SEAHEC: Increasing the quality of healthcare in Southeastern North Carolina
By Paul Woodworth
Dr. Terry Pieper sees 15 to 20 patients a day at Howe Street Internal Medicine in Brunswick County, treating nearly everything from acid reflux to the common cold.
The primary-care physician is among the increaseing number of healthcare providers serving fast-growing Brunswick County, thanks in large measure to the efforts of SEAHEC, the South East Area Health Education Center.
The nonprofit organization works to improve the quality of healthcare in the region by providing education, training and resources to healthcare professionals in Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover and Pender counties. SEAHEC also works to inspire youth to pursue healthcare careers and retrains healthcare professionals who had previously left the profession.
Pieper has been practicing in Brunswick County since graduating in 2002 from the Internal Medicine residency program that SEAHEC administers for New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
"I was interested in a community-based program that offered a quality education but was family-friendly," Dr. Pieper says. "From my first visit, everyone was so accommodating and friendly, there was no doubt it was the right fit."
Improving Healthcare
SEAHEC is one of nine regional health-education groups in the North Carolina AHEC Program. The statewide initiative provides educational programs in partnership with academic institutions, healthcare agencies and like-minded organizations. A majority of SEAHEC funding comes from its own faculty practice plan; other sources include the State of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, grants and private contributions.
"Through our outreach and education efforts, SEAHEC has dramatically improved the quality of healthcare available to residents in Brunswick County and throughout southeast North Carolina," says Mark Darrow, MD, President and CEO of SEAHEC.
SEAHEC was first established in 1973 as Wilmington AHEC and changed its name to Coastal AHEC in 1992. In January 2008 the organization became SEAHEC as part of a long-term strategy to broaden awareness of its mission.
SEAHEC provides high-quality healthcare education to medical, dental, physician assistant, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professionals and students.
Serving All Communities
"Part of SEAHEC’s mission is to bring more healthcare providers to underserved communities," Darrow says. "These students are trained locally; we feel this approach gives them real-world experience while trying to help them find a place in our community."
A study in June 2007 by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit that provides analysis and advice on the health of North Carolina’s population, found major shortages of physicians in primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics and geriatrics in eastern and southeastern North Carolina.
In Brunswick County, a growing influx of homebuyers and businesses has transformed a rural farming community into the county with the nation’s 14th-highest rate of population growth. Healthcare leaders in Brunswick are working to ensure medical care keeps pace, including pursuing a replacement for Brunswick Community Hospital in Supply.
In response to the needs of the fast-growing community, SEAHEC also has expanded its focus to include specialized patient care, medical support services and continuing education.
Close Relationships
SEAHEC remains committed to attracting medical residents to the region and retaining them after their residencies.
"I was drawn to the area because of the hospital’s strong medicine program," Dr. Pieper says. "Then I visited Southport and fell in love with the small-town environment."
The three-year internal medicine residency program Pieper completed is one of four accredited Graduate Medical Education Programs that SEAHEC administers in close affiliation with New Hanover Regional and the School of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Those residency programs also include general surgery, obstetrics/gynecology and family medicine.
The graduate programs are taught by 25 faculty members of the UNC-CH School of Medicine permanently based in Wilmington and local
spotlight
Dr. Terry
Pieper sees 15 to 20 patients a day at Howe Street Internal Medicine in Brunswick County, treating nearly everything from acid reflux to the common cold.The primary-care physician is among the increaseing number of healthcare providers serving fast-growing Brunswick County, thanks in large measure to the efforts of SEAHEC, the South East Area Health Education Center.
The nonprofit organization works to improve the quality of healthcare in the region by providing education, training and resources to healthcare professionals in Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover and Pender counties. SEAHEC also works to inspire youth to pursue healthcare careers and retrains healthcare professionals who had previously left the profession.
Pieper has been practicing in Brunswick County since graduating in 2002 from the Internal Medicine residency program that SEAHEC administers for New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
"I was interested in a community-based program that offered a quality education but was family-friendly," Dr. Pieper says. "From my first visit, everyone was so accommodating and friendly, there was no doubt it was the right fit."
Improving Healthcare
SEAHEC is one of nine regional health-education groups in the North Carolina AHEC Program. The statewide initiative provides educational programs in partnership with academic institutions, healthcare agencies and like-minded organizations. A majority of SEAHEC funding comes from its own faculty practice plan; other sources include the State of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, grants and private contributions.
"Through our outreach and education efforts, SEAHEC has dramatically improved the quality of healthcare available to residents in Brunswick County and throughout southeast North Carolina," says Mark Darrow, MD, President and CEO of SEAHEC.
SEAHEC was first established in 1973 as Wilmington AHEC and changed its name to Coastal AHEC in 1992. In January 2008 the organization became SEAHEC as part of a long-term strategy to broaden awareness of its mission.
