Eastern Connecticut’s Area Health Education Center Inc. will celebrate 20 years of community service on March 4 at its annual meeting at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.

EAHEC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve and enhance access to meaningful quality services meeting the needs of the community. Services include culturally and linguistically appropriate health care education focused on diversity, quality and distribution of future health care professionals in New London and Windham counties.

The federal Area Health Education Center program was established in 1973 as a way to encourage medical schools to increase the number of students and residents trained in rural communities. The AHEC is housed in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. The Connecticut AHEC program was established in 1995 by the state legislature and received its first funding in 1997.

Among the state program's objectives is to coordinate continuing education programs for medical and social service providers in meeting regulatory requirements; recruit and train health workers and institute advanced career paths through higher education; provide health career recruitment programs to high school and college students with opportunities in the medical field and care to the underserved; and to cultivate and promote developing international approaches and strategies specific to health care needs of growing immigrant and refugee populations throughout the region.

Miriam Delphi-Rittman, commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, will be one of the speakers at the March 4 event. Also speaking will be Robert Trachtenberg, the chief executive officer of the national AHEC; and Bruce Gould, director of the state program.

For information visit www.easternctahec.org.