AmeriCorps

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (News Release) — AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded CHRISTUS Health HEART Work $647,986 to continue building the capacity of the public health workforce through service, including programs addressing mental health, chronic disease prevention and public health readiness.

The CHRISTUS Health HEART Work program began in July 2023 in response to address health-related social needs in the communities in which CHRISTUS Health services. By developing action plans such as free exercise classes and linking individuals to appropriate community resources through referral and navigation services.

“Public Health AmeriCorps is a shining example of a whole-of-government approach to community problem-solving and workforce development through service and demonstrates the power of partnerships to move America forward,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO, AmeriCorps. “Public Health AmeriCorps is making a real difference in communities, and I am thrilled AmeriCorps is providing more than $76 million in funding to address our country's most urgent public health needs.”

AmeriCorps will fund more than $76 million nationwide.

89 Public Health AmeriCorps grant recipients will use this federal funding to support more than 4,000 AmeriCorps members across almost all states, Washington, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico. These members will gain hands-on experience in the public health field from providing resources to community health clinics to supporting local public health organizations.

View the full list of Public Health AmeriCorps grantees.

“Public Health AmeriCorps is an innovative partnership working to address our public health workforce challenge,” said Leslie Ann Dauphin, Ph.D., director of CDC’s National Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce. “Through this partnership, CDC and AmeriCorps are providing essential public health services in nearly every state and building a pathway for early career entrants into public health.”

Since the launch of Public Health AmeriCorps in 2021, more than 4,700 AmeriCorps members have added much-needed capacity to health departments, community-based organizations, schools and more. Serving at the forefront of solutions to the opioid epidemic, the maternal health crisis and other public health issues, members support their peers as recovery specialists, connect new and expecting parents to critical resources, create safer communities for young people and respond to disasters.

Public Health AmeriCorps was designed to meet communities’ urgent public health needs and create flexible pathways to the public health workforce. Three years later after its launch, Public Health AmeriCorps is recognized as a model for workforce development in the public health field, proving that service is a viable path to careers in public health. This partnership has capitalized on AmeriCorps’ people power and infrastructure and leveraged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s technical expertise as the country’s leading public health agency to address communities’ most pressing public health challenges and create new pathways to public-health related careers.