In 1992, the Southside Area Healh Education Center (AHEC) was incorporated by local community leaders to address the availability and distribution of health care providers in its 15 county and 3 city region. Health care workers are in short supply in 12 of Southside AHEC's rural communities, which is compounded by a growing demand for health care services. To help these underserved communities attract and produce more health care professionals, the Southside AHEC engages in a wide array of education-based activities that range from summer health careers camps and school clubs for middle and high school students to clinical training opportunites for health professions students in community-based clinics to providing educational resources for health care practitioners. Activities supported by the Southside AHEC help communities meet growing health care needs now and for the future.