West Texas Area Health Education Center Director Receives 2012 Rural Health Award

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) recently announced Rebecca Conditt, director of the West Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC), as one of its 2012 Rural Health Award recipients. The West Texas AHEC is part of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health.

Conditt was named the NRHA’s Volunteer of the Year for her longtime involvement with the organization. She serves on a number of committees and councils, and has worked with the  membership department on several campaigns to promote NRHA to Texas Rural Health Association members.

As director of the West Texas AHEC, Conditt oversees an expansive program jointly funded by Texas state appropriation and federal grant funding. The West Texas AHEC addresses the health care provider shortage and improves health care access in West Texas through education and development of the health care workforce. AHEC introduces children in kindergarten through 12^th grade to health careers, supports rural clinical training for students who are in the health professions, provides practice support to existing health care professionals, promotes healthy living and assists in community-based health planning.

The NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference attracts more than 900 rural health professionals and students to Denver. The conference is the largest gathering of rural health professionals in the nation. John Snow Inc. provides scholarships to the student awardees to participate in the event.

NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. Membership is made up of 22,000 diverse individuals and organizations, which share the common bond of an interest in rural health.

For more breaking news and experts, follow @ttuhscnews on Twitter.