SEAHEC provides high-quality healthcare education to medical, dental, physician assistant, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professionals and students.
Serving All Communities
"Part of SEAHEC’s mission is to bring more healthcare providers to underserved communities," Darrow says. "These students are trained locally; we feel this approach gives them real-world experience while trying to help them find a place in our community."
A study in June 2007 by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit that provides analysis and advice on the health of North Carolina’s population, found major shortages of physicians in primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics and geriatrics in eastern and southeastern North Carolina.
In Brunswick County, a growing influx of homebuyers and businesses has transformed a rural farming community into the county with the nation’s 14th-highest rate of population growth. Healthcare leaders in Brunswick are working to ensure medical care keeps pace, including pursuing a replacement for Brunswick Community Hospital in Supply.
In response to the needs of the fast-growing community, SEAHEC also has expanded its focus to include specialized patient care, medical support services and continuing education.
Close Relationships
SEAHEC remains committed to attracting medical residents to the region and retaining them after their residencies.
"I was drawn to the area because of the hospital’s strong medicine program," Dr. Pieper says. "Then I visited Southport and fell in love with the small-town environment."
The three-year internal medicine residency program Pieper completed is one of four accredited Graduate Medical Education Programs that SEAHEC administers in close affiliation with New Hanover Regional and the School of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Those residency programs also include general surgery, obstetrics/gynecology and family medicine.
The graduate programs are taught by 25 faculty members of the UNC-CH School of Medicine permanently based in Wilmington and local private-practice physicians who hold UNC-CH appointments.
SEAHEC maintains close working relationships with healthcare facilities, including seven hospitals, five public health departments and three mental health centers. These sites are used as training centers for health-professions students and medical residents, as well as for continuing education programs developed by SEAHEC.
"The graduate medical education students conduct rounds in area hospitals, health departments and private practices, giving them experience in multiple environments," Darrow says. "These environments also create a network of professional contacts that help keep the students in the area after they have completed their education."
Training for a Lifetime
In Leland, Dr. Sanjay Batish of Batish Family Medicine works as an associate professor with UNC-CH through SEAHEC to teach medical students from UNC-CH, Duke University, East Carolina University and Wake Forest University. The students conduct medical rounds in his office as part of their training. Under Batish’s supervision, the students meet with patients to help evaluate their conditions and assess the proper treatments.
"The students bring a new energy to the office whenever they are here," Batish says. "They bring fresh sets of questions and fresh sets of eyes to situations we see every day. Their different perspectives can help us see things differently."
In addition to training new medical professionals, SEAHEC offers continuing education programs targeting the 9,000 healthcare professionals in the five-county area. The programs focus on the latest technologies, procedures and treatments and are designed to meet the needs of the region, while being customized for specific agencies or healthcare disciplines. The programs include nursing, dental, allied health, mental health, public health, pharmacotherapy and continuing medical education.
In 2006–07, SEAHEC held 391 programs—including such topics as The Basics of Addiction and Wound Management—attended by 8,476 healthcare providers, including 407 from Brunswick County.
"The continuing medical education classes at SEAHEC are convenient," says Batish. "I can attend the class without having to close the office for the whole day. For other continuing medical education programs, I’ve had to drive over two hours to get to a class."
Wilmington Orthopaedic Group Partnership
SEAHEC also co-sponsors seminars with local orthopaedic practices, including Wilmington Orthopaedic Group, to update local orthopaedists on important bone and joint issues.
"Wilmington Orthopaedic Group has partnered with SEAHEC for the past 12 years to present a program called ‘Update in Orthopaedics’," says Mark Foster, M.D. of Wilmington Orthopaedic Group.
The 2007 seminar, ‘The Five Things You Should Know’, explored the most important points relating to a variety of musculoskeletal problems, such as ‘Five Principals of Pain Management’ and ‘Five Reasons Why My Back Hurts’. The symposium attracted 180 participants, ranging from physicians to physical therapists to case managers, including 14 healthcare professionals from Brunswick County.
"While our symposium each year is based in orthopaedics," Foster says, "we have covered topics such as professional burnout and medical missions that would benefit primary-care providers as well."
Established in 1955, Wilmington Orthopaedic Group is the oldest orthopaedic practice in Wilmington, and it opened a Southport office in November 2007. "With our recent expansion, we are pleased to provide quality healthcare to a greater part of the region," Foster says.
The practice is contributing to a rising tide of healthcare service in Brunswick County. Darrow of SEAHEC says the future looks promising.
"The end result of all our efforts," Darrow says, "is increasing the number and quality of healthcare professionals providing consistent, high-quality patient care in Brunswick County and throughout the region."
Opinions in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views.