In 1994, the South Central Area Health Education Center (AHEC) was incorporated by local community leaders to address the availability and distribution of health care workers in a 8 county and 4 city region. Health care workers are in short supply in 9 of the South Central AHEC's 12 communities which is compounded by a growing demand for services. To help these underserved communities attract and produce more health care professionals, the South Central AHEC engages in a wide array of education-based activites that range from summer health careers camps for middle and high school students to clinical training opportunities for health professions students in community clinics to providing educational resources for health care practitioners. Activities supposrted by the South Central AHEC help communities meet growing health care needs now and for the future.