The University of Nevada School of Medicine (SOM) proposes to continue a second three year period of support for an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) situated in Las Vegas, in southern Nevada, and for the AHEC Program Office at the School of Medicine in Reno. The Southern Center serves three large rural counties, and one large urban county. This includes the medically underserved areas of metropolitan Las Vegas. The Southern Center provides decentralized training for undergraduate medical and allied health professions students; as well as decentralized training with medically underserved populations for family medicine residents. Additionally, the Southern Center provides continuing education and outreach health information services for health professionals in rural and urban underserved areas, and recruits minority and rural students for the health professions. These activities are closely supported by the resources of the Nevada AHEC Program Office. Exciting new dimensions to the AHEC are proposed in this application, namely the initiation of a rural Physician Assistant training program, the development of a family Nurse Practitioner program, the addition of a minority health recruiter and the development of a satellite family practice residency.
