Emilee Slagle and Caleb McKinney, of Mitchell High School, and Kyler Glover, of Mountain Heritage High School (not pictured), completed a semester-long Project PROMISE internship. (Submitted)
The Mountain Area Health Education Center, or MAHEC, thanked Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, Mountain Community Health Partnership, local healthcare providers and clinical team members in Yancey and Mitchell counties for their support of Project PROMISE, or Providing Rural Opportunities in Medicine through Inspiring Service and Education.
Emilee Slagle and Caleb McKinney, of Mitchell High School, and Kyler Glover, of Mountain Heritage High School, completed a semester-long Project PROMISE internship.
“MAHEC is grateful for the willingness of these partners to host Project PROMISE students and a variety of other learners as part of its Rural Health Initiative to train future healthcare professionals to improve health in Western North Carolina,” according to a press release. “This initiative focuses on addressing healthcare shortages in Western North Carolina to improve the health of our region and our local economies.”
MAHEC launched Project PROMISE in Yancey and Mitchell Counties in 2016. Since then, the program has expanded to include Madison and McDowell counties.
Each year, the Project PROMISE provides local high school juniors and seniors with health sciences and career mentorship experiences. Students have the opportunity to participate in medical workshops, shadow with local healthcare providers while earning school credit through the Careers and Technical Education Program. Selected students are also eligible to attend a summer health careers camp at UNC Asheville.
This past year, the following local healthcare practices and organizations provided ongoing support for MAHEC’s Rural Health Initiative and Project PROMISE:
• Blue Ridge Regional Hospital
• Mountain Community Health Partnership
• Dr. Chad Smoker & Team
• Dr. Brie Folkner & Team
• Appalachian Eye Associates
• Julius Aldridge, DDS & Team
• Toe River Health District
• Mountain Medical Arts
Visit www.mahec.net/rural for more information about MAHEC’s Rural Health Initiative. Physicians or healthcare providers interested in hosting a learner should call regional manager Bryan McClure at 828-767-0066 or send an email to Bryan.McClure@mahec.net.