Piedmont AHEC is affiliated with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) program of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill.
Initiatives
We deliver quality activities and services that our customers and partners value.
Our Vision
We envision a state where every North Carolinian is healthy and supported by an appropriate and well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.
Our Values
Excellence
We deliver quality activities and services that our customers and partners value.
Improvement
We continuously innovate and improve our work.
Integrity
We act with fairness, transparency, and the highest level of ethics.
Collaboration
We value partnerships and support interprofessional approaches.
Story Spotlight
In a quiet hospital room, a social worker once found herself at a loss for words. A patient was dying, and the weight of the moment felt immense. Unsure of how to offer comfort, she turned to Dr. Rita Layson, a leader in hospice care in Greensboro, NC, and admitted, "I don't know what to say." That moment of vulnerability planted the seed for what would become "What Do I Say?"—a program designed to equip professionals, caregivers, and community members with the skills to communicate with the seriously ill and dying.
Now, more than two decades later, the "What Do I Say?" program, provided by Piedmont AHEC and AuthoraCare Collective, continues to guide participants through one of life's most difficult realities. Led now by Risa Hanau, MSW, LCSW, Clinical and Community Educator, and Debbie Garner, MSW, Social Worker, the program blends education, introspection, and shared experiences to help attendees navigate conversations about death and dying with compassion and confidence.
The Piedmont AHEC Service Region
Serving Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Montgomery, Orange, Randolph, and Rockingham counties.
