The Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) is a youth pathway to health careers program in the Division of Child and Adolescent Health at the Boston Public Health Commission. Founded in 1978 and the first program of its kind in the city of Boston, BAHEC's mission is to increase racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity among Boston's healthcare workforce by raising the proportion of youth from underserved populations who successfully pursue careers in health and public health. BAHEC does this by developing, implementing, disseminating, and evaluating enrichment programs to middle and high school aged youth in Boston. Through its programming, BAHEC works to fulfill the Boston Public Health Commission's mission to "protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly the most vulnerable."
BAHEC is part of the Massachusetts Area Health Education Center (MassAHEC) Network, a statewide system to address health disparities with a focus on workforce development.
BAHEC accepts students entering the 9th to 12th grade. Students must reside in Boston to be eligible to apply for the program. Accepted students receive a stipend to participate in the program. The BAHEC program has 3 components: a summer enrichment program, an in-school academic year program, and an after-school academic year program.
BAHEC Summer Enrichment Program
BAHEC's intensive 6-week summer program provides students with academic enrichment, college preparation, and internships at healthcare sites throughout Boston. BAHEC works with partners at Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Dentistry, Harvard School of Public Health, and Boston Children's Hospital, among others. Approximately 80 students participate in the summer program annually.
Click here or the button below to apply for BAHEC's 2018 Youth to Health Careers Summer Enrichment Program.
BAHEC In-School Academic Year Program
BAHEC in-school programming is designed to educate youth about health careers as well as provide them with foundational knowledge in public health, determinants of health, and health careers. Approximately 400 students in more than eight partnering Boston public and charter middle schools participate in BAHEC's in-school programming annually.
BAHEC After-School Academic Year Program
In BAHEC after-school programming, youth are trained in introductory concepts around health insurance, health literacy, and health equity. Students also learn about health care through field specific courses including:
- Nursing
- Dentistry
- Medical Interpreting
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Careers Surrounding Disability Awareness
In addition, BAHEC students have the opportunity to participate in a Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a public health leadership program where students design, implement, and evaluate a public health intervention. BAHEC trains 40-60 youth from more than 20 partnering Boston public and charter schools in its after-school program annually. Most students have completed BAHEC's summer enrichment program prior to starting the after school program.
Through the years BAHEC students have been grown in their ability to address community issues in ways that best target their peers. One way that they've done this has been through the use of various Public Service Announcements. Thank you for taking the time to view these videos including the one below. Click here or follow the links below to see others.
BAHEC Video Archive
http://bit.ly/bahecyoutube
For more information on how to apply to or partner with BAHEC, please send an email to bahec@bphc.org or email Anthony Crosson Jr., Program Director at acrosson@bphc.org
