This is a seminal time for health care. There are new developments almost daily as healthcare practitioners, researchers, and institutions struggle to reshape the way care is provided and paid for. As Westling and McClurg point out in their article, “if we do not address the rising costs of health care, we will either: (1) bankrupt the country, (2) raise taxes considerably, or (3) no longer provide care to our vulnerable populations.” Whether or not challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) modify its impact, change is inevitable and, in fact, already underway. Where does AHEC fit into this changing landscape? AHEC, the only national program to recruit and support students throughout the health careers pathway, is an indispensable partner in shaping the healthcare system that we need in America. We will need, however, to think outside our usual box, to make deliberate and thoughtful connections between our hallmark activities and new models of care. The current edition of the Journal of the National AHEC Organization highlights just a few of the innovative ways that AHECs are implementing the ACA.