AHEC West

AHEC West Our mission is to improve access to and promote quality in healthcare through education and collaboration.

Established in 1976, AHEC West is one of three Area Health Education Centers in Maryland, and 225-plus nationwide. A 501 c (3) non-profit, we work to reduce health disparities through a number of programs and initiatives, including:

The Clinical Education program, which hosts local rotations for upper-class University of Maryland health professions students to expose them to life in Western Maryl

and and encourage them to practice here. The Exploring Careers in Health Occupations (ECHO) program, which promotes health-career occupations to high school students in a bid to “grow our own” health professionals

The Health Insurance Program at AHEC West, whose staff of Navigators help area residents obtain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. AHEC Scholars, a two-year program designed to increase health profession students’ knowledge and experience with rural and/or underserved urban populations

Healthy Together, the HERC grant, focuses on heart disease and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the Far West of Maryland. Supported by the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission. The views presented here are those of the grantee organization and not necessarily those of the Commission, its Executive Director, or its staff. True You Maryland, a collaboration with Healthy Teen Network, aims to prevent teen pregnancy in rural communities and bringing inclusive and comprehensive sex education to these areas. Additionally, AHEC West provides oral and behavioral health services through Community Health Workers (CHWs), trains CHWs and addresses unmet healthcare needs through collaborations and other cooperative efforts.

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04/24/2026

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04/24/2026
04/24/2026
04/23/2026

Community Health Expo is coming!

04/23/2026

Call your health care provider immediately if you suspect you or a family member has contracted measles. Symptoms of measles include: ● High fever (104° F) ● Cough ● Runny nose ● Red, watery eyes ● Rash (3-5 days after symptoms begin; usually appears on the head/face and spreads down)

04/23/2026

Abby and Christina are set up by the Union Rescue Mission today from 12:00 until 2:00, providing Narcan training, sunscreen, sunglasses, and other outdoor gear!

Help improve cancer awareness in Maryland!
04/23/2026

Help improve cancer awareness in Maryland!

Archway Station's Women’s Recovery Housing provides nonclinical Level I and Level II services for women who are pregnant...
04/23/2026

Archway Station's Women’s Recovery Housing provides nonclinical Level I and Level II services for women who are pregnant, women with children, and those planning to reunite with their children.

This temporary living arrangement offers residents a secure atmosphere to rebuild their lives while developing the necessary skills to embark on a life of recovery. For more information, email them at womensrecovery@archwaystation.net or call 301-759-2928.

🚨 Women in the program have to have custody of their children when coming to the program but Archway Station offers other forms of assistance to other women in recovery if they complete an assessment. This includes bus passes and assistance with obtaining documents.

04/23/2026
Join the Maryland Department of Health's Office of Oral Health for this free training seriesoffering busy dental profess...
04/22/2026

Join the Maryland Department of Health's Office of Oral Health for this free training series
offering busy dental professionals an opportunity to brush up on all aspects of dental water line
safety infection prevention and control.

To sign up, use this link: https://bit.ly/WaterLineSafetySeminar

FREE Food Box event coming up!
04/22/2026

FREE Food Box event coming up!

We're doing another FREE food box giveaway!

For those interested, please follow this link to sign up: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XX7RLBC

*NOTE: One food box per household.

Thank you to the Allegany County Health Department - Cumberland Maryland, and Wholesome Harvest Co-op for helping to facilitate this!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day from the two best, Jackie and Leslee! AHEC West runs on you! We're so grateful to...
04/22/2026

Happy Administrative Professionals Day from the two best, Jackie and Leslee! AHEC West runs on you! We're so grateful to have you and for your hard work and dedication every single day. Thank you for all that you do!

Address

39 Baltimore Street
Cumberland, MD
21502

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

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Our Story

Maryland Area Health Education Center West, also known as "AHEC West," is a rural, community-based organization serving Appalachian counties in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. To fulfill our mission to improve access to and promote quality in health care through education and collaboration, we partner with local, state, federal, and private organizations working toward mutual goals of a fair national distribution of health professionals and the elimination of health disparities due to rurality, poverty, race, and culture.

Programs 1. Clinical Education provides clinical rotations for health professions students to experience health care in a rural setting and to encourage them to practice in an under-served area. 2. Continuing Education Courses and Training Programs provide health professionals in the AHEC West service area with vital licensing and other educational opportunities. 3. Exploring Careers in Health Occupations (ECHO) is an AHEC West summer residential program designed to recruit tomorrow's health professionals today, and in an era of health professional shortages, to “grow our own.” ECHO provides high school students with educational support and job training skills to nurture an interest in health careers. 4. Mountain Health Alliance (MHA) is a Network of public health care agencies, hospitals, and community organizations that works to broaden access to health care, especially for low income and/or uninsured, under-served adults. MHA serves a three state, five county region that includes Allegany, Garrett, and western Washington County, Maryland; Bedford County, Pennsylvania; and Mineral County, West Virginia. 5. NAO HPV Prevention Project: Beginning her fourth year in a national effort to raise HPV immunization rates through provider education, Joy Taylor of AHEC West is one of four Project Specialists overseeing the nationwide campaign being coordinated by the National AHEC Organization (NAO). 6. Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research Program (GGEAR) is a collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore on continuing education for health professionals and caregivers providing services to older adults and interdisciplinary geriatric team training (GAIT) for University of Maryland System health professions students.

7. Geriatric Assessment Interdisciplinary Team (GAIT) is an inter-professional geriatrics training program for University System of Maryland students. 8. Stretching To EmPower (STEP): The STEP program is one of 16 community initiatives nationwide approved in July, 2017 by the federal Office on Women's Health (OWH) to reduce opioid misuse among women. Offered at three public housing sites in Allegany County, Md., STEP educates, motivates and strengthens women, arming them intellectually, psychologically and physically against the risks and ravages of opioid misuse. 9. Health Right: Formerly an independent non-profit and now a program of AHEC West, Health Right provides emergency dental care to low-income, under-insured residents of Western Maryland and the surrounding region.