Michelle Bowman Ohio

Batesville's AHEC will attract health workers

-- — Rural communities across the country are facing difficulties in recruiting and retaining health professionals.

“The mission of the East Indiana-Area Health Education Center is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care in our region, with emphasis on medically underserved populations,” reports EI-AHEC program coordinator Ben Cooley. In order to meet these challenges, the organization has a threefold objective: “Find them. Train them. Keep them.”

The Batesville office is manned by three Batesville residents, executive director Rhonda Savage; K-12 outreach coordinator Jeff Hartz; and Cooley.

Hartz says the find them piece is reaching out to students and “showing that science and math are important .... We speak to classes or go to health fairs” to let them know what health care careers are available.

Enrichment and afterschool programs will target students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, he reports.

Cooley notes, “Indianapo-lis is oversaturated with med students.” The EI-AHEC partners with health care providers in the region to offer clinical rotation placements for health professions students. Two area physicians, Dr. Kimberly Kick and Dr. Bradley Dubois, are working with third-year medical students.

Hartz notes, “Keep them has to do with training and professional development for practitioners already in the area .... to make them feel part of the community.”

Savage reveals, “EcO15’s health care component has really taken us under their wing and helped us.” In addition, “using tools, such as our Web site (www.eiahec.org), we let students know there are other options available besides becoming a doctor or nurse because med school and nursing school are very competitive.

“We would like to be the support system for students who want to go into a health care career, but just don’t know what to do .... We hope to find some service learning for them,” she stresses.

“We would love to have a summer enrichment program, where we match students with organizations of health care .... If there are organizations who need summer help next year, we would like to know that.

“We also want students to know they are welcome to come back to this area to work .... too often they go to school, and we never see them again.”

Hartz adds, “We’re fortunate to have Margaret Mary Community Hospital as a very willing and helpful partner .... They have such a strong emphasis on community outreach.

tamara & costin | engaged » michele bowman photography

A couple of weeks ago i had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with Tamara & Costin in Windsor. they wanted an urban session and i gave them run down buildings. these two live in Toronto, but are getting married here in Windsor this coming November, so they came for the weekend, some wedding planning and some photo fun!

we tried to take a few photos in the grass, but as you can see from one of the photos, they aren’t really grass and meadow type of people!! (oh boy, was that funny).

i’m trying to decide what to write about these two, but all that comes to mind is laughter. they are so much fun to be around!! my face was so sore by the time i was finished the session, and  i can only imagine how i’ll feel on their wedding day this coming fall.

Tamara and Costin absolutely adore each other, and i’m thrilled to have a small glimpse into their lives and into their love.

thank you for making me laugh. it felt wonderful.

see you in November!

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