| The Council of Allied Health in North Carolina
has been in place since 1991. Since its inception, the Council
has been successful in achieving goals within its mission to
ensure that North Carolinians will have access to a well-prepared
and well-distributed workforce. We have established, with the
Sheps Center for Health Services Research, a model database
of supply and demand information on the allied health workforce
in North Carolina. A Council initiative in 1994 resulted in
General Assembly funding for the expansion of personnel preparation
programs in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech-Language
Pathology. The graduates of these expanded programs entered
the workforce in 1998 and provided much needed relief in workforce
shortages in those respective disciplines throughout the state.
The Council further served as a forum for facilitation of advancement
of school-based Speech-Language Pathologists to Master's level
preparation by way of distance education.
We see the future of the Council as continuing in this positive
direction. Our optimistic view is reflected in the Council's
unique multidisciplinary approach to health care and cooperative
leadership among the practitioners, employers and educators
who make up its membership. Through a grant from the Duke Endowment,
the Council has hired its first Executive Director and established
an office of the Council. We invite you to learn more about
allied health and the many issues that face us as we seek to
meet the future healthcare needs of North Carolina citizens.
The Council meets in Chapel Hill bimonthly on the first Wednesday
beginning the year in January and meetings are open to the public.
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