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.

Effective October 2024, the NC AHEC RN Refresher Program has been revamped and is now available at a new, lower price. Upgrade your skills and reignite your passion for nursing!

If you’re a registered nurse with a lapsed license over five years, or an active RN looking to update your knowledge, NC AHEC’s RN Refresher Program is here to help. We’re committed to helping more nurses return to the field, opening a variety of career pathways, and investing in your commitment to improve the state of healthcare across North Carolina. 

We offer a flexible program, approved by the NC Board of Nursing, that can meet your busy schedule! The program consists of 24 self-paced, online modules and a 140-hour clinical practicum managed by your local AHEC. For RNs with an active license who are simply seeking to refresh their knowledge, the clinical practicum is optional. 

“The whole experience was a tremendous boost in my confidence with knowing that I am very capable of practicing clinical care even after a few years off raising a family.”

 – Sarah


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

South Piedmont AHEC

Formerly known as 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
Bethany Davis, PhD, MSN-ED, RN
Email: bdavis3@unc.edu 
Phone: 919-843-4976

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

RN Refresher Track 1: Online course and clinical practicum. This track is designed for registered nurses who have an active or inactive license and have been out of clinical practice for an extended period.

  • Administrative fee (paid to the regional AHEC): $125
  • Online course tuition (paid to South Piedmont AHEC): $675
  • Clinical 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 a drug screening. Please feel free to discuss these charges with your AHEC regional coordinator.

RN Refresher Track 2: Online course only. This track is for nurses who live outside of North Carolina, those not seeking license reactivation, or those with an active North Carolina license who are comfortable with delivering clinical care.

  • Administrative fee (paid to the regional AHEC): $125
  • Course tuition (paid to South Piedmont AHEC): $675


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

Our Mission

The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program

Mission

NC AHEC 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


Vision

We envision a state where everyone in North Carolina is healthy and supported by an appropriate and well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.


Values

EXcellence

We deliver quality activities and services that our customers and partners value.

Diversity

We promote equity and inclusivity.

integrity

We act with fairness, transparency, and the highest level of ethics.

collaboration

We value partnerships and support interprofessional approaches.

improvement

We continuously innovate and improve our work.

About Us

If there is a strand weaving through all sectors of health careā€”education and workforceā€”NC AHEC would be that thread.

The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program began in 1972 to address national and state concerns with the supply, distribution, and retention of health care professionals. In 1974, the State of North Carolinaā€™s General Assembly supported a plan to create a statewide network. Today, thanks to federal and state legislative support, NC AHEC consists of the NC AHEC Program Office, a network of nine regional AHECs, and the Duke AHEC program.

NC AHECā€™s mission is to provide and support 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. We envision a state where every North Carolinian is healthy and supported by an appropriate and well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

What does this mean for you, as a resident of North Carolina?

It means that, through our continuing professional development programs, your family doctor, your dentist, your pharmacist, the staff in your local hospital, receive affordable training and continuing educationā€”not just for state licensure and specialty certificationā€”but also to keep them up to date on new research, emerging technologies, best practices, and the latest advancements in their fields.

Our practice support teams ensure that medical practices, especially those in rural locations, have the help they need to evolve with the ever-changing health care systemā€”from electronic health records to Medicaid reformā€”ultimately reducing costs and improving quality of care, no matter where you live.

NC AHEC library services support the clinical, educational, and research activities of medical professionals and students throughout the state. Rural family physicians in the mountains, nursing students near the coast, and mental health professionals in the piedmont all have access to AHEC librarians and the AHEC Digital Library.

Meaning better health care for you.

Our health careers pipeline helps ensure that North Carolinaā€™s health care professionals reflect the diverse range of the communities they serve. Pre-college students can envisionā€”and prepare forā€”a more promising future, thanks to informative programs that introduce todayā€™s youth to the hundreds of available careers in health care.

And we donā€™t stop there. We offer a wide range of student services to support health sciences students from many schools, colleges, and universities along the way. We provide medical, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and other health professions students with affordable housing while theyā€™re off-campus on rotations, and we ensure that qualified instructorsā€”preceptorsā€”are in place to teach the next generation of health care professionals.

In rural and underserved areas of the state, AHEC may also be your provider, training the next generation of providers in our community-based residency programs. We support 19 graduate medical education programs in family medicine, dentistry, and psychiatry. An average of 50 percent of AHEC residents decide to stay in North Carolina, helping to reverse the trend toward shortages and the uneven distribution of primary care physicians in the stateā€™s rural areas.

Meaning underserved populations and marginalized communities have greater access to care.

It means when thereā€™s a nationwide epidemicā€”from heart disease to diabetes, the Zika virus to the ongoing opioid crisisā€”thereā€™s a system, that thread, in place to ensure our state has every resource on the ground tackling the problem.

Meaning a safer state, for you.

AHEC means a lot. To a lot of people.

AHEC of a lot.


Find Your AHEC

NC AHEC serves all 100 counties.


2022-23 Year in Review