Maryland Area Health Education Center West, also known as “AHEC West,” is a rural, community-based organization serving Appalachian counties in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. To fulfill our mission to improve access to and promote quality in health care through educational and other partnerships, we collaborate with local, state, federal, and private organizations working toward mutual goals of a fair national distribution of health professionals and the elimination of health disparities due to rurality, poverty, race, and culture.