Capital AHEC's 3-Phase Plan for our Communities

The process of assisting communities through the 3 phases of Recruitment and Retention, short, medium, and long ranged goals, is one of the tried and true methods of getting, keeping, and growing your own healthcare professionals. It also leads to a closer partnership between the community and its’ local hospitals and clinics. We have used this model in Texas before to great success. What that means to your community is that you have access to a whole state’s worth of AHEC Practice, Entry, and Support staff’s efforts on your behalf.

1. This is your most immediate staffing needs. We will assist you to fill these via tools such as Texas Health Match (THM), where you will set up a community profile and post your staffing needs. THM can also assist with skilled workers such as administrative staff, and support personnel. Capital AHEC is available to assist you with setting up that profile if you should need any help. As soon as your profile is activated, the THM system will go to work for you making matches and sending you resumes to look at that match your needs, and the support staff of THM, which includes the state health department, the Office of Rural Community Affairs, and the AHECs, just to name a few, will begin to search for and refer matches to you as well.
2. We will use every data base in our toolbox and keep sending you potentials until you find the match you are looking for. Along that vein, we will also connect you with Mr. Clay Daniel and the Texas Department of State Health Services: Office of Primary Care, who are the state’s experts in J-1 Visa doctors, and the National Health Service Corps, which will be more of a Phase 2 type connection.

1. Capital AHEC will assist you in setting up a working Recruitment and Retention Team (R&R), consisting of persons from the hospital, other health related entities, and community leaders. With this team we will help you formulate a plan for recruiting, retaining, and enticing healthcare professionals to come and stay in your community, as well as succession planning for your retiring and or relocating health professionals.
2. We will assist you in making connections with teaching institutions that will rotate student healthcare professionals, fellowships, internships, etc., and assist the R&R team with ideas on how to maintain a community connection to those people who have transitioned through your facility.
3. We will assist you in creating a community based toolbox.  It will show you what grants and programs you qualify for and what you can offer, over and above salary. Examples would be loan forgiveness programs, healthcare related revolving loans, access to National Health Service Corps, AmeriCorps, and other organizations that place healthcare workers, etc.

1. We will assist you in locating and or creating opportunities within your area to identify those young adult with an interest in healthcare careers. Examples are groups like the Boy Scouts of America’s Healthcare Explorers, healthcare related summer camps, and school based clubs.
2. We will assist your R&R team in coming up with a graduated incentives and support plan to nurture these students through their scholastic endeavors and back into your community/hospital.