Capital Region and AHEC

Discover Virginia’s Capital Region and AHEC

Richmond Metro and surrounding areas

Includes: Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan and Richmond City

Health Care Workforce in the Capital Region

The Capital region, including Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, and Richmond City, is home to hospitals, health systems, Community Health Centers (CHC), community colleges and universities that offer health professions career studies, internships, training and job opportunities.

Capital Area Health Education Center (CapAHEC)

CapAHEC’s mission is to improve the health of its communities and optimize access to quality health care. The mission is achieved by:

• recruiting and retaining the health providers that are needed in its underserved communities
• supporting educational programs and services through community and academic partnerships

CapAHEC serves:

• K-12 and Undergraduate students interested in health careers
• Health Profession Students
• Primary Health Care Providers and Facilities
• All communities within CapAHEC's service area.

Health care workers are in short supply in several urban and rural communities throughout the CapAHEC region, despite growing demand for their services. To help these underserved communities attract and produce more health care professionals, the CapAHEC engages in a wide array of education-based activities around health career pipeline and promotion, and community-based student experiences.

• Barber and Beauty Health Career Awareness: Promotes health careers and disseminate student and community programs in minority-owned barber/beauty shops. Interested individuals (adults and students) sign-up to receive electronic newsletters and health career promotional information from CapAHEC.
• Annual CHOOSE VIRGINIA! Health Careers Recruitment Fair: Engages community health care providers to promote their health career and speak with students and adults.
• Summer LEAP Program: Partners with VCU's Division for Academic Success to afford a five-week summer college-readiness program to high school students.
• Community-Based Student Education: Support the training of primary care health professions students, residents, and other health professions students in Virginia's underserved communities.
• Lay Health Promoter Program: Partners with the CrossOver Health Care Ministry in Richmond once a year to co-sponsor a Lay Health Promoter course by recruiting and training community residents about healthy living and disease prevention.
• NHSC Ambassador: Utilizes every opportunity to promote and disseminate information about the National Health Service Corp programs and opportunities to all students, residents, primary care providers and medical facilities.

CapAHEC
Website: https://www.facebook.com/CapAHEC

Capital AHEC
101 Cowardin Avenue, Ste. 205
Richmond, VA 23224
Phone: (804) 655-2576 | Fax: (804) 597-2277
Facebook | Twitter

Aileen Edwards Harris, MSA - Executive Director
a.harris@capahec.org

Prior to her position with CapAHEC, Ms. Aileen Edwards Harris worked in the Office of Health Innovations and Primary Care & Workforce Strategies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). At VCU, Ms. Harris was in charge of the development of health care workforce strategies that would enhance access to health care in Central Virginia. Ms. Harris maintains her own small business, AEH Advising Health Professions, LLC, where she provides consulting and advising services to post-baccalaureate students intending to pursue a health professions career. She has over twenty years of health workforce related professional experiences including serving as: Health Care Workforce Manager and Rural Health Manager at the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Health and Health Equity; Assistant Dean of Diversity and Minority Affairs at Jefferson Medical College; Director of Admissions and Minority Affairs at VCU's School of Medicine; and Pre-Medical Advisor at the University of Maryland, College Park campus. Ms. Harris has a strong desire to improve access to health care in medically underserved areas and she is a native of Millboro, Virginia (Bath County). She received her bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Masters of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Live, Work and Play in the Capital Region

National Battlefield Park
Pocahontas State Park
Virginia Museum of Fine Art
Edgar Allan Poe Museum
The Valentine Richmond History Center
James River Park
Historic Tredegar Iron Works
Kings Dominion
Gray Haven Winery
James River Cellars

Counties and Cities in the Capital Region

The Capital region includes Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan and Richmond City.

District Health Organizations and Hospitals

Bon Secours Health System
Chesterfield Health Department
Chesterfield Health District
Chippenham Hospital
Colonial Heights Health Department
Henrico County Health Department
Johnston-Willis Hospital
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Powhatan Health Department
Retreat Hospital
Richmond City Health District

Community Health Centers (CHC)