By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

After about 20 years as a community outreach clinic, the University of Kansas Area Health Education Center has moved to a different location.

At the end of June, the clinic finalized a relocation to the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh, from its long-time abode on East 32nd Street.

"I think, being down here, it will make people more aware that we're here," said Judy Eyerly, interim director of the center. "It's a more visible location."

The office consists of five employees and now is made up of about eight offices and clinic rooms on the Hadley Center's main floor.

They had been looking to relocate for more than a year, looking to downgrade in both space and costs, she said.

"We actually had too much space before, so we were kind of looking to downsize," Eyerly said.

The health education center is one of three outreach offices in the state of Kansas, headed by the KU School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kan.

The office in Hays covers the northwest region, or about one-third of the state.

It offers continuing education opportunities to local medical professionals, is involved with recruitment and retention efforts, and brings big-city specialists to the area to provide local care.

The office now consists of three clinic rooms, which are used for patient consultations. Almost 10 specialists and physicians make regular visits to Hays to offer medical assistance to their patients in this area, Eyerly said.

These traveling physicians provide services not available in this area, such as pediatric cardiology and rheumatology, she said.

"It's a great way for patients to get some specialty services that aren't available in the area, without having to travel," Eyerly said.

About one week of every month is dedicated to patient clinics, she said.

The clinic rooms also double as ITV training rooms, where the office uses its interactive television system to provide continuing education programs and telemedicine consultations at a distance.

While the last two weeks of June were dedicated to making the move, it's business as usual at the office, and the first patient clinics in the new location will begin this week.

Patients come from all over the region. It's hoped the new location will be easier to locate for these out-of-town patients and more visible to those in Hays, Eyerly said.

"Our name's on the outside," she said. "I don't think people even knew KU Med had an outreach office here."