The South East Area Health Education Center is marking its 40th year serving healthcare professionals and the community in southeastern North Carolina.

SEAHEC was formed in 1972 as an innovative not-for profit foundation whose purpose was “furthering training and education in all areas of healthcare,” organization spokeswoman Lindsay Fletcher said in a news release.

Forty years later, SEAHEC, the largest foundation-based healthcare not-for-profit in the Wilmington area, is still fulfilling its mission in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Duplin and Columbus Counties through its many services, Fletcher said.

“SEAHEC has a legacy of improving healthcare in our region, thanks in part to its longstanding partnership with regional medical facilities including New Hanover Regional Medical Center and numerous community partners. As SEAHEC celebrates 40 years of serving the Wilmington community, our organization also recognizes the dedicated faculty and staff that make SEAHEC successful,” Dr. Mark Darrow, SEAHEC President and CEO, said in a news release.

Since its founding, SEAHEC has partnered with New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to provide medical residency training in the Cape Fear region. Before 1972, physician training took place in large metropolitan areas where medical schools are traditionally located.

“Thanks to the training offered in Wilmington, nearly 80 physicians trained at SEAHEC have settled and practice in our community,” Fletcher said.

Over the years, SEAHEC’s services have expanded as the needs of the community and healthcare grew. To assist with residency training, SEAHEC now operates University Physicians, a medical practice staffed by nearly 30 board-certified physicians and trained providers, making it one of the largest multi-specialty medical groups in Wilmington. Along with resident physicians, medical students from around North Carolina also have access to training facilitated by SEAHEC through its faculty members and 250 precepting physicians.

In addition to training physicians, SEAHEC sponsors continuing education programs for nurses, mental health professionals, dental assistants, and allied health providers, averaging over 5,000 participants annually. Healthcare professionals and medical students also have access to the Fales Health Sciences Library, which is the largest medical library in the five county service area.

“SEAHEC’s dedication to education in healthcare is not only focused on today’s healthcare needs, but also on the future of healthcare. Through the Regional Extension Center, SEAHEC is assisting medical practices implement electronic medic records to facilitate communication and improve the quality of care,” Fletcher said.