SR-AHEC history

Southern Regional first opened its doors to patients April 19, 1971 as a small, community hospital in Riverdale, Ga.

By 1985, the RML network included over 3,000 libraries in 50 states and US territories.

For example, in 1989, there were 16 outreach projects underway in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

In 1992, the Pacific Northwest RML at the University of Washington (Region 6) was awarded an enhancement to its contract to explore the efficacy of Internet connections and resources in community hospitals.

NLM began working on a consumer information clearinghouse focused on women’s health topics in 1994.

GRATEFUL MED made its Internet debut in 1996.

The Tribal Connections Project, which began in 1998 with the Pacific Northwest (Region 6) RML, aimed to establish or improve Internet connectivity, provide training, and build partnerships between the tribes and health education institutions.

In 2001, the hospital opened the Women's Life Center focused on providing high-quality health care to the women of our community.

Since 2006, the variety of work carried out by the RMLs has continued to expand, still with emphasis on eliminating health disparities through outreach to underserved groups of health professionals, educators, patients, and consumers.