Brooklyn Queens Long Island Area Health Education Center

The Brooklyn- Queens-Long Island Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization established in August 2003. The Center is one of three New York Metropolitan Region AHECs that were developed to address the health workforce issues in underserved communities. By providing services to four counties (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk) BQLI-AHEC target area is one of the largest regions in the New York State. The Executive Director and Board of Directors provide leadership to the AHEC. The Board of Directors is comprised of professionals from community health centers, education institutions, hospitals, businesses and community-based organizations. BQLI AHEC receives federal and state funding provided through the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). The mission of the Brooklyn- Queens-Long Island Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) is to improve health care outcomes in underserved area through the development of education, mentoring and training programs to increase the pool of skilled providers that will service underserved communities. Since its inception in 2003, BQLI-AHEC has exposed over 5,000 middle, high school and college students to challenging, rewarding careers in medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, health education, health care administrative and support services and emergency care. Youth ages 13-21 have learned about health professions through workshops, job shadowing, facility tours, structured internships and on-going mentorship.