Dr. Carmen Piccolo Receives VCOM-Carolinas Preceptor of the Year Award

Carmen Piccolo, DO, with Pee Dee AHEC HPS Coordinators
Stephanie Flowers, MHA, and Lance Butler, MEd

Carmen Piccolo, DO, was awarded a Preceptor of the Year Award for 2017-2018 from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas campus in Spartanburg.  The Preceptor of the Year award is given each academic year to one provider per medical facility, as nominated by both third- and fourth-year medical students.

Dr. Piccolo has precepted for Pee Dee AHEC for two years. He is extremely passionate about medical education and is always willing to precept students.  He is thorough and takes pride in his work, offering students quality hands-on time and other interprofessional opportunities during their clinical rotations.  Pee Dee AHEC is thankful for his willingness to precept medical students and is confident that he is giving each student the best clinical experience during their rotation.

Dr. Piccolo is a board-certified vascular surgeon with McLeod Vascular Associates of Florence.  He studied at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and then completed his residency at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he also served as Chief Vascular Fellow for General Vascular Surgery. 

For more information, please contact Pee Dee AHEC Health Professions Student Coordinators Lance Butler or Stephanie Flowers.

Mid-Carolina AHEC Certified Nurse Aide Training Program Graduates First Cohort

Back row (left to right): Jana Hough, RN; Nikista Catoe;
Lateriyaka Anthony; Destiny Coleman; Morgan Crenshaw;
Front row: Rhonda Jewett; Marie Blackmon; Katelyn Auman;
Teresa Player; Rebecca Jackson, BSN

Currently, there is a shortage of certified nurse aides (CNAs) locally, regionally and statewide. In an effort to address a healthcare workforce need in Lancaster County, Springs Memorial Hospital and Mid-Carolina AHEC partnered to provide a local certified nursing assistant training program (CNATP). The first cohort of eight students was recruited from Springs Memorial Hospital and Lancaster County’s Adult Education program and graduated in August 2018.  All eight students passed the certification exam and are working as certified nursing assistants.  

The Commission on Higher Education (CHE) approved Mid-Carolina AHEC as a Certified Nurse Aide Training Program in March 2018, making Mid-Carolina AHEC the first regional AHEC center to receive this approval from CHE. The CNATP is a six-week program requiring didactic, skill lab experience and clinical experience. The Transitional Care Unit at Springs Memorial Hospital serves as the clinical training site for the students. Upon completion of the 100-hour program, students are eligible to take the exam for certification. After certification, employment opportunities for CNAs are available in numerous healthcare agencies: hospitals, long-term care, ambulatory care, assisted living, home care/hospice, physician offices, and private duty.

Mid-Carolina AHEC’s Rebecca Jackson, BSN, RN, and Instructor Jana Hough, RN, developed and led students through the program’s curriculum. With eight students in the inaugural class, the student to instructor ratio was four to one! Moving forward, with two instructors, the program can accept up to sixteen students per class.  

Based on need, Mid-Carolina AHEC plans to offer three programs per year. White Oak Manor, Inc. is a new partner and will serve as an additional clinical training site.  Springs Memorial Hospital and White Oak Manor, Inc.’s willingness to support the CNATP provides a multifaceted clinical experience for the students.  Nursing assistant students will have the opportunity to gain experience in both the acute care and long-term care settings, which uniquely prepares them to become members of the healthcare team.  Mid-Carolina AHEC plans to develop additional skills-based courses, such as phlebotomy and EKG monitoring, to further augment a CNA’s competence.

Lancaster County is extremely fortunate to have very supportive community partners that are committed to excellence in healthcare! If you are interested in participating in the CNATP, please go to Mid-Carolina AHEC’s website at midcarolinaahec.org or contact Rebecca Jackson, BSN, RN at (803) 286-4121.

Ann Lefebvre Selected as Next South Carolina AHEC Executive Director

It is with great pleasure that South Carolina AHEC announces its next executive director, Ann Lefebvre, MSW, CPHQ. Ann succeeds Dr. David Garr, who is retiring after more than 15 years leading the South Carolina AHEC program.

Ann comes to the South Carolina AHEC with extensive experience as the associate director of the North Carolina AHEC program.  She has leadership experience in strategic planning methods and the incorporation of new programs into an existing organization’s infrastructure. She has been directing the North Carolina Practice Support Program, a statewide, quality improvement initiative serving primary care practices with a focus on improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. This program has been recognized nationally as a model for practice facilitation and coaching. Ann has helped secure more than $35 million in federal, state and philanthropic funds and has championed the use of technology in the provision of clinical care.  She has collaborated and consulted with state and federal agencies and academic health systems to advance population health and respond to evolving health care needs. 

Ann received her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Handicapped Education from Plattsburgh State University and a Master of Social Work from East Carolina University. She has a faculty appointment at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine. 

Ann will join the South Carolina AHEC Program Office on November 19. Please join us in welcoming her to our state, our communities and our South Carolina AHEC System.

South Carolina AHEC Program Office Welcomes CeCe Heyward

We would like to welcome CeCe Heyward to the South Carolina AHEC Program Office. CeCe is the Education and Evaluation Coordinator and provides essential support for South Carolina AHEC statewide projects.  She joins the project teams for many of the AHEC system’s federal, state and foundation-sponsored projects and evaluation initiatives. CeCe also serves as a liaison to partners across the state, working closely with faculty, health professionals, health professions students, regional AHEC center teams and more.

CeCe brings with her more than six years of experience coordinating and managing the implementation of multiple HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) and endowment/foundation grant initiatives focused on oral health education and dental disease treatment and prevention from her previous position in the College of Dental Medicine’s Division of Population Oral Health.  CeCe has a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University in fashion merchandising and apparel design and a Masters of Public Health from MUSC with a concentration in health behavior and health promotion. CeCe is a native of Hollywood, SC, and has a son who is very comical and keeps her laughing.

Welcome CeCe! She can be reached at heywj@musc.edu or 843-792-9833.