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The Lower Rio Grande
Valley AHEC (LRGV AHEC)
was established in 1990
with the mission to
improve the supply and
distribution of primary
health care personnel
and the quality and
scope of their
education. The Center
covers the four
southernmost counties of
Texas – Cameron,
Hidalgo, Starr, and
Willacy.
With a fast
growing population, the
area has a critical
shortage of health care
professionals. Many in
this region lack access
to basic primary health
care, including the
working poor and the
more than 48,000 migrant
and seasonal farm
workers.
A major focus
of the LRGV AHEC in its
early years was
establishing a Regional
Academic Health Center (RAHC)
for the area. The Texas
Legislature, through SB
606, established the
concept which would
include a medical
education component (in
Harlingen), a research
component (in Edinburg),
and a public health
component (in
Brownsville). In 2001,
this vision became a
reality when the
Harlingen campus opened.
Today, there are modern
structures in all three
towns that provide a
plethora of training and
education for health
care providers.
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TSTC-Harlingen
Dental Hygiene
Nursing Home
Program
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Training of medical,
dental, and allied
health students is a
high priority in this
catchment area. South
Texas AHEC maintains
health professions
student rotations and
provides apartments
convenient to the RAHC.
Students rotate at a
number of sites,
including four Federally
Qualified Health
Centers, local and
regional public health
departments, and through
offices of approximately
200 local preceptors.
The area contains 13
hospitals, including a
trauma center; there are
3 established residency
programs (2 family and
community medicine and
one internal medicine).
The LRGV AHEC is located
at the Texas State
Technical College in
Harlingen. The program
is housed within the
Department of Dental
Hygiene, with the AHEC
Director being Barbara
Bennett. [barbara.bennett@harlingen.tstc.edu]
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