Rural Minnesotans face a number of health care obstacles that are not found, or are less pronounced, in urban areas. Minnesota is not alone in this problem.  Many of the things that create challenges in rural areas are shared by states throughout our country. Overcoming – at least some of these obstacles – is part of the AHEC mission. A recent Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) article highlighted these rural health care challenges. They include: Doctor shortages – especially family practice physicians. Due to rural health issues, reimbursement protocols, federal health care policies, and

All Minnesotans deserve access to quality health care. While Minnesotans currently enjoy some of the best health care resources in the nation, there are some areas of our state where there is a shortage of health care professionals or facilities. In these areas, there is no quick fix to the health care access problem. If we are to provide quality health care in these regions, there are multiple resources that must be connected to find a solution. The overriding goal of the Minnesota AHEC Network is to ensure that this can happen. Part of our mission is to help create a "virtuous circ