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

We all know that physicians are vital to a community, but they are also vital to our economy.  How vital? A recent study by the American Medical Association (AMA) broke down the statistics by state.  Here are some highlights pertaining specifically to the state of Minnesota: Office-based physicians support almost 70,000 jobs. Office-based physicians contribute $16.3 billion in sales revenue (6.3% of total GDP in Minnesota). Office-based physicians in Minnesota generate $12 billion in wages and benefits. Office-based physicians generate more than $750 million in state and local tax reve

In a recent post (see below), we informed you of the Give Kids A Smile program that will be happening throughout the nation on February 3 and 4.  While the dental volunteers involved in this program are to be recognized for their service, there is another part of this story. That is that many dentists in the state of Minnesota provide services for the underserved population everyday. Unfortunately in some areas of the state, there are more people in need of dental services than there are dentists to fulfill that need. You can find out more about these Dental Health Professional Shortage Are

The economic impact of major health care components to Minnesota and its communities cannot be overstated. A good health care environment is essential to economic vitality and growth, and it is one of the foundational elements of what defines "a good place to live." Convenient access to quality health care is important to people whether they live in a big city, a smaller town or in a rural area. Because of this, the health care component of a defined economic base becomes a kingpin for long-term stability and growth. This is true for any state, not just Minnesota. A recent report in neighbori