New Eastern North Dakota Health Education Center will boost health workforce Bill Krivarchka and Katie Anderson will lead the new Eastern North Dakota Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Located in Mayville, North Dakota’s eastern AHEC is designed to increase health workforce by connecting schools, medical facilities and communities. As director, Dr. Krivarchka will develop programs that will attract and retain health care providers in underserved areas. In addition, he will work to develop the AHEC through fundraising. Prior to joining AHEC, he was a staff dentist for the Veterans Affairs Health Center in Fargo. He also established Goose River Dental, a private practice in Mayville, with satellite offices in Northwood and Page. A native of Bowman, Dr. Krivarchka has served on the boards of the Traill County Health District (18 years) and MayPort and Traill County Economic Development, and is a former executive director of the Mayville State University Foundation. He received his DDS degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Anderson, the center’s education coordinator, will connect with educators and students from kindergarten through graduate school. A native of Park River, she was previously the Tobacco Prevention and Safe Communities Coordinator for Traill District Health Unit in Mayville and Hillsboro, and museum director of the Steele County Historical Society in Hope. Anderson has a Bachelor of Science in education and holds a North Dakota teaching certificate. “I look forward to the exciting, challenging endeavor of helping clinics and hospitals recruit and retain health care workers in rural underserved areas,” said Dr. Krivarchka. “as well as addressing health workforce shortages and educating students about health care career options.” With funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, together with the Center for Rural Health and the College of Nursing, are developing and implementing three area Health Education Centers across North Dakota. The eastern ND AHEC is the first to be developed. Over the next five years, UND will develop Area Health Education Centers across the central and western regions to provide a variety of training experiences. These centers will link UND with local communities, hospitals and clinics to augment health-related training activities. Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo, has provided $10,000 in additional support for the ND AHEC initiative. Dakota Medical Foundation focuses its efforts on improving health and access to medical and dental care in the region, with a special emphasis on children. -- Denis F. MacLeod, Communications Specialist, Center for Rural Health, dmacleod@medicine.nodak.edu, 701-777-3300