In 2015, the Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center (SEAAHEC) entered into an agreement with the University of Alabama, Birmingham Department of Preventative Medicine as a subcontractor in a research study: The Triple Threat. The program is a function of the Southeastern Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure Control in low-income, minority patients who suffer from hypertension and live in the regional Black-Belt counties of Alabama and North Carolina. The University

The role of an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is often defined by the colloquial expression: Find ‘em, Train ‘em, Keep ‘em – a pipeline reference to the identification, education, and retention of health care professionals. In fact, it is the overarching goal of the federally funded AHEC program to build and retain a strong health-care workforce in rural and underserved counties. Of the 67 counties in Alabama, more than 81% are considered rural and all but two of those 5