Maine AHEC Network

We hosted our annual AHEC Scholars Case Competition this past weekend. The event, planned and coordinated by AHEC Scholar Program Manager Micaela Maynard, M.Ed., is designed not only to prepare students for the complexities of health care in underserved populations but also to generate actionable solutions.

“The Case Competition pushes students to think beyond individual patient care and toward broader, systemic solutions that can impact entire communities,” Maynard said. “Our goal is for participants to leave not only with clinical knowledge but also with the skills to address health disparities and advocate for those in underserved populations so that they can make a real difference in Maine’s health care landscape.” Click the link to read more! Congratulations to our AHEC Scholars!

Students Tackle Health Care Challenges of Maine's Asylum-Seeking Families With increasing numbers of asylum seekers arriving in Maine, the event brought timely focus to the complex web of barriers these families face when accessing essential health services, with a focus on maternal health.

Maine AHEC is a workforce development program aimed at alleviating health workforce shortages. There are three priority areas that Maine AHEC targets to inspire future and develop skills for current and already practicing healthcare professionals. Maine AHEC's Pipeline Program aims to inspire current highschool students to pursue health professions programs in college; Maine AHEC's AHEC Scholar program for college students already enrolled in a heath profession program aims to develop the skills needed for working in underserved communities after they graduate; and Maine AHEC's Continuing Education program provides workshops and trainings for healthcare providers who are already practicing in Maine.

Sometimes there are opportunities for two of the priority areas to intersect. Such was the case during last weeks 2022 Eastern Maine rural health immersion to Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. On the third day of the trip, while in Dover-Foxcroft, the group of AHEC Scholars had an opportunity to meet with highschool students at Foxcroft Academy to discuss pursuing healthcare programs in college. Foxcroft Academy is located in Piscataquis County, Maine's most rural county, which continually ranks in the bottom quartile for health outcomes and health rankings according to the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings, which may reflect challenges related to accessing healthcare services due to a shortage of healthcare providers. Indeed, Maine AHEC has not had a student in its AHEC Scholar program yet from Piscataquis County (one of only three unrepresented counties in the AHEC Scholar program, in addition to Somerset or Washington Counties). Hopefully one of the highschool students who joined our panel to learn more about healthcare programs will become an AHEC Scholar one day soon.

Farah Rassam, first year osteopathic medicine student at UNE, shared her experience of the third day of the 2022 Eastern Maine rural health immersion. Farah, an international student studying medicine, was able to share her lessons learned with one of the international boarding students attending Foxcroft Academy who is interested in pursuing medicine.

"A few years ago, I remember how lost I was in the medical school application process. What did I need to do to get into medical school? What did the process look like? I was grateful to anyone who could give advice or provide the right information. I didn’t know a lot of people who were on the same path as me. Being new to America, this made my path to medical school much different than the traditional path taken by most medical student.

Today, during the 2022 Penquis region RHI we had the chance to go to Foxcroft Academy and talk to high school students interested in health care. Listening to their many questions while offering any information I could, reminded me of myself just a few short years ago. It was inspiring being able to answer their questions and describe my experiences to these students so they might avoid the mistakes I made and learn from them. It was an amazing feeling to speak with these students and hopefully impact someone’s life, even if only a little bit. This was more than just a Q & A about medical school, it was an opportunity to share our life experiences and help someone else learn from the paths we’ve taken. For example, one student asked a question that I could relate to about some challenges facing international students who are interested in medicine. I believe these questions are hard to answer and not a lot of people know how to navigate these challenges other than people who’ve personally experienced them.

Additionally, we had the chance to meet and talk with members of this amazing community at the Dover-Foxcroft Commons. During this visit we met a retired physician who practiced rural medicine. Listening to their experiences in rural medicine, I was surprised at the difficulties and challenges that come with practicing medicine in a rural community. I couldn’t believe some patients never experienced a continuum of care because of the difficulties in access to care that rural communities face. As future physicians, it’s important we realize the challenges patients residing in rural community’s face and recognize it is our job to care for underserved communities such as these and try to address health disparities in all our communities."

National AHEC Organization Foxcroft Academy Piscataquis County University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine University of New England Northern Light Mayo Hospital Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Central Hall Commons

Maine AHEC has offered the rural health immersion to health professions students as an opportunity to travel beyond southern Maine to explore what its like to live and work in rural Maine. The rural health immersion is a unique experience offered to health professions students at UNE, Tufts, and USM who are accepted to the Maine AHEC Scholar Honors Distinction Program. Maine AHEC is funded to accept 45 health professions students per year and students are accepted based on their intentions to work with underserved populations in Maine and northern New England after graduation. All of the students in the Maine AHEC Scholar Honors Distinction Program complete a 2 year 160 hour curriculum which includes multiple opportunities to travel to rural Maine. The rural health immersion is one such opportunity that all AHEC Scholars complete early on in the AHEC Scholar program.

Emily Caron, first year osteopathic medicine student at UNE is one of our Maine AHEC Scholars. Last week Emily traveled three hours north to Dover-Foxcroft, ME, in Piscataquis County where she explored the rural health infrastructure of that community. Emily shared her experience from the third day of the trip and reflects upon how a conversation with a retired physician reshaped how she thinks about healthcare delivery.

"Today we had the privilege of speaking with community members at the Central Hall Commons where we met with community leaders, substance use disorder recovery coaches, and rural medicine clinicians. Our discussions with Dover-Foxcroft community members revealed many struggles embedded in rural healthcare, namely the difficulty with finding a long-term primary care physician. One community member shared that she finds it frustrating to constantly have to “start all over” with a new healthcare provider each year. The rapid physician turnover in rural areas, particularly in Dover Foxcroft, leaves patients feeling stranded, as they yearn for a long-term relationship with their primary care physician.

Dr. Lesley Fernow spoke about her role as a community leader and her 40+ year career as a rural health physician. I enjoyed listening to her passionately explain why she incorporated home visits into her practice. She explained that home visits privilege the physician to understand how their patients function day to day and assess for problems that would have gone overlooked in the clinical setting. For example, she described meeting several patients in their homes who complained of fatigue, a complaint that was often missed in the clinic because of the need to focus on other chronic health conditions like hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes among other diseases. Taking this patient centered approach led to improved patient outcomes and improved the patient-physician relationship. If I do elect to practice rural medicine, I will absolutely incorporate home visits into my practice.

After meeting with local community members, we went to Foxcroft Academy where we met with a group of students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare. Speaking with them made me think about my own path to medicine, and how I can be of service to others following in similar footsteps. In high school I was lucky to receive mentorship from my neighbor who is an anesthesiologist. She helped me get through applying to college and medical school and became a wonderful friend to me along the way. I look forward to taking on a mentorship role and paying forward the kindness, support, and guidance that I received that supported me on my path to medicine."

National AHEC Organization Central Hall Commons Foxcroft Academy Lesley Fernow Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center University of New England University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine