEC

Piedmont Ahec Logo

Counties Served: Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Montgomery, Orange, Randolph, Rockingham
Mailing Address: 1200 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone: 336-832-8025
Fax: 336-832-7591
Website: piedmontahec.org


Mountain AHEC

Counties Served: Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey
Mailing Address: 121 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
Phone: 828-257-4400
Fax: 828-258-2097
Website: mahec.net


Northwest AHEC

Counties Served: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin
Mailing Address: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27517-1060
Phone: 336-713-7700
Fax: 336-713-7701
Website: wakehealth.edu/nwahec


South East AHEC

Counties Served: Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Pender
Mailing Address: 2511 Delaney Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403
Phone: 910-343-0161
Fax: 910-762-3521
Website: seahec.net


Southern Regional AHEC

Counties Served: Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland
Mailing Address: 1601 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Phone: 910-323-1152
Fax: 910-323-4007
Website: southernregionalahec.org


Wake AHEC

Counties Served: Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Person, Vance, Wake, Warren
Mailing Address: 3261 Atlantic Avenue #212, Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: 919-350-8547
Fax: 919-350-0470
Website: wakeahec.org


Duke AHEC Program

The Duke AHEC Program is affiliated with the Southern Regional AHEC and collaborates with all AHEC centers across the state.

Mailing Address: Hock Plaza 1, DUMC 2722, Durham, NC 27710
Phone: 919-684-8676
Fax: 919-681-7504
Website: dukeahec.mc.duke.edu

NC AHEC RN Refresher Program

NC AHEC Nurse Refresher Program

Return to nursing or reactivate your license with NC AHEC’s RN refresher program.

NC AHEC’s RN Refresher Program consists of the UNC-Chapel Hill theory course and the regional AHEC clinical practicum. This  program is for registered nurses (RNs) with a lapsed license of greater than five years or those who want to refresh their nursing knowledge. After successful completion of the program, RNs with a lapsed license are eligible to reapply for licensure through the NC Board of Nursing.  

The UNC-Chapel Hill theory course is online and self-paced so you can balance work, life, and your career. The theory course consists of 24-modules that review a full range of common adult health problems. The clinical practicum is managed by your regional AHEC and provides 140 hours of clinical learning experiences. For RNs with an active license, the clinical practicum is optional. If you want to enroll, the first step is to contact your regional RN Refresher Coordinator below.


RN Refresher Program Contacts

Contact the RN refresher coordinator at the regional AHEC for your county to obtain more information and to determine program eligibility in your region.

Orange, Durham, Chatman, and Person counties

Porshia Mizzelle
Program Assistant/Senior Support Specialist
Email: rnrefresher@unc.edu

Area L AHEC

Counties Served: Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, Wilson
Patty Collins, MAEd, BSN, RN
Email: Patty.Collins@arealahec.org
Phone: 252-972-6958

Charlotte AHEC

Counties Served: Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union
Kathryn Fitzpatrick, DNP, RN
Email: kathryn.fitzpatrick@atriumhealth.org
Phone: 704-512-6579

Eastern AHEC

Counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne
Pam Bowman, MSN, RN
Email: bowmanp23@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-744-5216

Piedmont AHEC

Formerly known as Greensboro AHEC

Counties Served: Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham
Shawn Houck, MSN, RN
Email: shawn.houck@conehealth.com
Phone: 336-832-3947

Mountain AHEC 

Counties Served: Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey
Katie Neligan, MSN, RN, CNL, PCCN
Email: katie.neligan@mahec.net
Phone: 828-257-4458

Northwest AHEC

Counties Served: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin
Ellen M. Hohf, MSN, RN, CHSE
Email: ehohf@wakehealth.edu
Phone: 336-713-7720

South East AHEC 

Counties Served: Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Pender
Betty Merritt, MSN, RN
Email: betty.merritt@seahec.net
Phone: 910-667-9298

Southern Regional AHEC

Counties Served: Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Robeson, Richmond, Sampson, Scotland
Tonja Teter BSN, RN
Email: Tonja.Teter@sr-ahec.org
Phone: 910-678-7246

Wake AHEC

Counties Served: Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Vance, Wake, Warren
Kathy Clark MS, BSN, RN
Email: kgclark@wakeahec.org
Phone: 919-350-0481


Program Options

Option 1: Theory Course and Clinical Practicum

  • Administrative fee (paid to the regional AHEC): $125
  • Theory Course (paid to UNC-CH Digital and Lifelong Learning): $1000
  • Clinical Practicum placement fee (paid to the AHEC where your Clinical Practicum is administered): $250

Please note for Option 1, you will incur additional charges that include, but are not limited to, malpractice insurance and fees for a health screening, criminal background check, and drug screening. Please feel free to discuss these charges with your AHEC regional coordinator.

Option 2: Theory Course Only (For RN’s with an active license and/or RN’s living outside of North Carolina)

  • Administrative fee (paid to the regional AHEC): $125
  • Theory Course (paid to UNC-CH Digital and Lifelong Learning): $1000


This program is a collaborative effort between NC AHEC and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and Digital and Lifelong Learning.