Page 29 - COM Outlook - Spring 2013

29 COM Outlook . Spring 2013
MELNICK MEMORIES
Looking Back…at Some AHEC Highlights
By Arnold Melnick, D.O., M.Sc., FACOP
Founding Dean of Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM)
All I knew about area health education
centers (AHEC) back in 1983 was what I heard
about them at a meeting I described in one of
my earliest columns. The key points of inter-
est for me were support of rural medicine and
some financial help. Plus, they included training
programs for medical students. That was enough
for me and I jumped in. Little did I realize what
benefits to everyone this program would bring—
or the memories it would provoke.
Becoming part of the national AHEC pro-
gram—and getting compensated for what we
did—enabled us to develop and expand our
already established Department of Rural Medi-
cine and train even more students. That was a
result we had not really anticipated.
Then came another benefit. Working with the
other three state medical schools to help them
get into the AHEC system, and then develop-
ing an informal but friendly cooperative group,
enabled us to create lines of communication
between SECOM and the other Florida medi-
cal schools. I believe this linkage also improved
some thinking about SECOM and osteopathic
medicine and minimized possible osteopathic
discrimination. In this effort, Steven Zucker,
D.M.D., M.Ed., our AHEC director, in addition to
his specific job, played a most important role.
These advantages and achievements also
brought great help to the people we served. I
am not sure SECOM could have financially done
it alone, but with AHEC’s help, medical care and
service in rural areas and in underserved popula-
tions in South Florida, and then ultimately to all
of the state, underwent considerable growth
and improvement. Many more people received
improved health care, and it all sprang from one
simple meeting in Washington, D.C.
Numbers sometimes illustrate the story. Un-
der our aegis, 25,000 student rotations, 5 million
hours of service in underserved communities,
and more than 200,000 school children, tobacco
users, and health professionals all benefitted. Ev-
ery dollar and every hour spent provided better
health care for thousands of underserved people.
Unexpectedly, this new AHEC affiliation
brought unexpectedly great honors to me per-
sonally for my role. Early on, Dr. Zucker almost
completely took over the work of SECOM’s
AHEC Program. Because some of his fine work
reflected nicely on me, several organizations rec-
ognized me personally. In 1988, the Everglades
Area Health Education Center honored me with
its Distinguished Service Award. In 1991, the
National AHEC Directors Association did like-
wise, and in 1996, the Florida Statewide AHEC
Program also gave me a similar honor. I accepted
all three on behalf of SECOM’s AHEC because our
program was providing the vital services.
I haven’t mentioned money, but financial
support was crucial because it funded much of
the services and education we provided in rural
areas. In 2012 alone, we received about $2.7
million to support our AHEC services. And since
our start with AHEC, our school has been awarded
around $75 million. If I had dreamed of money
in 1983, even my wildest ones never would have
figured on the vastness of the monetary support
we received. And by no stretch of the imagination
could I have visualized our great impact on the
underserved people of Florida.
From impulse to millions of dollars—from
hope to the provision of numerous health care
services. And much of the credit goes to Dr.
Zucker, his associates, and all the students who
participated in rotations under AHEC’s aegis.
Editor’s Note: The
Melnick Memories
column you are
about to read marks
the conclusion of a
productive seven-year
collaboration with
COM Outlook that has
allowed Dr. Melnick
to share his historical
reflections of the events
that led to the creation,
growth, and maturation
of both the College of
Osteopathic Medicine
and the Health
Professions Division.
We thank Dr. Melnick
for his journalistic
contributions to COM
Outlook, which have
allowed us to see inside
the development of our
great college.
Dr. Steven Zucker