ECSU partners with Eastern Area Health Education Center to establish sub-center for healthcare education

Linita Shannon
June 03, 2015

Elizabeth City, NC- Elizabeth City State University has partnered with the Eastern Area Health Education Center (EAHEC) to establish a sub-center for healthcare education. The center will be based out of the Pharmacy/Health Services Building on the campus of ECSU. The Eastern Area Health Education Center (EAHEC), which is based in Greenville, NC, received a $700,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to fund the establishment. EAHEC is a nonprofit organization serving the 23 northeastern counties of NC with healthcare workforce development, professional education, and technical assistance for healthcare transformation. Elizabeth City State University has a rigorous focus on academic excellence through liberal arts programs and uses innovative and flexible technology-based instruction models to enhance its signature areas: integrating technology with education, improving human health and wellness, and advancing the natural and aviation sciences. The sub-center’s location on the campus of ECSU will allow for more concentrated workforce efforts in the seven surrounding counties: Pasquotank, Perquimans, Hertford, Gates, Chowan, Currituck, and Camden. Dr. Stacey Franklin Jones, Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University, said, &quotWe are pleased to support and partner with EAHEC to meet our region’s need for well-trained healthcare professionals. Housing this initiative on our campus provides both an excellent education and training environment for prospective and current healthcare professionals, and lends to direct accessibility for the greater northeastern North Carolina area. That’s exciting.&quot Dr. Lorrie Basnight, Executive Director of Eastern AHEC, commented about receiving the grant, &quotWe are looking forward to working closely with Elizabeth City State University to establish an Eastern AHEC office in the northeastern corner of North Carolina. Having an office and staff in Elizabeth City will allow us to more readily serve the area. We are particularly excited about supporting high school and college students who might consider a career in the health professions and then return to their home communities to practice. Our ultimate intention is to foster the health professions for all of the seven counties in that region of the state. The Duke Endowment grant is key to helping us realize this goal.&quot Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.