This project, Enhancing AHEC Learner Engagement and Community Partnerships Using a CRM, led by Wisconsin Northern Highland Area Health Education Center (AHEC) strengthened its outreach and communications capacity by implementing a centralized customer relationship management system. The project brought together contact data from all seven regional AHEC centers and the Wisconsin AHEC State Program Office, replacing separate spreadsheets with a shared, user-friendly system. Customized workflows and automations now support more coordinated programming, marketing and learner engagement, helping Wisconsin AHEC better connect with health care students and professionals across rural and underserved communities.
The Challenge
Northern Highland Area Health Education Center (NH AHEC) works to strengthen Wisconsin’s health care workforce by providing education and training opportunities in rural and medically underserved communities. However, the organization faced challenges efficiently managing outreach and engagement with learners, community partners, the six other regional AHEC centers and the Wisconsin AHEC State Program Office. Contact information was maintained in separate spreadsheets with limited functionality, making it difficult to share current information, coordinate communications, and maximize learner recruitment and retention.
These limitations were particularly significant as virtual learning became a dominant method of delivering education following the COVID-19 pandemic. Wisconsin AHEC programs collectively serve more than 4,000 learners annually, including high school students, college health professions students and practicing healthcare professionals. Without a centralized system, NH AHEC risked missing opportunities to reach learners across regional boundaries, including individuals who lived near a program site but just outside the region in which it was offered.
Project Goals
The project aimed to strengthen NH AHEC’s outreach and communications capacity by implementing a shared customer relationship management (CRM) platform and transferring existing, siloed contact information into a centralized database. The CRM would allow NH AHEC to maintain accurate, up-to-date contact information, coordinate outreach with regional and statewide AHEC partners and better recruit, train and retain Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce.
Results
The project successfully established a centralized CRM system for Wisconsin AHEC using Monday.com. The team coordinated with staff from all seven regional AHEC centers and the Wisconsin AHEC State Program Office to support a smooth and timely transfer of existing contact data. All centers and the state program office successfully uploaded their data by the project deadline.
With this shared infrastructure in place, Wisconsin AHEC staff can now collectively access and use a centralized database to coordinate statewide and regional programming. The CRM has improved operational efficiency, strengthened communication among AHEC centers and supported more coordinated outreach and learner engagement across Wisconsin.
As part of a pilot initiative, a customized workflow template and several automations were created that allowed the centers to collaboratively manage AHEC’s newsletter and marketing efforts for the Virtual Future Oral Health Workforce Day event. Overall, the award strengthened Wisconsin Northern Highland AHEC’s capacity to connect and communicate with learners and partners, reduce missed outreach opportunities, and better serve rural and underserved communities throughout the state.
