Mission and Programs:
The Brooklyn-Queens-Long Island Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization established in August 2003. The Center is one of three New York Metropolitan Region AHECs that were developed to address the health workforce issues in underserved communities. By providing services to four counties (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk) BQLI-AHEC
target area is one of the largest regions in the New York State. Nine communities within this catchment area have been designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. These areas include: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Coney Island, East New York, Bushwick and Williamsburg in Brooklyn; South Jamaica and Far Rockaway in Queens; North Valley Stream, Elmont, Hempstead, Roosevelt and Freeport in Long Island. Organization Mission:
The mission of the Brooklyn- Queens-Long Island Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) is to improve health care outcomes in underserved area through the development of education, mentoring and training programs to increase the pool of skilled providers that will service underserved communities. Activities/Strategies:
• BQLI-AHEC encourages local youth from underrepresented and disadvantage minority backgrounds to pursue health careers through the development of mentorship, training and workforce opportunities.
• BQLI-AHEC builds and fosters collaborative partnerships with community based organizations, hospitals and schools.
• BQLI-AHEC develops a network of health and education resources to foster collaboration, share information and promote health professions education to the targeted communities.
• BQLI-AHEC participates in joint advocacy efforts to increase the number of skilled health professionals in underserved communities with the goal of improving health care outcomes. Since its inception in 2003, BQLI-AHEC has exposed over 5,000 middle, high school and college students to challenging, rewarding careers in medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, health education, health care administrative and support services and emergency care. Youth ages 13-21 have learned about health professions through workshops, job shadowing, facility tours, structured internships and on-going mentorship.
