The Regional Engagement to Advance Community Health (REACH) AmeriCorps program is recruiting 15 part-time REACH Community Health Educators to conduct community health workshops over nine months. Hosted in targeted census tracts in the Dan River Region, the workshops focus on specific health topics and address areas of high need and chronic health issues. Members will serve approximately 25 hours per week.
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) administers the REACH AmeriCorps program.
Members who participate in this service opportunity will receive a stipend of $11,500 and a Segal Education Award—which can be used to repay student loans or for current or future education—of $3,447.50. Members need to be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and some additional hours may be required for a total of 900 hours.
This Public Health AmeriCorps program is ideal for students seeking a gap year, those entering the health field, career switchers and retirees.
IALR was awarded a $218,678 grant from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, to continue this program for a third year. The grant will fund the continued impact of the REACH AmeriCorps program, which has provided public health workshops and educational opportunities in concert with the REACH Partnership since 2022.
The REACH AmeriCorps program is dedicated to expanding the capacity for public health service by providing direct outreach and education services in the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County (North Carolina). Members offer individualized support, addressing the region’s most pressing physical and mental health challenges through a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) lens.
In the current year of the REACH AmeriCorps program (which will end Aug. 31), members have conducted 92 workshops across 21 locations, serving 862 participants. In the program’s two years, members have contributed 12,502 service hours.
In conjunction with the REACH AmeriCorps program, The REACH Partnership deploys Community Health Workers and Community Paramedics – referred to as coordinated care teams – to assist with an individual’s physical and mental health needs and to connect clients to community resources, addressing the myriad social determinants of health. Supported by The Health Collaborative of the Dan River Region, the REACH Partnership includes the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (lead and fiscal agent), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Piedmont Access to Community Health Services, Gateway Health, Sovah Health Danville, Compassion Healthcare, the Danville Life Saving Crew, Caswell County EMS, Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services and Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The Partnership efforts are funded by a $6.3 million grant from the Danville Regional Foundation.
AmeriCorps State and National, a federal-state partnership with a central role for Governor-appointed State Service Commissions, develops and implements state-specific national service programs. These grants allow organizations to recruit, train and supervise AmeriCorps members who are providing services to support education, disaster services, health, environmental stewardship, economic opportunity and service to veterans and military families.
AmeriCorps State and National annually engages more than 65,000 Americans in intensive service. AmeriCorps members in the AmeriCorps State and National program receive a modest living allowance. At the successful completion of each service term, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs. Members aged 55+ when they begin service may gift their Segal Education Award to immediate family members.
Public Health AmeriCorps, a partnership between AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, supports the recruitment, training and development of a new generation of public health leaders. Supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, Public Health AmeriCorps helps meet the public health needs of local communities, while also creating pathways to public health-related careers.
Since the launch of Public Health AmeriCorps, more than 4,500 AmeriCorps members have added much-needed capacity to health departments, community-based organizations, schools, and more. They help advance more equitable health outcomes and support the CDC’s highest priorities, including chronic disease prevention and public health readiness.
To learn more, visit https://www.ialr.org/reach-americorps-recruiting-15-members-thanks-to-americorps-continuation-grant/.
