Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
Funding will support 65 AmeriCorps members to meet public health needs of local community and help build the next generation of public health leaders
April 06, 2022
HARTFORD–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.-03) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) announced on Wednesday that Middletown’s Community Health Center and Waterbury’s Health360 will receive a total of $1,870,622 in Public Health AmeriCorps funding.
Public Health AmeriCorps, a partnership between AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), supports the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders. Supported by a five-year, $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, Public Health AmeriCorps will help meet public health needs of local communities by providing surge capacity and support while also creating pathways to public health-related careers.
“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, this funding will help make sure underserved communities in Middletown and Waterbury can access critical physical and mental health services and create a pipeline of public health workers. I’m grateful to AmeriCorps and its talented volunteers who have a long history of strengthening our communities with their service, and I’ll continue supporting these efforts that make a big difference for the people of Connecticut,” said Murphy.
“Our healthcare workers have been our heroes during the pandemic, going above and beyond to help others. These AmeriCorps workers will be the next generation of healthcare heroes, ensuring Connecticut will have a sufficient number of doctors, nurses, and other frontline staff especially during future health emergencies. I am proud that as a delegation we fought this funding to support Community Health Center and Health360 as they continue to provide essential services to those most in need in our communities,” Said Blumenthal.
“The public health workforce has been pushed to the limit by COVID-19, doing heroic work under devastating circumstances. The American Rescue Plan funding for Public Health AmeriCorps projects announced today will help open career opportunities for these workers and meet the public health needs of our community. This initiative will create a pipeline for public health workers and will raise the overall quality of care, capacity, and public health safety in Connecticut. AmeriCorps remains a pillar in our state services, and I am proud we were able to secure these funds to sustain such a valuable program that has made a tangible impact in rebuilding our communities and neighborhoods hit hard by COVID-19. This investment will mobilize volunteers and workers and gives us the tools we need to continue helping us get through the pandemic,” said DeLauro.
“Today’s funding announcement is monumental for the Fifth District. This federal grant will advance how AmeriCorps projects respond to the public health, education, and economic needs of Waterbury and the surrounding community. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious vulnerabilities in our health care industry, making investments to recruit, train, and develop a new generation of public health works all the more critical,” said Hayes.
Individual awards are listed below:
Community Health Center, Inc.: $432,000 for Healthy Communities; 15 full-time AmeriCorps members will participate in various activities related to outreach, education, linkage to care, retention in care, COVID-19 vaccination, and engagement in healthcare and support services across community-based sites in Connecticut. AmeriCorps members will support increased health knowledge and improve access to care among individuals in the communities served.
Health360: $1,438,622 for Health Minds Alliance; 50 full-time AmeriCorps members will implement select mental health gatekeeper trainings that increase the ability of laypeople to identify and support people with mental illness.
In addition to the grants announced today, AmeriCorps will also provide up to $422,175 each year in education scholarships for the Public Health AmeriCorps members supported by this award to help pay for college, vocational training, or pay back student loans.
Grantees are actively recruiting adults of all ages and education backgrounds to serve in Public Health AmeriCorps. Public Health AmeriCorps members may be eligible to receive a living allowance, professional development, health and childcare support, and an education award. Those interested in joining Public Health AmeriCorps can learn more at AmeriCorps.gov/PublicHealth.
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