Academic health centers play an essential role in advancing health and well-being, not only in the treatment of patients, through innovative research, and with the education of the future health workforce, but also in long-standing community partnerships. Through community outreach and local partnerships, academic health centers are expanding the realm in which they educate, research, and provide care. A significant, but often overlooked, component of academic health center community involvement is the collaborative relationship with community health centers. These relationships have enhanced the academic health center role as healthcare provider and community health leader.

To learn more about the evolving partnerships between academic health centers and community health centers, and to better understand the policy and regulatory environment guiding such collaborations, the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) conducted a survey of its member institutions. This paper presents the initial findings of the AAHC survey, providing a broad profile of academic and community health center partnerships throughout the United States. The results are based on AAHC member responses gathered in the spring and fall of 2009. A total of 39 AAHC member institutions provided information, representing nearly 40 percent of the AAHC membership.

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Attached Files

Academic Health Centers and Community Health Centers: The Landscape of Current Partnerships